A few Marinapark questions linger Many concerns...

A few Marinapark questions linger

Many concerns were discussed in Thursday’s article on the

Marinapark Resort. Here are my unanswered questions: Why is the city

even considering to build a hotel on land that our general plan has

designated as public parkland?

An ever present concern is traffic and parking. The peninsula area

can’t accommodate more traffic. Additionally, it already has a

considerable parking deficit. Low estimates of traffic impacts are

sure to be published by the developer. Who do you believe?

The Balboa Bay Club opened last year. What have been the true

revenues or losses from the Balboa Bay Club Hotel versus the

estimates shown by the Marina Hotel Development. What are the

revenues or losses from other hotels of similar size?

Why bother having a City Council-approved plan when a bit of

pressure from a developer and certain City Council members can cause

changes in the plan?

Why is the city now making the voting process unclear versus what

would be revealed to residents in a Greenlight (Measure S) public

vote?

In a recent survey, 70% of the residents of Newport opposed hotel

development in two areas of our city: Marinapark and Newport Dunes,

according to the Godbe Research poll of 2002. Has not the public

spoken?

TOM BILLINGS

Newport Beach

Are shootings a symptom of gang-related activity?

I was pleased to see that you wrote about the recent shootings in

Costa Mesa. Unfortunately there was another shooting over the

Thanksgiving holidays on Coolidge Street that was also very close to

Paularino Elementary School.

The police department seems to not want to accept the fact that

they have a gang problem in Costa Mesa. I am 41 and have lived in

Costa Mesa my entire life. I am not against change and I am not

against progress, but what has happened to Costa Mesa in the last

decade saddens me and many other long time residents.

There is over density in all apartment complexes due to multiple

families living in single family apartments. Shopping carts are left

abandoned throughout the community by these same people, who think

they have the right to push them home from the market and then not

return them. And of course the gangs: They are here.

Many homeless people camp at the end of 19th Street, out in the

field, and lack sanitation such as no toilets, no running water. Why

can’t our police helicopter pilots fly over the major streets and not

cut at such low levels, always on the same routes over our

neighborhoods? I have nothing to hide in my yard but the noise wakes

my children from their afternoon naps and wakes all of us at night.

If they are not chasing or looking for someone why can’t they stay at

higher elevations or at least fly over our major boulevards and

avenues?

And if we are going to have a job center we need to enforce the

“no loitering laws” at our convenience stores, such as 7-Eleven on

Placentia Avenue, which is a morning hang out for job seekers.

GREGORY WILLIAM

Costa Mesa