Facts point to future with traffic

PHIL ARST and RICK TAYLOR

Mayor Steve Bromberg: “Methinks thou doth protesteth too much!”

You have claimed that the facts Greenlight presented in Community

Commentary in the Daily Pilot (“Is more traffic on the way?” Feb. 3)

were wrong, but provided no facts yourself to prove your charges

(“Mayor notes progress in state of city,” Feb. 4). You have impugned

our 1st Amendment right to speak out and the Daily Pilot’s freedom of

the press. As we prefer factual, not personal debates, here are the

facts to support the position of the residents regarding the

council’s consideration of a plan to turn the city into another

congested Santa Monica.

We are concerned that in an update to the city’s general plan,

traffic is increased over present levels by tens of thousands of

daily auto trips. The areas around the west side of the bay and our

most congested streets (Coast Highway and Newport Boulevard) have

been proposed for a proliferation of high traffic generating

multi-story developments, both business and residential.

The residents of the city have overwhelmingly indicated in a

scientifically valid poll conducted by the city (Godbe Poll) that

they want Newport Beach to remain a quality residential community and

beach town for the future.

On several occasions, Greenlight resident volunteers addressed the

City Council and various committees working on the general plan

update to make known the results of this city poll indicating the

wishes of the residents for the future direction of the city. The

update is proceeding on a path than is the direct opposite of what

the residents desire, and you did nothing about that.

After having spent almost 2 million of our taxpayer dollars

investigating massive growth in the city, the council did not

indicate any interest in our requests for a quality city, not another

Santa Monica. No interest was shown in Greenlight’s request to

eliminate unsatisfactory traffic congestion and building intensity in

the current general plan and then intelligently and selectively

growing certain needed facilities that are compatible with present

street traffic capacities.

Here are the facts that support our previous statements. The

current general plan permits a growth of 170,000 car trips a day in

the city. That would create approximately 20 highly unsatisfactory

intersections in the city. We did not include this possibility as a

voter approval requirement in Measure S (the Greenlight Law) because

the growth was in outlying areas, such as the Banning Ranch, that

could not accommodate their traffic and so would probably never be

built. Because of this, they are currently exempt from a Greenlight

vote

So, you can claim there will be no traffic increase over what was

originally authorized. We think not because the general plan update

now being considered by the city transfers these entitlements from

areas likely to remain unbuilt, like the outlying Banning Ranch, to

already congested areas of the city. For example, the Mariners Mile

area, already choked with traffic, would have as many as 700 of the

2,735 homes authorized for the Banning Ranch transferred to

multi-story developments along Coast Highway, the busiest road in the

city. As many as an additional 750 multi-story dwelling units were

proposed near the shore of the west side of the bay with the

remaining 1,335 in other parts of the city.

In a further contradiction to Bromberg’s claim that our facts were

wrong, we cite actions by Councilman Tod Ridgeway, who along with

Bromberg, voted for the Marinapark hotel (Measure L.) So, we know

where they are coming from. Ridgeway directed the consultant

preparing the general plan update to add additional options for

several thousands of residential units to the city, over and above

the 2,735 already proposed for transfer from the Banning Ranch. That

has the potential of even more traffic any way you look at it.

Our charge is that the defeated hotel proponents have shown their

true colors and are considering adding significant traffic increases,

numbering in the tens of thousands of daily auto trips, to our

already over congested streets. As this is counter to the wishes of a

vast majority of the residents, we as a volunteer residents group

strongly oppose their plan.

As we recommended in the previous Community Commentary, residents

need to become informed (www.newportgreenlight.com) and petition the

city council to keep the city the way residents want it -- a high

quality residential and beach community.

* PHIL ARST and RICK TAYLOR are members of the Greenlight Steering

Committee.