Neighborhood discussions are open Regarding the letter...

Neighborhood discussions are open

Regarding the letter to the editor titled “Condo owners say

churches disrupt neighborhood,” on March 10 from William and Bette

Doremus:

I am the chairman of the city of Newport’s Environmental Quality

Affairs Citizen’s Advisory Committee and have had the pleasure of

serving as chairman for more than five years. On behalf of the

committee, I welcome the comments of William and Bette Doremus

regarding the committee’s comments on the Notice of Preparation for

the Environmental Impact Report for the St. Mark Presbyterian Church

project.

The committee also welcomes the Doremuses’ concerns about the high

school and churches in their neighborhood. However, several

misunderstandings foster their concerns about the Environmental

Quality Affairs Citizen’s Advisory Committee. I write to clarify the

role of the committee, to explain the committee’s comments on the

notice of preparation and to encourage the Doremuses to participate

in the public review process for the St. Mark environmental document

and the Our Lady Queen of Angels applications.

The Environmental Quality Affairs Citizen’s Advisory Committee is

a 21-member volunteer citizens’ advisory committee appointed by the

City Council to review and develop comments on environmental

documents for projects within the city of Newport Beach. On occasion,

it reviews and develops comments on environmental documents for

projects outside the city.

Within the past several years, the committee has been very active

and its members have worked very hard. We have commented on scores of

environmental documents for various projects, including the proposed

hotel project at the Dunes site, the proposed Latter Day Saints’

temple project, and the proposed expansion of the office buildings

for Koll and Conexant.

In addition, the committee has drafted comments for the council

and city staff on numerous projects that may have impacts on the

city. These include the environmental documents for the Scholle

Project at Jamboree Road and Fairchild Avenue, in the city of Irvine;

the Costa Mesa 1901 Newport Blvd. condominium project; the proposed

widening for West 17 Street in the city of Costa Mesa; the Pacific

City project in Huntington Beach; and two projects by the Irvine

Ranch Water District.

The role of the Environmental Quality Affairs Citizen’s Advisory

Committee is defined by resolutions adopted by the City Council over

the years. Importantly, it is a volunteer committee with no budget.

We do not conduct environmental studies; we do not hire environmental

consultants; we do not draft the environmental documents -- for

example, the environmental impact reports or the notices of

preparation -- themselves. Rather, the committee depends upon its

volunteers to develop and refine comments on various environmental

documents prepared in connection with the public review process. I

believe that the council and the city staffers rely on the comments

of our committee to supplement and assist in the completion of the

environmental review process for city projects, as well as focusing

concerns about projects outside of the city.

Regarding the Doremuses’ specific concerns about the churches and

the school in their neighborhood, the Environmental Quality Affairs

Citizen’s Advisory Committee recently commented on the notice of

preparation for the St. Mark Church project, which proposes to

relocate the church from its current site to the corner of MacArthur

Boulevard and San Joaquin Hills Road. The Doremuses are concerned

that the committee expressed no concern about the re-use of the

current site of St. Mark Church. This is incorrect: the notice

indicated that the environmental impact report would address the

re-use of the St. Mark site only if the potential user submits plans

within the time frame in which the St. Mark environmental report is

being considered.

However, our committee commented that the environmental report

should identify the potential user. And regardless of whether such

plans were submitted in time, the environmental report should address

the similar uses of the former church site together with projected

construction, or remodeling, impacts for the purposes of analyzing

the cumulative impacts of the project.

Probably, one appropriate forum for the Doremuses’ comments is the

environmental review process in connection with the St. Mark

Environmental Impact Report, as well as any public hearings in

connection with the re-use of that site. We have found that the City

Council has repeatedly listened and attempted to address resident’s

concerns in reviewing the entitlement applications.

We believe that, based in part on the Environmental Quality

Affairs Citizen’s Advisory Committee’s comments, and the comments of

others, the city has successfully addressed and responded to the

concerns of the committee and the residents of the city. We encourage

the Doremuses to participate in that process.

Also, the Environmental Quality Affairs Citizen’s Advisory

Committee’s meetings are open to the public; they are held at 7 p.m.

on the third Monday of each month at the Police Department

Auditorium, at 870 Santa Barbara Drive. We look forward to seeing the

Doremuses and other concerned residents at our meetings.

ROBERT C. HAWKINS

Newport Beach

Lung Assn. has vehicle for tax reduction

Receiving a tax cut in 2004 is a hassle-free process when you

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services for other lung diseases, advocacy and research.

Donating a vehicle is a way to give to the American Lung Assn. of

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The American Lung Assn. of Orange County is a charitable health

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Founded in 1909 to fight tuberculosis, the American Lung Assn. of

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To donate your unwanted vehicle, call the Vehicle Donation hotline

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JENNIFER FRAZIER

Santa Ana

* EDITOR’S NOTE: Jennifer Frazier is the director of

communications for the American Lung Assn. of Orange County.