Proposed Dunes project prompted Greenlight activists

It is obvious that the Daily Pilot editorial writer does not live

in Newport Beach, and the recent editorial “Dunes sale a sad ending”

is a perfect example (July 28).

I do agree that Tim and Annie Quinn are great people, and I think

those of us who had any contact with them at all would attest to

that. But that does not mean the new building project they endorsed

for the Dunes was going to be great for all of us who bordered the

property.

The Daily Pilot writer makes a mistake in the statement “plans to

build a hotel that by almost all accounts, except those of the

slow-growth activists, was going to serve the city better and provide

less traffic problems than an already approved 275-room hotel.”

The community’s outrage that the Newport Beach Planning Department

approved that project is what caused most of us to hook up with

Greenlight. It was proof that there was no thought for the people

most affected by the proposed hotel.

You see, unlike some of the Planning Department, City Council and

Daily Pilot staff, we are the ones who live and must travel along

that stretch of Coast Highway almost every single day. It is already

way too congested, is a traffic hazard and none of us believed the

propaganda that building a huge hotel at that site would not present

more problems.

Most of the Dunes’ neighbors also realized that having outside

entertainment for hotel guests would cause music, voices and even

bright lights to adversely affect neighbors on all sides. The water

magnifies sound, making noises at a huge new hotel a real problem,

especially when those hotel parties are in the evening -- a time we

appreciated our quiet neighborhoods. We liked the Quinns, but not

enough to ruin our quality of life.

It is unfortunate that neither the Daily Pilot nor the City

Council fully appreciated the resultant anger of Newport Beach

citizens to learn their families and neighborhoods were being

sacrificed by people who would never have to experience the resultant

problems.

Will we like the new neighbors? Sure, as long as they abide by

rules and regulations that are now in place. Greenlight gave us the

ability to make our relationship with any neighbor more pleasant.

EDNA WILLIAMS

Newport Beach