Voters won’t have say on 1901 Newport

Deirdre Newman

Residents will not get to vote on the controversial 1901 Newport

Boulevard condo project since a referendum effort missed its deadline

Thursday.

The proposed high-density condominium was finally approved in

January after a lawsuit was filed against the city and a residents’

group by the developer.

Opponents frustrated with the high density of the project --

double what is called for in the general plan -- started circulating

petitions in late January. It was a lack of time, not lack of

support, that derailed their attempt, said former councilwoman

Heather Somers.

“The referendum at this point is finished -- only because we ran

out of time, not because we ran out of effort or concern,” Somers

said. “We still have a number of people and concerns. We’re just

refocusing our direction at this point.”

The City Council approved the project on Jan. 20 along with a

resolution approving a general plan amendment to allow the high

density. Opponents began circulating petitions to force the council

to repeal the approval or submit the project to a public vote. The

petitions specifically referred to the agency’s adoption of the

resolution in January.

Petitions for referendums have to be filed 30 days after the

decision they refer to, said City Clerk Julie Folcik. So, in this

case, the petitions were due Thursday.

But the leaders of the referendum movement were basing the 30 days

on the date of the second reading of the project on Feb. 2, Somers

said. In this reading, the council approved an ordinance changing the

municipal code to allow for double the density allowed in the general

plan.

Mayor Gary Monahan said the referendum didn’t have any chance of

success.

“It’s a very good project,” Monahan said. “It was worked on hard

by citizens’ groups and every concern of the neighbors was alleviated

in the final product. And I felt that the threat of referendum was

ill-conceived and without merit.”

Somers said she didn’t know how many of the 4,700 signatures

needed had been obtained.

Since they missed their deadline, opponents will continue to press

city leaders on the financial details of the project, Somers said.

They are especially interested in finding out more about the

$1.5-million subsidy the city offered to induce Rutter Development to

decrease the density from 161 to 145 units, Somers added.

“We have not seen the financials -- the public has not had access

to that and when you’re giving away public funds or making a gift,

they should be accessible to find out exactly what the [financial

details] are,” she said.

Somers said she is apprehensive about the precedent this project

will set.

“It can very well stimulate the county to say, ‘You superceded

your own growth maximums and you’re stimulating the need to put the

[19th Street] bridge in, which again the citizens of Costa Mesa do

not want,’” Somers said.

Rutter Development officials have not announced yet whether they

will be able to build the modified project as it was approved, so

their lawsuit against the city is still pending.

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

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