High-priced hotel and eatery will diminish quality...

High-priced hotel and eatery will diminish quality of life

I can’t believe what I am reading from Marinapark resort developer

Stephen Sutherland of the hotel that might be built on Marina Park

property.

Take his hotel off public lands. The land is the only remaining

parcel owned by the city where a park can be placed. The zoning is

for a park and open space and includes a small boat-launch ramp and

dinghy storage for the mooring lessees.

Look up and down the coast at other harbors where the cities are

actively creating open park space along the water’s edge and

redesigning marinas to better accommodate the boats.

The city of Newport Beach is looking to basically give away our

park space as it did for the Balboa Bay Club. Just try to access the

bay beaches at the Bay Club. The city should not always grab for the

dollars, or we will begin to be another Marina Del Rey, with

high-rises surrounding our bay-front.

Quality of life would benefit from a park and boat ramp, whereas

quality of life will diminish from a high-priced hotel and restaurant

that most of us locals will never step foot in.

DAVE BECKNER

Newport Beach

Be skeptical of city’s motives, and vote no on Measure L

The more I read about the proposed luxury hotel/timeshare for

Marinapark, the more convinced I become that the scheme is no more

than a stalking horse for some other and yet undisclosed plan

concocted by the city.

Although the current mobile home park should return close to

$900,000 a year, based on current leases, Newport Beach seems ready

to abandon one of its few affordable-housing developments for what

may or may not be additional revenue. This could be the proposed

resort or some other “marine commercial” project on what is one of

Newport Beach’s last remaining public and accessible bayside

properties.

Granted that the developer has spread a lot of money around for

consultants, push polls, planners and made a number of expensive

promises to the city, the American Legion, the Girl Scouts and

goodness knows who else. Yet the details of his lease have yet to be

worked out, according to the Sept. 7 edition of the Daily Pilot

(“Marinapark project battle goes public”).

And according to presentations made at public hearings over the

past months, there are several more hurdles, hoops and approvals the

resort project has yet to negotiate should voters approve Measure L.

Not the least of these, I believe, are the State Lands Commission

(appropriate tidelands use) as well as the state Coastal Commission.

So what happens if this pie-in-the-sky resort development project

falls through? The city then has its zoning changed from “recreation”

to “marine commercial” and can presumably do as it pleases without a

public vote. Vote no on Measure L.

JOHN DOWDEN

Newport Beach

People from all over Newport would use a park on peninsula

With reference to the Community Commentary of Sept. 3, James

“Buzz” Person questions who would come to a public park at

Marinapark, if the public votes “No” on Measure L in November and the

site retains its recreation and environmental open-space designation,

and the timeshare hotel is voted down.

I will venture a guess who will use Marinapark if a true park is

created there with bay front, sandy beach, lawn, picnic facilities,

public small-boat facilities, plenty of parking and a view from

Balboa Boulevard to act as a “Window to the Bay.” Such a park would

extend from the American Legion to 18th Street and would also include

tennis courts, half-court basketball, a Girl Scout house and

community center.

The people visiting Marinapark would come from all over Newport

Beach who don’t live on the peninsula and have a hard time getting

there because of lack of parking and because there are no accessible

public parks on the bay front currently. People like me and my family

from Newport Heights. People from Newport Shores. People from

Westcliff. People from Corona del Mar and Eastbluff. People from

Newport Coast. In short, all people from Newport Beach who don’t live

on the peninsula.

Marinapark is the last chance people from the rest of the city

will have for a public park on the peninsula. Let’s not allow only a

few out-of-town visitors to enjoy this park site. Vote No on Measure

L so that everyone from Newport will have a chance for a decent

public park at Marinapark.

JAN D. VANDERSLOOT

Newport Beach

No such thing as a free lunch, so why even consider resort?

Stephen Sutherland, potential developer of the Marinapark resort,

would have Newport Beach residents believe he is not trying to take

their land. The property tax base levied on the homes paid for by the

residents has created a city with large revenues. The only question

is why our council would allow private infringement on our last piece

of open bay-front property. This is a valuable community asset.

Hasn’t anyone noticed that our beach areas are heavily used? Hasn’t

anyone wondered what future population growth will do to our limited

recreational areas? The people of this community need to speak out

against conversion of public property for private profit.

Let the developers buy their own land without using taxpayers’

property and denying us an amenity that we are entitled to use in our

pursuit of happiness. No amount that developers spend can change

these facts. If there is no such thing as a free lunch, why should we

even consider a free park? I hope you will join me in voting no on

Measure L and preserving this park for the use of the residents and

guests of Newport Beach.

FREDERICK RAWLINS

Newport Beach