Newport widening supported

Deirdre Newman

After months of soul searching, a transportation committee gave its

blessing on Tuesday to the widening of Newport Boulevard.

A strong majority of the Downtown and Eastside Transportation Ad

Hoc committee voted in favor of adding a fourth northbound lane

between 17th and 19th streets and a fourth southbound lane between

19th Street and Broadway.

The project, which also includes a host of enhancements for the

downtown area, is being studied for its environmental effects and is

expected to go to the City Council for consideration in March.

The prospect of widening Newport Boulevard has been controversial

because some merchants in the area are concerned that it will just

add to the congestion, thereby deterring shoppers from frequenting

the area.

The approval of the committee -- although it is just advisory --

is significant because the committee represents a cross-section of

residents and merchants who will be affected by the widening, City

Transportation Director Peter Naghavi said.

“The majority vote, to me, showed that this group of

representatives from the business community and the residential

community realized we do have a traffic problem and if we do not

address it at this point, we would have some serious issues eight or

10 years down the road,” Naghavi said. “At that point, the issue

would be so much bigger that something so much bigger would have to

be done.”

Regardless of their vote, some committee members expressed mixed

feelings about it.

Randy Garell, of the Grant Boys on Newport Boulevard, supported

it.

“I voted for the project with great trepidation,” Garell said. “I

voted for it because I felt, with all things considered, it’s

probably the best course of action for the downtown area.”

Jessica Palanjian, who owns two automotive service shops with her

father, Jerry, in the Newport Boulevard area, went the other way.

“We understand that there are things that need to be done -- there

are problems with traffic congestion,” Palanjian said. “We weren’t

sure that this was the best solution or that the problem is enough of

a problem that we need to do anything major at this time.”

The council first approved studying the widening of Newport

Boulevard in 2001 and secured $700,000 from the county for the study.

It also formed the Downtown and Eastside Transportation Ad Hoc

Committee to recommend short- and long-term solutions to improve

traffic congestion on and around Newport Boulevard.

A few months later, many residents and business owners spoke out

against the widening project.

In 2002, the study went to the council again for reconfirmation

because of opposition to the idea. The committee proposed postponing

the project to pursue other options, and some council members

suggested returning the $700,000. The council ultimately

re-authorized the study and kept the funds.

The committee tried to solicit public feedback on the plans to

widen Newport Boulevard with an open house in late October, but it

only attracted a sparse turnout and one written comment.

Garell said he was disappointed that more people hadn’t gotten

involved in the committee’s discussions over the past two years.

“The members of the committee worked really hard on this for a

couple of years, and no decisions were reached easily,” Garell said.

“Over the past couple of years, I’ve seen less than six people come

to any of our meetings, and they are public. And yet I have a feeling

that when this comes before the council for a vote, there will

probably be a big turnout.”

Along with approving the widening Tuesday, the committee also

approved a slew of upgrades for Newport Boulevard and the surrounding

downtown area, such as adding planters and using decorative lighting.

* DEIRDRE NEWMAN covers Costa Mesa and may be reached at (949)

574-4221 or by e-mail at deirdre.newman@latimes.com.