Questions unanswered in debate over Koll

Deirde Newman

CORONA DEL MAR -- A majority of the few dozen residents who attended a

Koll Center informational meeting Monday said they were miffed that a

consultant for the expansion project ducked out before answering

questions.

“‘It’s frustrating to only hear one side when I came to hear two sides

of the issue,” said Darlene Jacobsen, a 20-year Corona del Mar resident

who attended the event at the Oasis Senior Center.

Touted as an open forum, the discussion instead turned into a

one-sided debate over the 250,000-square-foot project. The chief opponent

of the expansion lambasted the project as a bad precedent for future

development in Newport Beach.

The plan to expand the Koll Center’s southern tip at the intersection

of Jamboree Road and MacArthur Boulevard includes a 10-story office tower

and two parking garages.

The issue is scheduled to go before voters in a Nov. 20 special

election as Measure G. A “yes” vote will mean the project should go

forward.

The vote on Measure G was forced by Newport Beach’s Greenlight law --

passed last November -- which requires voter approval of all developments

large enough to require a general plan amendment.

At the forum, pro-Measure G consultant Scott Hart offered a brief

presentation on the project and said that less than a third of the 2,700

car trips the project is expected to generate will head toward Newport

Beach. The developer has also offered to provide $3 million for traffic

improvements.

Phil Arst, who is spearheading the opposition against Measure G

through the Greenlight Committee, provided a litany of reasons why he

believes the expansion would ruin the status quo, including an adverse

effect on traffic, few economic benefits and close proximity to homes.

“This is not the Newport Beach I saved for many years to move to,”

Arst said. “It’s not what I want, and I don’t think it’s what you want

either.”

Arst also criticized the campaign in favor of Measure G -- the

Greenlight Implementation Committee -- for co-opting the Greenlight name

from the Greenlight Committee.

How much tax benefit the city can hope to receive from the project

became another contentious issue at the meeting. The developer has said

property taxes from the project will benefit the city to the tune of

about $28,000 annually. Arst has countered that the figure, when adjusted

for some expenses the city could incur, is $10,000 at best and negative

$10,000 at worst.

Despite Arst’s adamant opposition to the project, some residents say

they favor it.

Councilman Dennis O’Neil said he had essentially voted for it already

when the City Council approved the project in July by a 4-3 vote.

“It’s a new office building in an area where office buildings should

be built,” he said. “It provides jobs, and I think it’s healthy for

Newport Beach to provide a mix of development.”

* Deirdre Newman covers education. She may be reached at (949)

574-4221 or by e-mail at o7 [email protected] .