Proposed church expansion causes neighborhood debate

St. Andrew’s Church is a golden asset.

Our family has lived in Newport since 1967 and are regular church

attenders. St. Andrew’s was our home church for 25 of those years.

Currently we attend another, but support St. Andrew’s with a check

each month.

We like to encourage St Andrew’s for our adult children and their

children and friends because we want to perpetuate the positive

influence it has on our town and local young people. It has been a

safe corner, dispensing truth and hugs in hard times.

It’s also a center for musicals, classes, grief recovery, help

groups, community outreach, feeding many at Thanksgiving and

Christmas, preschool classes and so much more. The facilities must

keep up with the times and interests of our kids.

They require tweaking periodically. Like now. The houses in our

neighborhood have almost doubled in value in the last five to eight

years. Many of those surrounding the church have been renewed,

rebuilt or refurbished. Allow St. Andrew’s to do the same. They have

been good neighbors and will be in the future. Trust.

This church is five-star insurance for good in our community, a

shiny plus for Newport. Why let it tarnish?

BARBARA CARR FREEMAN

Newport Beach

I wish to express my strong opposition to St. Andrew’s desired

expansion.

I have lived in Newport Beach for my entire life and specifically

the Cliff Haven community for 24 years. This is a residential

community where families live, play and sleep. St. Andrew’s is a

guest in our community.

I consider St. Andrew’s Church to be a wonderful asset to our

community. However, as a guest in our neighborhood, I feel that they

should have both courtesy and respect for the wishes of their hosts.

Because this is a residential community, the priority should be to

protect and preserve the peacefulness and serenity of the people who

live here. Due to the St. Andrew’s location among homes and families

of our neighborhood, their expansion would most certainly impact the

peacefulness of our lives. It is my hope and desire that the St.

Andrews building project be denied.

KATHY SCHULER

Newport Beach

We have lived in the Cliff Haven neighborhood for the past 30

years. We have lived through the building of the current facility at

St. Andrew’s. The safety of our neighborhood is our first and most

important concern and consideration. We do not look forward to the

congestion, dirt, noise, traffic of heavy equipment or the

difficulties we will have coming and going to our homes.

We have been members of St. Andrew’s for 25 years. Considering the

attendance of the church has been declining for several years, the

building is not the priority that needs to be considered. If there

aren’t children at the church now to use the 38,000-square-foot

building, when will there be? Newport Harbor High and Ensign Middle

School combined have less than 150 youngsters in attendance at the

church once or twice a week. So 38,000 square feet is huge for so

little usage.

With the potential of 1,300 seats in the proposed gym and the

1,400 seats in the sanctuary at this time, combined with 2,700

available seats to be filled for any event in the future, the site is

in no way prepared to park enough cars or to bring in people to fill

the facility.

Adding a parking structure is not the answer to the declining

attendance. Parking structures are known for their danger, transients

use them to sleep in, young people use them to skateboard in, to use

as ramps for scooters, bikes, roller skates and other childhood

games. How will this be patrolled and who will assume the liability

for the danger this is?

Please consider building a parking structure on the 16th Street

side of Newport Harbor High School. This will take care of any

parking problems we have during the week and on the weekend. Consider

also if this is what we need in our neighborhood.

We think the church needs to grow in other ways.

KRISTINA OLAH

Newport Beach

I have been a resident of Newport Beach for more than 10 years and

attended St. Andrew’s until I heard of this expansion plan, at which

time we changed to another church more sympathetic to its

neighborhood.

During the time we have lived here, we have seen a steady increase

in traffic, noise and density. So any development plans that would

increase these would really need to be justified.

It disturbs me greatly to see that St. Andrew’s Church would even

consider an expansion given their location in a residential

neighborhood. It was my understanding that the last conditional use

permit was the maximum allowed.

So exactly what has changed that would prompt St. Andrew’s to even

apply for this expansion?

Personally, I believe that the best use of the St. Andrew’s site

is as it is or as an addition to the high school or middle school.

There are many more suitable commercial sites that would easily

accommodate the perceived needs of the St Andrew’s church board with

better traffic access and flow than our neighborhood.

KARL KEMP

Newport Beach