READERS RESPOND -- Should 55-foot boat be allowed to park?

What has happened to that old American virtue called “neighborliness”?

Obviously, Lodwrick M. Cook and his son don’t want the 55-foot boat

parked in front of their residences since it would block their view and

access to the beach.

Instead, they want to park it in front of two residences that they own

but do not occupy. I sympathize with Pam Sigband, who lives next door to

the dock where the boat would be parked. When are the elected officials

in Newport Beach going to realize that they must assume a leadership role

in the whole issue of views?

Cook and his son should remember: “Do unto others as you would have

them do unto you.”

JANET MURPHY

Corona del Mar

Should Cook be able to park his boat in front of his house? Absolutely

yes.

Any of those people who think that their views are some precious thing

that they own should know that all you get when you buy a piece of

property is what you can see straight up from the roof. That’s all that’s

guaranteed. So, absolutely, maybe he should be able to park a 100-footer

in front of his house.

OWEN MINNEY

Costa Mesa

I’m the resident who lives right next door to the pier that

everybody’s up in arms about here on South Bay Front on Balboa Island.

We’re all under the impression that what is here in the bay is here, and

there can’t be any changes made. We already have one very large boat --

about 60 feet -- on one side of us that completely obstructs the view on

one whole side. We used to be able to see up to the pavilion. Can’t see

that anymore. If we have a 50-foot or larger boat put on just the other

side of us, then we’ll have this tunnel-vision view.

Also, the boat that they’re proposing to go in with the new larger

dock will obstruct the beach where several children play every year,

almost all yearlong. It will obstruct any kind of swimming that they can

do out in front. It also moves shore moorings, which I also thought

couldn’t be moved either.

I suppose they want to dredge, but with the eel grass we have out in

front that supposedly is endangered, they can’t do any dredging. I was

born and raised here in this town on the peninsula. I’ve seen a lot of

changes here. Some for the good and some for the bad, but that’s the way

it is, I guess.

KRISTIE HEMSTREET

Balboa Island

We do not approve of Lodwrick M. Cook’s huge yacht to be docked

parallel to his proposed moved dock. This will take a large portion of

beach where children from all of Orange County play and swim in the bay.

It also will be of danger to other boaters trying to use the path of

the bay. Does Cook remember this is a public beach and walkway and the

only island that has a public walkabout?

We live on the island and oppose his use of public water and space. We

want a public hearing on this important matter.

ELIZABETH AND ROGER RIDDICK

Balboa Island

I just don’t get it. Why is it that all these megabuck people who pick

Balboa Island for their second and third homes -- supposedly because they

like it so much -- try to change it? I wonder if they ever considered why

they liked Balboa Island so much in the first place.

I truly sympathize with Pam Sigband, who lives on the South Bay Front.

I cannot imagine the gut-wrenching thought of having lost my

multimillion-dollar view to the sight of my neighbor’s boat.

I think it is time that new laws be enacted to protect our views,

beach access and property values. Under the current scenario, someone

could buy four bay-front houses, alter the dock and tie up a 120-foot

yacht. This, of course, would also effectively wipe out 120 feet of

public beaches, not to mention the view the Island walkers would no

longer enjoy.

The Greenlight initiative was a positive step in protecting our

community from overgrowth. We now need something similar that would

protect our bay and beaches.

BILL SHAW

Balboa Island

I am a homeowner on Balboa Island, and I am adamantly opposed to the

proposed changes to allow a 55-foot boat to be parked there. The public’s

access to beaches and swimming will be negatively impacted and, coupled

with the increased safety issues for smaller craft and swimmers, this

proposal is unacceptable. The city will be making a grave mistake should

they allow this to happen.

ARLENE TRUPPO

Balboa Island

Under no circumstances do I think Cook should be allowed to park his

55-foot yacht in front of his two residences on South Bay Front. My

grandmother lives at 1104 S. Bay Front -- directly next door to Cook --

and the house has been in the family since 1914.

Over the past few years, both her neighbors -- Cook and the neighbor

to the west -- have managed to seriously mar the beachfront charm of

Balboa Island.

If both her neighbors are allowed to park their yachts at the docks,

originally intended for dinghy-sized boats, the beach in front of her

home will be destroyed. Neither Cook nor the neighbor to the west -- who

currently docks a ridiculously large boat in front of his home -- live on

Balboa Island full time, whereas my grandmother and the other residents

of that block are full-time and longtime residents.

It doesn’t seem fair that their longtime enjoyment of the island be

destroyed by the dreams of a part-time resident.

We live just up the hill in Corona del Mar and would like to continue

to enjoy the charm of Balboa Island when visiting my grandmother.

AMY STEFANOCorona del Mar

No, I do not think a boat that large should be allowed at a dock on

Balboa Island. Have you seen the boat Mr. Terrible docked at Linda Isle?

Possibly, Cook should consider Los Angeles Harbor.

ANN PIANI

Balboa Island

Public access to the beach, swimming areas and bay is an inherent

characteristic of Balboa Island. For decades, we have enjoyed walking the

boardwalk, sitting on the beach, sailing, swimming or kayaking.

Cook’s proposal would take this away. He would like to move a pier and

dock so that he can park a large boat across the length of his property.

A public beach would effectively become a private beach. The pier would

replace the beach. The dock and boat would block access to the bay. The

beach and bay that we use all the time would no longer be available to

us.

The piers and docks in front of the homes on the bay front are a

privilege extended by the people of the city of Newport Beach and county

of Orange.

Cook’s proposal would block public access to a beach and swimming

area, force swimmers from adjacent beaches to swim into a busy boating

channel, create an unsafe situation by blocking the sight of parents who

are watching their children in the water, destroy the ability of owners

with rentals to attract tourists who use the beaches, hurt the commercial

district on the island, and possibly destroy the ecology of the beach

when they move the pier.

The dock revision is an abuse of that privilege and should not be

allowed.

BRUCE REYNOLDS

Balboa Island

My concern about this proposed pier relocation and large boat being

moved to this pier is threefold.

1. I’m concerned about access to the public beach and the public

water, and that it will essentially block off that section of the beach

because it is a 55-foot boat.

2. I’m concerned about the safety problem it presents in that a lot of

children come to those beaches and do a lot of swimming. If they swim

around that boat, they’re going to be blindsided by boats coming down the

channel. They’ll not be able to see boats because if a boat comes

alongside, it will be hidden for quite some time before it pops out at

one end, and there could be a child right there in the wake of that boat.

3. The relocation of this pier being proposed, I’m concerned about the

ecology of our water. We have a lot of eel grass, and a lot of creatures

are living in that eel grass. If they move that pier, they’re going to be

disturbing the ecological makeup of the bay, and I don’t want to see that

start to happen.

So, my concerns are threefold. I’ve lived on the island for over 25

years, and we use the beach and the water a lot.

BILL PIERPOINT

Balboa Island