General plan update turning into growth battle
June Casagrande
NEWPORT BEACH -- The mundane-sounding general plan update process is
instead turning out to be one of the hottest battlegrounds yet for
Greenlight. And residents are taking notice.
On the heels of the surprisingly well-attended Visioning Festival on
Saturday to kick off the process, officials have extended to Feb. 1 the
deadline for residents to apply to serve on an advisory committee because
of the huge response.
But even as they fight to get slow-growth advocates on that advisory
committee, some Greenlighters say the playing field is uneven.
“We are unhappy with the process and are talking with Mayor [Tod]
Ridgeway about what we think is a stacked General Plan Update Committee,”
Greenlight spokesman Phil Arst said. “We have only two known Greenlight
supporters out of 11 people on that committee, whereas 63% of the
electorate favors slow growth.”
Activist Allan Beek and City Councilman John Heffernan are the two
committee members who actively support the city’s Greenlight Initiative,
which requires that an election be held on any development large enough
to require an amendment to the general plan. Arst said he was happy,
however, about the recent appointment of Councilman Steve Bromberg, whose
voting record reflects a case-by-case approach to development issues
instead of a pro- or anti-Greenlight position.
The 11-member General Plan Update Committee will appoint the 35 to 37
resident members of the General Plan Committee. More than 100 people have
already applied to serve on the advisory committee and scores more have
requested applications.
On the other side of the issue, Greenlight opponents are also using
the general plan update process to advance their position that the
initiative goes too far.
“No change is not an option,” Ridgeway said. “Costs of providing city
services go up, and something has to pay for them.”
Ridgeway said renewing the general plan offers an opportunity to
create balanced growth that will benefit all residents. And the process,
he said, is also a platform for promoting a new tone in city government.
“We as a council are not going to remain passive,” he said. “We’re
working toward better communication with constituents about what
representative government has done the last 10 years. We’ve not increased
traffic; we’ve decreased it. What you’re not hearing is how good we are
on the environment, open space, traffic.”
Activists on both sides say that pending changes to the general plan
are crucial to the city’s future. And the more than 500 people who packed
Saturday’s Visioning Festival demonstrate that residents agree.
“It was very encouraging to see so many people turn out to the
festival,” Heffernan said. “It was a good cross section and there was a
diverse range of opinion, and that’s good for everyone.”
FYI
Applications for the General Plan Update Committee will be accepted
through Feb. 1. Residents who want to be considered may apply online at
www.nbvision.2025.com or they may call (949) 644-3238 for an application.
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