Awaiting the vote

As the Newport Beach City Council listened to debate on the proposed

expansion of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church Thursday night, it

seemed that everyone in the audience had already made up their minds.

On one side of City Council chambers, the church’s supporters wore

stickers reading “Yes.” On the other side, the church’s neighbors

wore buttons that said “No.”

At press time, the council had listened to pleas from both sides

and several hours of public testimony, but it had not yet voted on

the project.

More than 250 people -- roughly 160 in favor of the expansion and

90 against -- attended the hearing, packing the council chambers,

filling chairs in the lobby and standing outside, peering though the

windows, as the hearing stretched on for more than four hours.

The council kept a tight grip on the proceedings, ensuring that

the often intense emotions surrounding the issue stayed largely in

check.

Thursday’s hearing was expected to close another chapter of a saga

that began in 1982, when St. Andrew’s last expanded. The church in

December 2002 asked the city to approve a nearly 36,000-square-foot

addition, including a youth and family center with a gymnasium and a

parking garage.

Neighbors in adjacent Cliff Haven and Newport Heights bristled,

recalling what they believe was a promise made by the church in 1982

not to expand further.

The church cut down its project several times, finally submitting

a plan for a 21,741-square-foot addition. The city’s planning

commission approved the proposal with a list of 82 conditions.

Some residents have complained the addition will be too big and

will worsen the area’s traffic and parking problems. In 1982,

mediation yielded an 11th-hour compromise between the church and its

neighbors, but such efforts have been fruitless in the current

situation.

The hearing was largely quiet and respectful, with speakers

sticking to a few familiar themes -- on one side, the church’s good

works and the benefits of the expansion for the community’s youth; on

the other, the ill effects more church capacity and cars will bring

to the neighborhood.

Meredith Cox, of Cerritos, said when she began attending St.

Andrew’s, she was interested in finding programs for her child. “St.

Andrew’s has facilities for youth, but they’re really not adequate

for junior high and high school students,” Cox said. “I’m not asking

for selfish reasons that this facility be built. It’s for our

community and for youth.”

But neighbors argued that if the church needs more space, it might

be time for a new location. “This church is mature; it’s huge;

they’ve serviced this community well,” said Cliff Haven resident Bill

Dunlap. “If they want to get bigger, it’s time to move to a new

site.”

* ALICIA ROBINSON covers government and politics. She may be

reached at (714) 966-4626 or by e-mail at

[email protected].