Group wants 1901 Newport on ballot

Deirdre Newman

City leaders’ handling of the 1901 Newport Blvd. project has already

led to a lawsuit by the developer.

Now the city faces the threat of a referendum on the issue as

well.

A group of residents unhappy with the high density of the project

planned to start circulating petitions today to demand that the

council repeal its approval of the project or else let residents vote

on it on the November ballot.

A variation of the original project was approved last week. It

calls for 145 units and 415 parking spaces in the parking lot of the

property that houses the Spanish mission-style building at the corner

of 19th Street and Newport Boulevard.

Although the overwhelming majority of residents spoke in

opposition to the project last week, the council approved it, with a

$1.5 million subsidy to Rutter Development in exchange for lowering

the number of units.

The referendum effort is the consequence of city leaders’ ignoring

the community’s clear resistance to the project, former Councilwoman

Heather Somers said.

“It’s too bad that our council has stopped listening to the public

on issues that concern the entire community,” Somers said. “The only

reason referendums get brought about is because there is a breakdown

in communication between what the community wants and what the

council chooses to direct.”

The project had been in limbo since August. Rutter Development

officials sued the City Council and a resident group, Costa Mesa

Citizens for Responsible Growth, last summer, claiming that a

rehearing on the downtown condominium project was granted illegally,

without the required presentation of new evidence.

When the rehearing was held Tuesday, Jan. 20, the City Council --

acting as the Redevelopment Agency -- approved a slightly less dense

version of the original, which is still double the density called for

in the city’s general plan.

The referendum is on the general plan amendment to the project,

which will allow the project to be built at 40 units per acres

instead of 20.

About 20 people have joined the referendum effort so far. The goal

is to get 4,700 signatures by Feb. 19.

Councilman Allan Mansoor, one of the two council members to vote

against the project, said he was not surprised to hear that a

referendum effort was starting.

“My position has always been that development should stay within

the spirit of the general plan,” Mansoor said. “We’ve doubled that,

so I don’t blame the people in the community for wanting us to follow

our own rules.”

Resident Wendy Leece, who is a Parks and Recreation commissioner

and a former member of the Newport-Mesa Unified School District

trustee, said she would circulate petitions in her neighborhood

because she doesn’t think the project was well thought out.

“It’s poorly conceived and needs to go back to the drawing board,”

Leece said.

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

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