REBUTTAL

Philip Arst

Do we want Newport Beach to become another Santa Monica? Or should we

remain as an environmental treasure and the best place to live anywhere?

A group of residents have united to conduct an initiative campaign to

ensure we stay the best. The “Protect from Traffic and Density”

initiative addresses the consequences of the major development projects

recently proposed for Newport Center as well as throughout the city.

Last week in the Pilot, the Newport Center Assn. presented its view of

the benefits of a major enlargement of Newport Center (“Newport Center

needs room to grow,” Oct. 12). A key claim was that adding more high-rise

office buildings would bring their workers to Newport Center to shop and

bring revenues to the city. Unfortunately, the consequent huge drawbacks

to the residents of the city were not mentioned.

The most fundamental point to consider is that high-rise office buildings

do not earn any net income for the city. A city of Irvine study

determined that they require high levels of costly city services (police,

fire and heavy wear and tear on the streets from all of the traffic).

Revenues from office buildings generally are limited to property taxes

and barely offset the above costs. Irvine found that sales tax income

from them was minimal because office workers do their primary shopping in

their home neighborhoods and not where they work. Do you really believe

that office workers, tired from their long commute from Riverside County,

can afford the time or money for Neiman-Marcus or Bloomingdale’s?

Newport Center expansion also means an estimated 20,000-plus average

daily auto trips will be added to our already overcrowded streets.

Also missing from the statement of Newport Center benefits is the fact

that in addition to six development projects, there are many other major

projects proposed for Newport Center and other parts of the city.

And if there are that many this year, I shudder to think of the

additional traffic congestion from the following years. If Newport Center

will create additional daily auto trips, where is the road space for all

the other projects? And where is the consideration for the residents?

My favorite restaurateur on Mariner’s Mile privately states that Fashion

Island, with its increasing concentration of facilities, has materially

hurt his business. And just count the many vacant stores in Lido Village

to corroborate this statement.

Is it good city planning to change the general plan to make the situation

worse? This favors a few property owners while creating semi-depressed

shopping areas in other parts of the city. There is not much net gain in

sales tax revenue by shifting business from one part of the city to

another. There certainly is not much proper city planning, either.

What is needed is a comprehensive update of the entire city’s general

plan, not just the Newport Center plan. As this is not being done, we

citizens had no choice but to form a group called “green light” in order

to circulate a “Protect from Traffic and Density” initiative. If passed

by voters, it would require voter approval before each of these

grandiose, economically questionable, congestion-creating projects is

implemented.

The initiative protects your property rights. It does this by protecting

your property values and neighborhood quality of life from excessive

traffic congestion and urbanization.

Given the recent actions of the city government in removing the heart of

our previous protections against traffic gridlock, we voters must step in

and take control.

Congestion and more congestion and hordes of outsiders commuting from as

far away as Riverside County to work here is not the same old

environmental treasure we know as Newport Beach. The best place to live

in the world is destined for major change if we’re converted into another

Santa Monica.

Get involved, support the “Protect Against Traffic and Density”

Initiative. It’s your last chance.

* PHILIP ARST is a Newport Beach resident and president of the Community

Assn. Alliance, the largest residents’ district organization in the city.

He is also a proponent of the “Protect from Traffic and Density”

initiative.