Church’s growth spiritual and a bit controversial

Stop the expansion!

JEAN CARSON

Newport Beach

A zoning exemption to allow St. Andrew’s Church to expand should

not be approved.

This church is situated in the midst of a residential

neighborhood. The increased traffic and noise a new youth and family

center would bring to the area is just unacceptable in this location.

The planned parking structure, with its entrances and exits on

small neighborhood streets, is another problem.

I wish the St. Andrew’s folks would be a little more considerate

and work with the neighborhood to arrive at a mutually acceptable way

to achieve its goals.

JOAN MCCAULEY

Newport Beach

I don’t think St. Andrew’s should be allowed to expand.

I have lived on 15th and Riverside since 1976. I have recently

retired, and cannot believe how much traffic and noise we have on

15th each day, which I would call nonresidential traffic.

Newport Heights is going through a transition away from small,

single-story homes. This construction has been going on for years and

creates enough traffic and noise for a residential neighborhood.

However, we also must live with the additional traffic that is

“passing through” to get to and from Coast Highway. But it doesn’t

stop there. In addition to the aforementioned traffic are all the

other nonresidential drivers that use 15th as a thoroughfare: the

Newport city maintenance vehicles , buses from Newport Harbor High

and St. Andrew’s, the numerous garbage trucks and FedEx and UPS

trucks.

I love the Newport Heights area, and I’m against letting anyone do

something that endangers the environment that originally attracted us

to this neighborhood. St. Andrew’s is zoned residential and it should

stay that way.

RICHARD GALLUP

Newport Beach

Yes, yes, yes. Please allow St. Andrew’s to expand. The world

needs churches like this to witness to the fact that there is

goodness in the world, lives changed and healed, adult issues

addressed and paths made easier to travel.With churches like this,

youth can learn about and live for a better way of life with hope and

understanding of how to treat others in love and caring. Look around

you in the world. Is this being done now? We need spiritual

leadership in our lives, and St. Andrew’s is continually reaching out

to help in this need, always looking for areas to help others.

ROLAND AND RUTH LAMPE

Newport Beach

St. Andrew’s should not be allowed to expand.

The overpowering presence, lack of a good parking plan with the

unusable parking garage and the increase in traffic and parking

nightmares on local streets make this a very, very bad plan.

C.R. CARLSON

Newport Beach

As a resident of Newport Beach and a longtime member of St.

Andrew’s Church, I feel compelled to write and express my feelings as

to why the church should be allowed to continue with its well-

thought-out and planned expansion.

It is my understanding that my church has worked very hard to

include the surrounding community with the plan and has respected the

views of the community by making requested changes to the original

plan. I feel that if I lived near St. Andrew’s when my children were

in their teen years, I would have been ecstatic. Our young people are

our main resource, and with all that goes on in the secular world, I

believe that offering the community such a positive place to gather

is a blessing rather than an inconvenience. Because parking is now a

problem, I would think the neighborhood would embrace the 150

additional parking spots. I, for one, park in front of people’s homes

when I attend church on Sunday. I always feel a little guilty, even

though it is a public street. I will be happy to have more convenient

parking and not have to park in front of homes.

So, yes, I think the expansion plans should go forward.

MARILYN ROCKWOOD

Newport Beach