NEWPORT BEACH CITY COUNCIL WRAP-UP

WHAT HAPPENED:

City Council members considered a general plan amendment for a 12-acre

site behind the Newport Beach Central Library and asked city staff to

come back with design plans and cost estimates for a park on the land.

WHAT IT MEANS:

The general plan amendment, which will designate the land as open

space, won’t change much because no development is permitted now anyway.

But city officials felt it would clean up documents and prevent confusion

as to what’s happening on the site. As a result of the council decision,

city officials will also start to plan and design a park for the site and

return with that information, as well as cost estimates, at a future

date. Supporters of an art and education center had tried to reserve

about 3.5 acres of the project, but council members rejected the proposal

in March.

WHAT THEY SAID:

“We have spent about 10 years trying to get this site for a park. I

want to support the process.” -- Jan Vandersloot, a leading supporter of

a “passive” park on the site.

Vote: 7 / 0

IN FAVOR / AGAINST

WHAT HAPPENED:

Council members agreed to fund a required environmental review to

extend the John Wayne Airport night curfew and flight caps.

WHAT IT MEANS:

After the Orange County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to

study alternatives for an expansion of the John Wayne Airport settlement

agreement earlier Tuesday, council members followed suit by voting to set

aside $400,000 to pay for the necessary environmental documents. City

officials hope to succeed with an extension of the agreement, which would

slightly increase the passenger and flight numbers and add four gates,

but keep the nighttime curfew in place. The current agreement will expire

at the end of 2005.

WHAT THEY SAID:

“We have a plan. We know what we’re doing. We hope to report back to

[residents] by November that we’ve achieved our goal.” --Councilman

Dennis O’Neil

Vote: 7 / 0

IN FAVOR / AGAINST

WHAT HAPPENED:

Council members terminated grants for a public information campaign on

Orange County’s airport situation to Citizens for Jobs and the Economy

and revised a grant agreement with the Airport Working Group

WHAT IT MEANS:

While council members had originally approved both organizations as

potential recipients of $3.7 million in city airport funds, city

officials decided to limit the agreement to the Airport Working Group to

prevent confusion and make the accounting process easier. Representatives

for both groups said they would continue to work in unison to inform

residents about the airport situation. The revised agreement also makes

it clear that lawyers need to review any city-funded information material

to ensure it does not break the law by promoting an airport at the El

Toro Marine base.

WHAT THEY SAID:

“I’ve been consistently against having [the Airport Working Group]

getting city money.” --Councilman John Heffernan, who voted against the

move.

Vote: 6 / 1 IN FAVOR / AGAINST

NEXT MEETING

7 p.m. June 12 at Newport Beach City Hall, 3300 Newport Blvd.