Survey says Newport residents content

June Casagrande

Residents’ prescription for “mansionization,” one of the most

passionately debated issues in the city, is to do nothing.

Of the 1,000 residents who answered a telephone survey, 41% said

the city’s regulations to restrain the size of new or remodeled homes

are “just right,” 13% said the rules are too strong and 27% said

they’re not stringent enough. The response was just one of many that

expressed high satisfaction with how the city does business already.

“Just right” was also the most common answer to questions about

the city’s current regulations to protect views. About 42% said

building regulations were just right, 49% said this of city

regulations about plants and trees and 50% approved of current

policies on business signs.

The survey was conducted as part of the General Plan update

process to gather input for rewriting the far-reaching document. Its

results will be factored in with resident input gathered during

community workshops and the city’s “Visioning Festival” to map out

the city’s future in every area from development to water quality.

Residents split on how to accommodate more visitors. About 48%

said the city should build more restrooms, 51% said the city should

provide shuttle service and 50% said more parking is needed. The only

visitor-related question that got a solidly negative response was,

“Should the city have more retail stores and restaurants to

accommodate visitors?” An overwhelming 74% said no, while 21% said

yes.

Perhaps the most important “don’t touch” mandate came in response

to a question on traffic congestion. Greenlighters, led by activist

and General Plan Update Committee member Allan Beek, have been

pushing residents and officials to make some hard decisions about

traffic, before time makes it for them.

Topping the group’s list is taking a look at the city either

building more roads to accommodate more traffic, and thus attract

more traffic, or absorbing traffic increases into its existing

infrastructure, resulting in more congestion but less of a “freeway”

feel for the city. About 62% of the residents surveyed said that the

main roads they travel should be left as is, despite the added

congestion. Only 30% said those roads should be widened.

“There are still a lot of areas where we’re getting conflicting

messages from residents, which is why we’re hoping very much for a

lot of people to come to our visioning festival [on Nov. 16],”

Assistant City Manager Sharon Wood said.

* JUNE CASAGRANDE covers Newport Beach and John Wayne Airport. She

may be reached at (949) 574-4232 or by e-mail at

june.casagrande@latimes.com.