Group wants red light for all local growth

The Daily Pilot is absolutely correct for referring to the Greenlight movement as a no-growth group in its Oct. 9 editorial (“Greenlight shows no-growth agenda”). The intent of the Greenlight II campaign is not to fight foolish growth, but to stop any and all growth.

The Greenlight II campaign to prevent development allowable under the general plan is deceptive and contrary to the best interest of the residents of Newport Beach. Furthermore, it sends the wrong message that the people don’t trust the judgment of the City Council they elected. There is no greater challenge facing the residents of Newport than this ill-advised initiative.

The primary objective of this proposed initiative is not about traffic congestion, or protecting the quality of life, or maintaining property values, or checking a so-called dysfunctional City Council. It is simply an effort to override the discretion of a City Council that is charged to carry out the vision of its electorate. The initiative is ultimately an attack on representative city government.

The advocates of Greenlight oppose representative government because the City Council has recognized its no-growth agenda as being detrimental to Newport’s future. The group members are arrogantly telling residents that they know how to manage our future growth better than our elected officials.

In trying to impose its will on the rest of the residents, the group’s members threaten to render the City Council powerless and make a sham of the general plan that has served us well for the past 35 years. Were this measure to pass, it would effectively stop all development within the city, meritorious or otherwise. The City Council would be incapable of performing its job. The council should not be hobbled by people who are long on opinion and short on knowledge.

Greenlight members disingenuously claim they are considering residents’ wishes by giving them a vote on major projects. It’s clear that this will not happen. Developers will not risk money on projects that are subject to citywide votes. Greenlight is keenly aware of the chilling effect that its measure will have on future development and is using this ploy to attain its no-growth goal.

The truth is that Greenlight has had the effect of robbing residents of their voice by making it economically unfeasible for developers to present projects to the residents. Ultimately, it’s the residents who come out on the losing side.

If the Greenlight II initiative had been in effect in the past, many of the city’s finest projects would not exist. This kind of thinking is short sighted, archaic and deprives residents of the lifestyle this city is known for.

Greenlight throws around phrases -- such as massive traffic congestion, high density development, lower property values, special interest and dysfunctional City Council -- to incite emotions and trump reason.

In fact, the first Greenlight law has done nothing to alleviate congestion; traffic has increased since the initiative took effect. The plain truth is that Newport’s traffic problem will grow worse, regardless of Greenlight’s misguided efforts to stop it. The solution is to manage the traffic and not pretend you can prevent it by depriving the citizens of worthwhile development.

The quality of life in Newport Beach has not declined. However, to the extent that the residents have been denied the benefit of numerous well-planned projects, the residents are worse off. Greenlight’s no-growth approach will cause the city to stagnate, revenues to fall off, business to decline and city services to deteriorate. It is Greenlight’s no-growth policy that will adversely affect the quality of life in Newport, not planned and well-managed growth.

Greenlight’s claim of “potential declining property values is another false assertion intended to deceive the public and engender fear. If it’s true that development causes a decline in property values, then why does the San Francisco area have some of the highest property values in the nation? Manhattan is the densest area in the nation. Does it suffer from declining property values? Contrary to Greenlight’s fear-mongering, there is no correlation between development and declining property values. In fact the opposite appears to be true.

The Greenlight group refuses to accept the fact that the people have spoken and have elected this council to represent them. In contrast to the Greenlight group’s methodology, the City Council tends to take a more practical and balanced approach to growth. Fashion Island, Crystal Cove Promenade, the Women’s Pavilion at Hoag, Balboa Bay Club and Corona del Mar Plaza are just a few examples of first-class development projects that have been made available to the residents by the City Council and developers. These projects have done nothing but enhance the quality of life, and property values within the community.

This council goes to great lengths to involve everyone in the general plan update process. Its members seek input from the community leaders, city staff, city committees and, most of all, the residents. The system works well for everyone except for the Greenlight group.

The residents have chosen the City Council as their voice. Greenlight, unhappy with this choice, has devised a scheme to silence the voice of the residents by ensuring that projects will never be brought to a vote. This is an affront on the rights of all residents who disagree with Greenlight’s agenda. The residents of Newport should be outraged.

Why does the Greenlight group presume that the interest of the developers is adversarial to the interest of the residents? Isn’t it the developers that have made this city the showcase it is? Does anyone other than the Greenlight group have any real complaint about the lifestyle, or their property values or the direction the city is moving?

The residents, the council and developers need to work together to achieve what is best for the city. There is no room for dishonesty, closed mindedness, disingenuous discourse and extremism.

It is not beneficial to residents to have Greenlight driving wedges between them.

Greenlight II is simply inconsistent with the principles of sound government, is detrimental to the people of Newport Beach and should be rejected.

* EDITOR’S NOTE: John W. Nelson is a resident of Newport Beach.