Church expansion reductions debated
I live half a block from St. Andrew’s Church. I remain opposed to the
expansion even with the proposed reduction for two reasons.
First, the current size of the church and the traffic generated on
our local streets is unacceptable. On Saturday afternoon and Sunday
morning my street is like an entrance to the San Diego Freeway as St.
Andrew’s members speed down the street trying to find parking.
Second, I think that spending the proposed $20 million on bricks,
steel and concrete is not what God expects us to do as Christians.
God’s message is very clear: Give to those in need!
Therefore, I would rather see St. Andrew’s provide scholarships to
needy students, community outreach for those with depression, medical
help for those with diseases like diabetes and AIDS, help for poor
emigrant families and, finally, financial and emotional help for the
elderly.
ROBERT CRAIG
Newport Beach
Regarding the St. Andrew’s Church expansion, we have tried so hard
to please everyone, but the real people we need to please are those
who are searching for Jesus Christ. We want so much to please
everyone, but that is not possible. Please assist us in making St.
Andrew’s Presbyterian Church a special place for all ages.
NANCY N. BELL
Newport Beach
Years have been spent debating the St. Andrew’s expansion
proposal. It appears to me that the staff and consultants of St.
Andrew’s have bent over backward many times to find an amicable
solution in attempt to be a good neighbor in the Cliffhaven area. It
seems to me, however, that enough is enough. It is time to draw this
chapter to a close.
St. Andrew’s has made a 40% reduction from its original expansion
objective in an attempt to meet the needs of the neighborhood. That
is a huge sacrifice. The church offered to build a multi-story garage
on the land at Newport Harbor High School. Much of the traffic and
parking problems are generated at the high school. The garage on the
St. Andrew’s property is only a result of the rejection of the first
proposal.
The Cliffhaven neighborhood is not like a new community in Irvine,
where all land uses can be determined up front. This neighborhood has
evolved over many decades. Let’s also remember that this is not a new
“big box” retailer coming into an established neighborhood. St.
Andrew’s has been at this location and serving the needs of the
community for over 50 years. It only wants to serve the needs of
current and future generations and wants its campus to be more
relevant to those needs. This is a remodel project designed to
improve what exists today.
This is similar to homeowners wishing to remodel or replace the
existing homes in the neighborhood for the benefit of their families.
Homeowners are in many cases doing extensive remodeling and in other
situations are replacing modest single-story homes with “McMansions,”
clearly building out to the maximum. It appears to me that some of
the neighborhood wants to have the right to build out to the maximum
but at the same time wants to deny a long-established neighbor a
legitimate objective to improve its facility to meet the current and
future needs of its church family and community.
St. Andrew’s has spent years trying to accommodate the needs of
the neighborhood. Now, I think it is time to stop the endless delay
and bickering, and allow this church the right to improve its
property with the objective of serving the needs of the community at
large.
LOREN PANNIER
Newport Beach
As a member of St. Andrew’s and resident of Newport Beach, I think
the church has made a very reasonable proposal to improve its
previous plan to the benefit of the surrounding community. Just the
added 150 on-campus parking spaces should be reason enough for the
neighbors to support this proposal as it will reduce the number of
cars that might park on their streets.
THOMAS HENDERSON
Newport Beach
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