Finishing a general plan update

June Casagrande

NEWPORT BEACH -- The controversial question of who will serve on a

committee to help update the city’s general plan could have a final

answer today.

The members of the General Plan Update Committee have the tall task of

narrowing down their picks from 256 applicants for the citizen-filled

General Plan Advisory Committee. From that applicant list, they hope to

nail down on Monday the names of the 32 to 37 appointees whose legacy is

expected to last for decades.

“I’ve been very impressed with the process for selecting the

appointees,” said Councilman Steve Bromberg, one of three council members

on the 11-member update committee. “The process has been a very thorough

and a very fair attempt to get a good cross-section of the community.”

Committee appointments were thrust into the spotlight recently when a

Greenlight representative alleged that the process discriminated against

older residents. Officials responded that using age as one of the many

guidelines for the committee simply was a way to ensure equal

representation for older and younger residents alike.

“They’ve wanted to consider these appointments very carefully,”

Assistant City Manager Sharon Wood said, “especially because there is

such a large number of applicants.”

The 30-plus members will be selected from different age groups and

with an emphasis on equal representation from all areas of the city. Five

to 10 of the positions will specialize in specific issues that emerged as

top priorities during the city’s Vision Festival. The specialties will

include harbor uses, traffic and development in the airport area.

Representatives from the business and environmental communities will

also serve on the committee.

Once assembled, the group will get down to the nuts and bolts of

updating the city’s general plan -- the document that serves as a

blueprint for the city’s future.

The group’s findings and recommendations will culminate in a

“community congress” -- a huge town hall-type meeting where the general

plan update will be finalized. Officials hope that meeting can take place

before or shortly after summer begins.