Many reasons to vote against expansion

I want to express my sincere disappointment regarding the Newport

Beach Planning Commissions’ recommendation for the St. Andrew’s

Presbyterian Church expansion. The effect on the community is

dramatic and is neighborhood-changing. Furthermore the precedent

being set by this expansion approval should put all Newport Beach

residents on alert that it is only a matter of time until their

neighborhoods are changed in a manner that the overwhelming majority

is against.

Please consider the following concerns regarding the entire St.

Andrew’s expansion process:

1. Traffic on our streets will increase. Sunday morning is already

a day to stay off the streets in my neighborhood. With the increased

capacity of the church, it will only become worse. In addition,

further expansion of the church services to other days of the week

will expand my concerns from Sunday morning to all week. Traffic

affects me in two ways -- safety and sound. I don’t let my children

out in the front of my house on Sunday morning, and our front windows

remain closed so as not to disturb our peace. The neighborhood has

been trying to address the strains of current traffic conditions

without resolution.

2. The expansion process is likely to take place over years,

during the same time the high school is going through a renovation

process. There will be heavy construction traffic on our streets

throughout this building. I’m glad to see that the planning

commission feels it is OK for us to bear the burden of the increased

construction traffic.

3. The first plan was OKd under the condition that the school

district support a parking program. The school district declined, and

suddenly the Planning Commission deems it OK for a larger parking

structure on church grounds. Remember this was what they were most

opposed to when they dumped the issue on the school district. What

was that exercise about?

4. Why is the Planning Commission recommending building variances

and a change in the city’s general plan with a needs assessment that

was put together after the fact? In short, the building plan came

first and the needs assessment to justify the building second.

Clearly that’s a unique process. I’m sure someone could point to

several other exceptions we’ve made like this in our great city. (If

you can, I’d be interested in hearing about them.)

5. Who on the City Council and the Planning Commission has a

conflict of interest? Who attends St. Andrew’s? Who stands to profit

from an expansion at St. Andrew’s directly or indirectly? Where do

the members of the Planning Commission and the City Council live?

6. Why is it that the nonresidents of Newport Beach who support

the expansion carried such weight and an inordinate amount of time

during the meetings discussing this issue?

7. Who will benefit from this expansion? As less than 10% of the

church’s immediate neighbors attend, it will not benefit the majority

of its neighbors. Of this 10%, it appears that many are against the

expansion.

8. Why bother with the Planning Commission process? Just set the

price to get a variance or general plan change, and be done with all

this nonsense. The city’s coffers will be more overflowing than they

are now, and we can grow larger and more congested.

9. The City Council should remember this when it votes on this

issue: Build it and they will come. Have you ever seen the freeways

not fill to capacity?

10. Probably the most important issue is the precedence the City

Council will be setting for expansion of similar organizations

throughout the city. Will the Mormon temple be able to expand to a

similar density? If not, why not? Wouldn’t this and shouldn’t this be

construed as discrimination?

My apologies for the sharp-tongued comments. My passion and

concern regarding this topic can’t be helped. I’m truly puzzled that

we are even at this point.

Please restore my confidence in our process. The City Council has

the opportunity to make right on this issue and restore common sense

to our political process. I appeal to council members’ senses of why

they chose to serve the people of Newport Beach. I appeal to their

sense of doing what is right. Vote this unwanted and unneeded

expansion down.

Should this expansion be approved, those on the City Council that

voted in favor will not only lose my vote, they will have created an

active campaigner against them in future elections.

JEFF MARTIN

Newport Beach