Questions unanswered in debate over Koll
Deirde Newman
CORONA DEL MAR -- A majority of the few dozen residents who attended a
Koll Center informational meeting Monday said they were miffed that a
consultant for the expansion project ducked out before answering
questions.
“‘It’s frustrating to only hear one side when I came to hear two sides
of the issue,” said Darlene Jacobsen, a 20-year Corona del Mar resident
who attended the event at the Oasis Senior Center.
Touted as an open forum, the discussion instead turned into a
one-sided debate over the 250,000-square-foot project. The chief opponent
of the expansion lambasted the project as a bad precedent for future
development in Newport Beach.
The plan to expand the Koll Center’s southern tip at the intersection
of Jamboree Road and MacArthur Boulevard includes a 10-story office tower
and two parking garages.
The issue is scheduled to go before voters in a Nov. 20 special
election as Measure G. A “yes” vote will mean the project should go
forward.
The vote on Measure G was forced by Newport Beach’s Greenlight law --
passed last November -- which requires voter approval of all developments
large enough to require a general plan amendment.
At the forum, pro-Measure G consultant Scott Hart offered a brief
presentation on the project and said that less than a third of the 2,700
car trips the project is expected to generate will head toward Newport
Beach. The developer has also offered to provide $3 million for traffic
improvements.
Phil Arst, who is spearheading the opposition against Measure G
through the Greenlight Committee, provided a litany of reasons why he
believes the expansion would ruin the status quo, including an adverse
effect on traffic, few economic benefits and close proximity to homes.
“This is not the Newport Beach I saved for many years to move to,”
Arst said. “It’s not what I want, and I don’t think it’s what you want
either.”
Arst also criticized the campaign in favor of Measure G -- the
Greenlight Implementation Committee -- for co-opting the Greenlight name
from the Greenlight Committee.
How much tax benefit the city can hope to receive from the project
became another contentious issue at the meeting. The developer has said
property taxes from the project will benefit the city to the tune of
about $28,000 annually. Arst has countered that the figure, when adjusted
for some expenses the city could incur, is $10,000 at best and negative
$10,000 at worst.
Despite Arst’s adamant opposition to the project, some residents say
they favor it.
Councilman Dennis O’Neil said he had essentially voted for it already
when the City Council approved the project in July by a 4-3 vote.
“It’s a new office building in an area where office buildings should
be built,” he said. “It provides jobs, and I think it’s healthy for
Newport Beach to provide a mix of development.”
* Deirdre Newman covers education. She may be reached at (949)
574-4221 or by e-mail at o7 deirdre.newman@latimes.comf7 .
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