Wednesday’s Community Commentary by Stephanie Barger (“Wetlands...

Wednesday’s Community Commentary by Stephanie Barger (“Wetlands not

what is holding up senior housing”) argues that “wetlands” on the

Bayview Landing site are not the basis of the environmental attack on

the city’s senior housing project planned along with a park for that

11-acre site. She relates a story about the city Parks Commission,

which I chair.

The article suggests that we approved a plan for the park with all

native plantings. We did not. We have not even held public hearings.

What Commissioner Val Skoro and I asked the City Council to do in

approving the “concept” plan for the park was to give us the option

to provide some irrigation so we could consider planting some grass

on the site of the public wanted that. At our many sub-committee

meetings, we discussed this with Barger’s group and they did not

oppose leaving this option open until we had more community input.

Bayview Landing is the vacant land on the corner of Jamboree Road

and East Coast Highway. It is not pristine “wetlands.” It was the

site of a gas station until a few years ago.

I hope the Coastal Commission uses some common sense and allows us

to develop a plan fitting this site which is highly visible to both

residents and hundreds of thousands of visitors to our City.

DEBRA ALLEN

Newport Beach