Blame doesn’t belong to church

The Daily Pilot editorial of May 26 would give the impression that

St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church is responsible for a huge amount of

traffic and parking congestion in the Cliff Haven neighborhood,

parking on lawns (absurd), etc.

With all the letters and daily advertisements in the Pilot by the

neighborhood leadership, they have accomplished their purpose with

the Pilot, which is to create the illusion that St. Andrew’s is

primarily responsi- ble for the neighborhood traffic and parking

problems.

Any rational observer of the neighborhood situation is aware that

Newport Harbor High School and Ensign Intermediate School, with their

lack of parking and an ever-increasing student population and

drivers, are the real problem. The neighborhood leadership has

absolutely no control over the school situation, although they have

taken the stance: not one more car driving or parking in this

neighborhood. Therefore, St. Andrew’s becomes the object of their

aggression, since the city of Newport Beach has authority over any

additions to the St. Andrew’s campus.

On the positive side, St. Andrew’s has proposed increased parking,

with a sunken parking garage. The neighborhood leadership and now the

Pilot describe this as a parking structure, which immediately conveys

an above-ground, unsightly edifice. What is never mentioned is the

six-foot masonry wall, with no openings, that St. Andrew’s proposes

along Clay Street, which would provide a separation between the

church campus and the Cliff Haven neighborhood, making it impractical

for churchgoers to drive or park in the neighborhood.

For several months, the church has implemented a driver-routing

program that has successfully kept many churchgoers from driving

through the Cliff Haven neighborhood. The church never gets any

credit for this.

The bottom line is that St. Andrew’s, which has served this

community for more than 50 years, is taking the brunt of “not one

more car in our neighborhood,” and yet the neighborhood has not been

supportive of any solution that would provide increased school

parking.

NOVELL HENDRICKSON

Newport Beach