READERS RESPOND

* AT ISSUE: As the November election nears, those on both sides of the

dueling traffic initiatives speak out about stopping development and

preserving the community.

Newport Beach voters are being urged to support Measure S, the

Greenlight initiative on Nov. 7. Reject it.

The “Protection from Traffic Density” initiative, commonly referred to

as the Greenlight initiative, is flawed. Its real aim is to strip the

City Council’s authority to amend the general plan and leave it to the

electorate to decide when change is acceptable.

Greenlight sponsors contend the elected City Council members of

Newport Beach cannot be trusted to represent the will of the people when

it comes to acting on development issues.

Greenlight proponents say city councils have historically amended the

general plan when lucrative development proposals have been presented.

New development adds unwanted traffic and changes the face of the

community for all time, they say -- not for the better, but for the

worse. Only by stopping big development and changes to the general plan

can the “quality of life” of Newport Beach residents be protected.

Upon casual reading, the Greenlight initiative seems well-conceived

and innocent. But the fact of the matter is, the initiative will force

costly elections on deserving projects the public would ordinarily favor.

For example, the Newport Beach Central Library could not expand without

an expensive election because Newport Center has exhausted its general

plan limits. A senior citizen’s housing project of 100-plus units could

not be built anywhere in the city without voter approval.

If a church wanted to build a facility north of Bison Road between

Jamboree Road and MacArthur Boulevard, it could not do so without a vote

of the people. Pacific View Memorial Park could not add a mausoleum.

Lincoln Elementary School could not expand, short of a costly referendum.

A neighborhood shopping center could not be built in Newport Coast for

the convenience of residents, were the area to be annexed to the city.

Hoag Hospital could not expand without voter approval.

This is foolishness. The authors of the Greenlight initiative did not

have these acceptable uses in mind when drafting the language of the

ballot measure. They were thinking about forcing votes on the proposed

Newport Dunes Resort hotel, new high-rise office buildings in Newport

Center, more apartment complexes anywhere in the city and

office/industrial expansion in the vicinity of John Wayne Airport.

The Greenlight initiative would create expensive referendums on these

“major amendments.” But it would also force votes unnecessarily on

beneficial improvements that would improve the city’s “quality of life.”

The people behind the Greenlight initiative are well-intentioned

people, serious in their desire to protect Newport Beach from

degradation. But they have produced a flawed ballot measure. If this

initiative passes, we are stuck with it. It could be changed in the

future, only by a vote of the people. Voters must reject this

ill-conceived initiative.

What Newport Beach needs is a “vision” for its future. The City

Council should put a temporary moratorium on development and appoint a

body of citizens to work with the Planning Commission to create a vision

plan for the city. The vision plan would then set the foundation for a

new general plan, a plan that will reflect the quality of life people cry

for.

In the meantime, make the City Council accountable for decisions

regarding general plan amendments and traffic growth. If the electorate

objects strenuously to a general plan amendment the council has adopted,

force a referendum on the issue. If the council majority refuses to heed

the will of the people, initiate a recall election.

Make representative government work. Put people in elective office

that represent your interests. But say “no” to Measure S. The Greenlight

initiative is too defective.

THOMAS J. ASHLEY

Newport Beach Planning Commission, 1996-2000

The remarks of former city manager Bob Wynn sadly exemplify the hard

reckoning of why things don’t change much in Newport Beach politics

(“Former city manager alarmed about Greenlight,” Aug. 24). Wynn served as

an adequate city manager several years ago, but fails to see the

explosion around us.

Wynn served before the unrestricted build-out of Fashion Island, the

opened floodgate of residential and commercial expansion, as well as the

onerous and inconvenient addition of voluminous traffic concerns

throughout Newport Beach.

The Greenlight initiative is a solidly based philosophy that simply

states: “If it’s big enough to impact our city and its quality of life,

it’s big enough for the people to vote on before implementation.”

Wynn would have us believe that members of the City Council will have

their “hands tied” and be unable to continue “business as usual” --o7

viola!f7

Perhaps then, instead of dodging the issues, City Council members

might have make their positions heard.

Cracker-barrel politics should be a thing of the past. Major issues

facing our community should hear the voice of the people.

A 10-story building anywhere in Newport Beach should be big news. The

addition of 556,000 square feet to a major company in Newport Beach or

the relocation of the American Legion and the construction of a major

hotel that will change the character of a specific village of Newport

Beach should interest all of us.

It is too easy to say that all new projects will be voted down by the

people. The Dunes project is an example of how we might perhaps clean up

the pollution in an area that has been allowed to fester with no solution

-- through development of a major project. Placing all this information

on the city Web pages might further enlighten the people.

Yet, why should members of the City Council, by a 4-3 vote, determine

life changes that will impact all of us forever, and the fate of our

water, air, traffic and financial future? Wynn should realize that

Newport Beach might look different today had Greenlight been instituted

20 years ago. Then again, maybe he does!

RON and ANNA WINSHIP

Newport Beach