Council looks at new plan for airport area

Noaki Schwartz

NEWPORT BEACH -- With two development proposals near John Wayne Airport

on the horizon, the City Council is looking into long-range planning for

the area to offset future traffic concerns.

“There is currently no plan to mitigate the traffic problem in and around

the airport,” said Councilman Tod Ridgeway. “This is a major departure

for this council and this city. We’re looking 20 years out.”

Proposals by Conexant and Koll Center Newport are in the early stages of

the planning process and are expected to go before the council this year.

The council is exploring the idea of getting the developers to agree to

provide benefits to the city -- such as funds for street improvements --

to balance the anticipated traffic increase from the proposed projects.

For the past three years, the city’s economic development committee has

studied the potential effects of development activity around John Wayne.

The committee recommended that the area become one of the city’s economic

development priorities.

The council followed with its own development study and concluded that

the airport area’s general plan needs to be changed in anticipation of

future development. The council has created an ad hoc committee to look

into various ideas for long-range planning in the airport area.

In 1999, the council approved $250,000 to develop a plan for the land

near the airport.

Property owners were supposed to match the funds but have hesitated

because of uncertainty caused by the Greenlight initiative, a slow-growth

measure scheduled to appear on the November ballot. The initiative would

give voters the final say on certain major developments.

So far, Conexant is quietly moving through the planning process. The

company has proposed to add 556,000 square feet to its headquarters on

Jamboree Road.

“The Conexant project seems to make a lot of sense,” said Councilman Gary

Adams. “They need room. I think we can accommodate them.”

The proposed development for Koll Center Newport, at the intersection of

MacArthur Boulevard and Jamboree Road, is a 250,000-square-foot, 10-story

office tower. It has yet to go before the Planning Commission.