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Regent hotel receives repeated rejection from residents...

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Regent hotel receives repeated rejection from residents

The city of Newport Beach Planning Department staff, supported by

City Council members, continues to ignore residents’ outspoken and

now angry objections to the proposed Sutherland-Talla Regent hotel on

the Balboa Peninsula.

The latest outcry against the hotel took place at the Oct. 29

meeting in council chambers, which was called by the city to solicit

public input related to the formation of the Notice of Preparation --

a formal document that is mandatory in the bureaucratic process and

must be written before an environmental report.

City staffers properly asked for public input on numerous matters

that needed to be included in the above-mentioned notice, such as

traffic, parking, noise, beach access and other relevant points of

concern.

It turned out that the public input not only brought out numerous

matters that were not included in the preliminary draft of the

notice, but more importantly, revealed public anger against the

proposed hotel plan itself.

And so the saga continues -- namely, city staffers in partnership

with the developers versus the local residents. This latest outcry is

consistent with numerous past sentiments against a hotel.

The solution to this impasse will become available in November

2004, when voters will have an opportunity to elect council members

who will reflect the will of the people.

ADELE AND MEL MANN

Newport Beach

Barking for more than a one-stop retail shop

I would like to float a proposal whose time has come.

How about asking the Segerstrom family to develop the property at

Harbor Boulevard and Mesa Verde Drive East in a way that will benefit

the citizens of the city that has made them very rich. I would like

to propose that they build a recreation facility including a skate

park, bark park, movie complex and library.

We have read in the Pilot for years about the need for development

or upgrades in these areas. I’m sure that other people have desires

and wish lists of their own, and I would love to hear from other

citizens about what would enrich their lives.

We don’t want or need a Kohls, WalMart or any other big box store

on that corner. What we need is somewhere to go to relax, to have fun

or learn something. How many more identical shopping centers do we

need? My wife calls them “we-already-have-that” centers. Please save

me from more Starbucks, nail salons and Subways.

I know there is a need for all of the recreational facilities I

have mentioned, and why not use this opportunity that may never come

around again?

This city is built out. There are no more sites to develop a major

recreation area other than the Westside industrial area or Fairview

Park. I doubt anything will change in either of these two areas in

the near future. With the Mesa Verde property, we have land that is

currently empty, centrally located and historically appropriate for

this type of development.

We have all benefited from the development of South Coast Plaza,

the Performing Arts Center area, Home Ranch and the many other

commercial developments of the Segerstrom “vision.” I don’t think it

is unreasonable to ask for some enrichment for the residents who

support all of these commercial entities.

TOM WINNETT

Costa Mesa

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