FROM THE NEWSROOM:Council, hear Ficker’s plan

I recently spent some time listening to Bill Ficker and his city hall plans. And I’m writing this column in the hope that all of you will be able to do the same.

What I mean by that is I hope that the Newport Beach City Council gives Ficker’s plan a full hearing. And thanks to a new push by Mayor Steve Rosansky, the council will decide tonight whether it will do that.

Ficker, as many of you know, is a local architect who has created a plan that would allow for the construction of a new city hall complex on a sliver of land that’s vacant now and is just a stone’s throw from the Newport Beach Public Library.

While the 12 acres have been designated as a passive park, Ficker has created a plan that would allow both the park and the city hall to coexist and create a new civic center for Newport Beach.

At the time of this writing, the idea is certainly catching both steam and heat at the same time.

An online reader poll we did on the subject had some 300 votes on both sides of the issue. Our readers hotline is whirring along at breakneck speed, and our e-mails and online readers’ comments are coming full force.

Here are a couple of examples from our readers’ online comments:

Reader Craig Batley wrote: “Bill Ficker’s proposal makes financial and common sense. A city hall IN the park is an appealing planning concept and a practical solution for city employees looking for a suitable 21st century working environment. The ad in today’s Pilot delineates opportunities the community needs to evaluate when forming an opinion to the Mayor’s ParkPlus proposal. Why not explore the possibilities and encourage public dialogue? As a citizenry let’s allow the city council to fully examine the issues.”

Another reader Sally Tilsen, wrote: “Our elected city council already voted on designating this land for a park. The traffic and congestion is already a problem. Developers seem to miss this very important part of the equation. This is not a question of preserving the view for a ‘handful of residents.’ We already have made concessions when the library and Corona del Mar Plaza was built. There are alternative choices for our City Hall. This is not a win-win situation. Must we build on every open space in Newport Beach??”

So that’s my point.

The debate that is taking place in the newspaper now should be taking place at the City Council.

Unfortunately, that might not happen. We recently reported that three out of the seven council members have already made up their minds on this.

Doesn’t that sound familiar?

Isn’t that the same sentiment that spurred the Greenlight supporters into action — a council that didn’t listen and had already made its mind up?

Don’t forget what happened after that. If I recall, it was a ballot initiative that changed the city forever. Don’t be so sure that wouldn’t happen here also.

So I urge everyone, pro and con, to listen to Ficker’s proposal. Get rid of personal agendas and goals, and ask yourself if this plan is the best thing for the city of Newport Beach.

If it’s not, then let the plan die on its own. But if it is, then let open minds prevail.