Community Commentary -- Donald Ramsay

I decided to write this after reading Joseph Bell’s column,

“Developers should learn from mistakes” (Nov. 29).

He portrays developers as Grinch-like and greedy. He states that “the

catalyst of the screw” was the Greenlight Implementation Committee and

their misrepresentation. I agree that this poor choice of a title was

certainly the architect of Measure G’s defeat, but was this any worse

than the Greenlighters trying to persuade the City Council not to put

forth Measure G for a vote?

While I was driving to my polling place amid a forest of “No on G”

posters and signs, I was struck by the irony of the “not in my backyard”

concept. Here are the Greenlighters ranting: “not in my back yard”

(although the Koll project was far from anyone’s backyard), and then we

have the anti-airport South County residents screaming the same thing.

I’ll bet everyone of the Greenlight NIMBYs are passionately opposed to

the South County anti-airport NIMBYs. Doesn’t this seem ironic?

Far from the greedy “not interested in anything but money” portrayal

that Bell writes about is the fact that despite some rightful criticism

from both sides, many developers are, in fact, very community-minded.

Take for example, the long despised and maligned Irvine Co., who just

unveiled a gift of 11,000 acres, plus another $10 million on top of the

already established $20 million fund to support the management and

restoration of natural habitats and to improve public access. This gift

means that more than half of all Irvine land will never be developed.

Very greedy that Irvine Co. I suppose Bell will try to find a hidden

agenda and accuse them of, as he states, “mindless travesties.”

It’s very lonely being among the few pro-business and pro-careful

development voices in this wealthy enclave of NIMBYs. I believe that

without the economic umbrella that business and development provides,

many of us less-affluent voters who depend on that umbrella would

eventually have to leave this Valhalla called Newport Beach.

DONALD RAMSAY

Newport Beach