MAILBAG:

In response to the item (“Tell commission kids deserve room to play soccer,” Feb. 29), I am writing a perspective from several homeowners and residents living in Newport Crest regarding the proposed conceptual plan for Sunset Ridge Park.

Newport Crest consists of 460 condo units, 43 of which are on the perimeter of Sunset Ridge. I have lived in one of these homes for a period of 24 years. Placing an active park in this location would create a “stadium effect” for the residents in regard to noise and would drastically affect our quality of life.

The proposed park would place a 75-space parking lot 50 feet from one of the courtyards, a mesh baseball backstop 10-15 feet above the view line of a courtyard, a baseball and soccer field 100 feet from other courtyards, restrooms and a tot lot 75 feet from a courtyard.

Field usage would be between the hours of 3 p.m. to dusk, Monday to Friday and 8:30 a.m. to dusk on Saturdays and some Sundays. Hours of summer usage are uncertain. Many residents have issues with the design and use of the park.

Many residents of Newport Crest prefer a passive park design for Sunset Ridge, which would meet the needs of many groups of residents in West Newport, not just several hundred athletes.

Walking and jogging trails, staging areas for bicyclists, a large playground, basketball and volleyball courts, picnic areas, gardens, a pond, play areas, a dog area and many scenic lookout points are some of the suggestions for the park.

Residents desire a park on Sunset Ridge, a park that residents in the surrounding neighborhoods can access by bike or walking. Sunset Ridge Park could be included in the series of view parks similar to Corona del Mar, Castaways Park, Back Bay View Park, Ensign View Park and Cliff Drive Park.

The article states 4,000 children play soccer in the city of Newport Beach. I have heard at the outreach meetings at City Hall that about 400 of those children are from West Newport. The West Newport soccer children, combined with Costa Mesa soccer children, currently use fields in both cities, and would continue to do so even with the addition of the fields in Sunset Ridge.

My understanding is 22 soccer fields are currently in use in the city of Newport Beach. Are all of those fields being used to their full capacity?

The “stadium effect” created by the noise from athletic fields in Sunset Ridge cannot be fixed. The perimeter homes are the sound wall; all noise would bounce off the living rooms and bedrooms of those homes.

In the outreach meetings, the city has made it very clear that Newport Crest is on its own in dealing with any issues resulting from the development of Sunset ridge, issues from parking problems within the Crest and access from the Crest to the park, to name just two.

We do not have a deep-pockets organization like Hoag to help with the disproportionate financial burden that will be placed on Newport Crest. Double-paned windows and doors, or balcony barriers to deflect noise (to where?) would be the responsibility of individual owners.

A sound-absorbing wall would not be feasible at this location. Securing the perimeter of Newport Crest would be the financial responsibility of Newport Crest Homeowners Assn. Individual homeowners would assume the burden of declining property values.

Recently, Mayor Ed Selich stated one of his goals this year is securing financing for the purchase of Banning Ranch. Banning Ranch borders Sunset Ridge and another perimeter section of Newport Crest. In the General Plan, one design for Banning Ranch includes a 30-acre sports complex.

With Banning Ranch on the table, the city needs to slow down and look at the entire neighborhood and future development and needs.

The city needs to be sensitive to the needs of all residents. Sunset Ridge needs to be a park, a passive park, meeting the needs of many groups of people in the area. Sunset Ridge is not the right location for an active sports park.

GINNY LOMBARDI

Sunset Ridge Park Committee