Newport Harbor High parking stirs debate

Deirdre Newman

NEWPORT BEACH -- School district officials heard an earful of concerns

Monday from nearly a dozen residents about a proposed parking garage at

Newport Harbor High School that would be built and operated by the

district and St. Andrew’s Church.

The concerns, voiced mostly by people who live in the neighborhood of

both the school and church, ranged from skepticism about the need for the

garage to frustration over the proposed location.

About 40 people attended the Monday night community meeting, which the

Newport-Mesa Unified School District hosted.

District officials are suggesting a two- or three-story parking

structure with between 548 and 830 parking spaces. It would be built on

the site of the school’s parking lot, in front of the swimming pool off

15th Avenue.

For years, district officials have discussed the school’s parking

problem, which they say boils down to a simple matter of math: There are

too few spaces for the number of students driving cars to class.

While the district has been aware of the need to alleviate the

sometimes chaotic parking situation, it is considering the parking

structure now because the church proposed a partnership under which it

would pay for about 60% of the cost of construction, said Mike Fine, the

district’s assistant superintendent.

The Monday night meeting was the first of three community meetings

that will take place this week for residents to talk with district

officials about the problem.

The meetings are important, Fine said, because the district is only in

the embryonic stages of discussing the parking situation and does not

want to invest a lot of time or money without hearing from the school

community, the church community and neighbors.

Church officials first approached the district in November and

expressed interest in building a parking garage to accommodate a planned

expansion, including a new youth and family center, Fine said.

On Jan. 22, the school board unanimously agreed to continue the

discussion with church officials to try to find a way to reduce on-street

parking needs, as well as improve traffic circulation and pedestrian

safety around both facilities.

But “beneficial” is not the word many of the residents at Monday

night’s meeting used to describe either the parking garage or the

proposed partnership.

Robert Craig questioned the need for a parking facility.

“We should focus on the educational goals of the students,” Craig

said. “When we’ve met those goals, then we should consider a parking

structure.”

Willard Courtney, who has lived near the school since 1952, called the parking problem a blight to the neighborhood. But he is wary of the

district giving up authority by entering into a contract with the church.

“I don’t think we should enter into a partnership with any entity

except our own taxpayers because we will lose control,” Courtney said.

“If it’s needed, let’s pay for it ourselves.”

Many of the residents also took issue with the location, arguing that

if a parking garage is ultimately deemed necessary, it should be off of

16th Avenue, not 15th.

Howard Larsen said changing the location would decrease some of the

suffering neighbors are enduring when the students routinely leave campus

and head to Coast Highway for fast food.

“I’m disappointed by the fixation of the church and school district to

focus on 15th instead of 16th,” Larsen said.

The next meetings on the Newport Harbor High parking situation will be

at 7 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday at the high school’s theater.

Based on the information the district receives, officials will hold

two more meetings, April 17 and April 22, to answer questions from the

first set of meetings and unveil preliminary drawings.