Marinapark facts are largely unknown

Stephen Sutherland

This is in response to the Friday Mailbag letter from Adele and Mel

Mann (: “Polls show that public is against hotel proposal”).

In the Manns’ letter, they claim that public opinion has been

negative. In fact, over the last months, letters sent to the Daily

Pilot have shown strong support for the Regent hotel being proposed

for Marinapark. The Manns point out that a telephone survey conducted

last November shows opposition to the Regent. In this survey the

question was asked: “Should a hotel be built in Marinapark”? Ninety

percent of Newport Beach residents do not know what Marinapark is,

nor do they have information about the planned resort. When asked

about Marinapark, most residents think it is a park. They don’t know

it is a mobile home park. When asked about a hotel, they likely

envision a high-rise concrete structure (a photo of a high-rise

Newport Center hotel was included in a city-sponsored newsletter).

Not knowing that in fact the planned Regent is a one- and two-story

low-density 110-room luxury resort, a resident is likely to think

that a high-rise hotel is to be built in a park. A survey without

residents knowing the facts may be what the Manns want, but in

reality is tainted.

The Manns further state that at a March 2002 workshop and a

September 2002 meeting of the Central Balboa Assn., votes were taken

showing opposition to the project. What the Manns fail to point out

is that the leaders of the association called their members, urging

them to attend these meetings and oppose the project. Residents from

the Marinapark Mobile Home Park also attended these meetings. With

all of this they could only muster 56 votes at one meeting and 59 at

the other. Most of the same people attended both meetings.

There are thousands of residents living on the Balboa Peninsula

and in West Newport. Overall we have more than 75,000 thousand

residents living in our city. Although the Manns may disagree, I

believe residents should have the facts before they are asked to made

decisions affecting the future of our city.

The Regent Newport Beach as planned will not even trigger a vote

of residents under the Greenlight law. Yet, I am on the record saying

residents should have the final say. I ask Adele and Mel Mann to join

me in my support of letting the voters decide the fate of the luxury

resort, Regent Newport Beach.

* Stephen R. Sutherland is a Newport Beach resident and Regent

Newport Beach partner.