Lessons of St. Andrew’s

From one perspective, the resolution of the St. Andrew’s Church

expansion issue was a complete success; from another, it was a

complete failure.

In late 2002, the church submitted an application requesting a

general plan amendment to increase the maximum development allocation

for its property by approximately 36,000 square feet. St. Andrew’s

wanted the space to construct a youth and family center and to

replace several buildings. At that time, the church also requested a

change in the zoning of the property from single-family residential

and two-family residential to zoning for governmental, educational

and institutional facilities.

From the moment the application was submitted, battle lines were

drawn. The first step in the process was to meet with nearby

residents to address their concerns. The church did this on several

occasions.

Out of those meetings and out of the various other planning

commission meetings, the church significantly reduced its expansion

request down to about 21,000 square feet.

From the perspective of the residents near the church, it was not

enough of a reduction. As is their right, they organized and began to

paint a picture of life near the new church.

The process continued, even pulling the Newport-Mesa Unified

School District into the debate when the church offered to renovate

the parking lot at Newport Harbor High School, located directly

across from the church. Wisely, the district’s board of trustees

refused to get involved.

Community meetings were held, one of which was sponsored by

students at the high school. During that meeting, each side offered

its facts, and that was followed by a question and answer period.

From the time the application was submitted to the time the vote

was cast last Thursday, everything went as well as could have been

expected, considering the seriousness of the challenge. That is to

say, there was civility and respect throughout the entire process --

respect not just for each side’s point of view, but more importantly,

respect for the process.

As a witness to countless e-mails on both sides of this debate, I

can state that not once did I witness a single personal attack. As

far as I am concerned, this entire process was a lesson in how things

are supposed to work, and I commend both sides for their conduct.

But the respect for the process, the strict adherence to an

established protocol that was carried out as an example for other

communities, was trivialized by a City Council that, when it came

time to decide, could not decide.

Last Thursday, the city council voted to approve an expansion of

approximately 15,000 square feet. The church may decide to go ahead

and expand, or it may decide to move. The residents, meanwhile, get

the nuisance of an expansion without the full benefit of the new

facility.

The decision was a failure because in trying to appease everyone,

it appeased no one. In trying to do right by St. Andrew’s Church, a

house of worship with an excellent reputation and a fixture in the

community, the city council may have succeeded in running it out of

town.

That would be a shame, and I know it is not what the residents

would have wanted. As much as they were opposed to the expansion,

they were not opposed to the presence of the church in their

neighborhood.

The process of the expansion debate and the city council’s

decision need to be remembered for the lessons they provide. The

process proved that given time and given enough communication, the

system will work.

The lesson will need to be applied immediately to the next

land-use issue in Newport Beach -- that is, what to do with

Marinapark.

On this, it will not be as black and white as the church

expansion. There will be multiple opinions and multiple interests

competing for an extremely valuable piece of property.

To those involved, we can only ask that they achieve the same

decorum and level of communication achieved by the opposing sides of

the St. Andrew’s expansion debate.

And when the city council does decide to help the kids of Newport

Beach and install a soccer facility there, let’s hope the fields are

the full size.