Koll opponents to hit the streets

June Casagrande

NEWPORT BEACH -- A single word, “implementation,” is turning out to be

one of the sharpest implements wielded in the battle over the Koll Center

expansion.

Volunteers for the Greenlight Committee will be hitting the streets

this weekend to explain to voters the difference between their cause and

that of the Greenlight Implementation Committee.

Supporters of the Greenlight Committee, which opposes Measure G in the

Nov. 20 election, say their opponents’ choice of moniker is deliberately

deceptive.

Greenlight Implementation Committee members say that, on the contrary,

the name is designed to be as descriptive as possible of their role in

literally implementing the city’s Greenlight Initiative.

“It is our position that once the initiative became the law in Newport

Beach, the name Greenlight went into the public domain,” said Tim

Strader, president of Koll Center developer Starpointe Ventures. He said

elections such as the upcoming vote on Koll expansion put into action the

Greenlight Initiative.

Voters passed the Greenlight measure last November. It requires

citywide elections for projects large enough to require a general plan

amendment: adding 40,000 square feet or 100 peak-hour car trips.A plan to

expand the Koll Center near John Wayne Airport would add about 250,000

feet of space, including a 10-story office tower and added parking. Put

on the ballot as Measure G, the vote will be the first real-life test of

the city initiative. A “yes” vote means the project should be permitted.

A “no” vote means it should be stopped.

“We’ve called out our volunteer corps, and this weekend they’re going

to be distributing fliers that have become necessary because of the

deceptive use of our name by the other side,” said Phil Arst, a member of

the Greenlight Committee and a leader of the opposition to the ballot

measure.

Canvassers will hand out literature at some supermarkets and also door

to door, Arst said. They will also be distributing yard signs.

“We’re hoping to promote discussion among neighbors and get the true

facts out about Measure G,” Arst said.

Strader said his committee is focusing on its mail campaign, sending

out mailers to voters who have expressed an interest in learning more

about the election.

“Things are going well, but we still need everyone to get out and

vote,” Strader said.

-- June Casagrande covers Newport Beach. She may be reached at (949)

574-4232 or by e-mail at o7 [email protected] .

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