Greenlight would get out the vote, study says

Noaki Schwartz

NEWPORT BEACH -- As many as 18 projects, from the expansion of Fashion

Island to a zone change on a four-unit residence, would have required

citywide votes if the Greenlight initiative were in effect, a city study

found.

The results mirror those gathered by Allan Beek, one of the measure’s

proponents, in an informal survey last year.

“It provided factual information in terms of what the current impacts

are,” said City Manager Homer Bludau. “I thought it did what we wanted it

to do.”

The city study, conducted by former employee John Douglas, concluded that

six of the city’s 46 areas have been built to capacity and therefore

every new project in those areas would require a vote. Those areas are

Newport Center, Pacific View, North Ford, Old Newport Boulevard, Bonita

Canyon and the airport area. These areas reached their growth limit

between 1994 and 1999 and, should Greenlight be approved, almost any

proposal would trigger a citywide vote.

Because of the dramatic effects the proposed slow-growth measure could

have on the city and local government, in February the City Council

decided to pay $11,500 to an outside analyst for the study.

Set to appear on the fall ballot, the Greenlight measure proposes to

allow voters the final say on certain “major” developments. Prior to the

study, neither city officials nor the measure’s proponents had been able

to effectively outline the potential ramifications of the measure.

Douglas was commissioned to study the more technical aspects of the

measure and find out which proposals would potentially trigger citywide

votes. The report is intended to help both residents and city officials

decide whether the measure is beneficial for the city.

Although residents would get the final vote on proposals, the

initiative’s complex wording has made it difficult to discern precisely

which projects would trigger such a vote.

According to the Greenlight initiative, a “major” development requiring a

general plan amendment is defined as one that would create more than 100

peak-hour car trips, more than 100 homes or more than 40,000 square feet

of floor area over what the city’s general plan allows.

The catch is that these thresholds do not apply to the city as a whole,

but to each of the 46 distinct neighborhoods, which all have a different

history of general plan amendments.

In addition, the measure is cumulative. It requires that 80% of projects

that prompted changes to the general plan during the last decade be added

to the proposed project to determine whether a vote is necessary.

The only other study on the initiative was prepared by Greenlight

proponent and former planning commissioner Beek. As in the city’s study,

Beek also found that six areas were already maxed out and one more is

close to reaching that point.

Beek has been eagerly anticipating the chance to compare his research

with results of the city’s analysis.

“[Deputy City Manager Sharon Wood] told me she felt I got a passing

grade,” Beek said. “John Douglas said there were no nasty surprises.”

The information will be presented to the City Council at Tuesday’s

meeting. Copies will be made available to the public.

FYI

WHAT: Newport Beach City Council meeting

WHEN: 7 p.m. Tuesday

WHERE: City Hall, 3300 Newport Blvd.

GREENLIGHT STUDY

Projects which would have required a vote in these areas:

* Old Newport Boulevard -- Update to the Old Newport Boulevard specific

plan

* 407 Bolsa Ave. -- Redesignation from retail and service commercial zone

to four-unit two-family residential

* Edwards Theater -- Add entitlement for 897-seat expansion

* Granville Apartments -- Increase entitlement for administrative,

professional and financial commercial office use by 5,000 square feet

* Fashion Island expansion -- Increase entitlement for retail and service

commercial by 266,000 square feet

* Corona del Mar Plaza -- Redesignate the allowable use from

governmental, educational, institutional facilities to retail and service

commercial and increase the entitlement by 5,000 square feet

* Four Seasons Hotel -- Increase entitlement by 100 hotel rooms

* Newport Sports Foundation -- Increase entitlement for administrative,

professional and financial commercial office use by 1,000 square feet

* Fletcher Jones Mercedes -- Redesignation of the site from

administrative, professional and financial commercial to retail and

service commercial and increase entitlement by 88,000 square feet

* Temple Bat Yahm -- Increase entitlement by 40,000 square feet for

expansion of synagogue complex

* Dahn Mini-Storage II -- Increase entitlement by 86,000 square feet for

mini-storage facility

* HEV/Lennar -- Increase entitlement by 149,122 square feet for office

building and 304 hotel rooms

* 1300 Dove St. -- Increase administrative, professional and financial

commercial entitlement by 2,350 square feet to allow expansion of

existing office building

* Pacific Club -- Increase administrative, professional and financial

commercial entitlement by 15,000 square feet to allow expansion of

existing health club

* Pacific View Memorial Park -- Increase the allowable floor area for

buildings and mausoleums by 113,680 square feet

* Bonita Canyon planned community -- Establish pre-annexation

entitlements

* Extended Stay America -- Increase retail and service commercial

entitlement by 17,890 square feet to allow construction of a 164-room

hotel

* Harbor Day School -- Increase the allowable floor area by 42,822 square

feet to allow addition of a gymnasium

Statistical areas where development thresholds have been exceeded:

Neighborhood Date Threshold Reached

1. Newport Center: 8/94

2. Pacific View: 6/95

3. North Ford: 9/95

4. Old Newport Boulevard: 3/97

5. Bonita Canyon: 11/97

6. Airport Area: 1/99