Traffic studies will predict more of the same

Newport Beach developer and Mayor Tod Ridgeway’s statements to the

Pilot, “Greenlight targets another building,” on March 13, appear to

lack credibility in supporting the city’s attempted subversion of the

Greenlight law.

In pushing for the conversion of a gigantic west side industrial

usage property to partial, or possibly complete, high-traffic- and

high-parking-generation office usage, he makes personal attacks on

concerned opponents and claims traffic studies should be completed

before the project is evaluated. However, as an informed city

servant, he must be aware of the new comprehensive 60-page “Executive

Summary” draft traffic analysis, recently prepared as part of the

Newport Beach General Plan update. This study forecasts massive

traffic increases, gridlocked traffic and makes the need for another

study questionable.

Among its findings: Seven Newport Beach intersections are

currently operating below acceptable levels of service (categorized

letter D), mandated by city laws. Newport Beach traffic will increase

by 170,000 trips per day or 25%. Upon completion of 2 million feet of

additional construction, including more than 1 million feet of office

space, permitted under the current plan, 19 intersections will be

operating below a D level of service. And many will be operating at

an even worse “F” level of service, which is gridlock. Moreover, this

report assumes construction of the proposed 19th Street Bridge in

Costa Mesa, expansion of Coast Highway in Mariners’ Mile and

extension of the Costa Mesa Freeway, south of 17th Street -- all

politically dubious prospects.

Our mayor would also presumably be aware of the recent Costa Mesa

traffic study projecting that four intersections on southern Newport

Boulevard in that city, near the subject project, will operate at an

F level of service. However, he wants to increase density for

unplanned office, traffic and parking.

In doing so, he apparently wants to avoid a Greenlight vote and

support developers by dancing the municipal three step: 1) Ignore the

general plan and use restrictions upon which the city infrastructure

and traffic planning is based; 2) Convert an industrial building to

offices (already completed); and 3) Convert offices to

higher-trip-generating offices, in multiple steps, below the

Greenlight thresholds.

Traffic studies suggest the city’s current and new general plan

should reduce, not increase, office building entitlements to mitigate

prospective traffic problems. More trip-generating office buildings

will only benefit developers and further damage our city and its

residents. Publicized studies show first, that our fully employed

city does not need them; second, they bring more nonresident traffic

to congested areas; and third, they cost more for the city to support

in services than they yield in municipal revenue.

Our concerned voters do not need more traffic studies. They need

more representation to preserve our quality of life.

GEORGE J. JEFFRIES

Newport Beach

* EDITOR’S NOTE: George Jeffries, a retired attorney, was a former

Greenlight Steering Committee member who is no longer affiliated with

the group.