Commentary: Don’t let Newport Beach become another West L.A.

I am a former Newport Beach mayor. I have continually lived in the Port Streets for over 35 years. I am voting no on Measure Y for the following reasons:

1.) Traffic in Newport Beach steadily gets worse, even without any added development. Our city’s streets, especially MacArthur and Newport boulevards, Coast Highway, Irvine Avenue and Jamboree Road are major conduits for adjacent populated areas. Also, our city is an increasingly attractive destination, so more folks come here to shop, eat, enjoy our bay and beaches and just hang out. Why give more major development rights, which will add internal traffic on top of the increasing traffic coming from outside the city?

2.) Almost all of the proposed development rights will occur in Newport Center — an additional 500,000 square feet of office space, 50,000 square feet more retail space and 500 more residential units. Currently underway but not yet occupied is the new 520 Newport Center Drive — a 21-story, 330,000-square-foot office building. And 524 new apartment units are being built in the San Joaquin Hills Plaza area of Newport Center. Why add more development space in Newport Center until we see the effect on traffic of these major projects once occupied?

3.) I could never make much sense of traffic-engineer projections because there always seemed to be a disconnect between their numbers and the actual traffic congestion once projects were built. Why should we take as true the very-little-traffic-impact promises of the Measure Y supporters?

4.) An argument for voting yes on Y is that the city will get more development fees from granting those development rights. But this City Council has repeatedly broadcast that Newport Beach is one of three California cities with the highest financial rating, that it easily financed a $124-million bond measure for the library/City Hall/park project, and that it is in its best financial shape ever and adds more to its reserves every year. So why does the city need these added development fees?

5.) Don’t necessarily rely on the City Council to prudently limit ever-larger developments. For instance, consider the newly built, but unoccupied, imposing retail building at Dover Drive and Pacific Coast Highway. The council approved it despite rejection by the Planning Commission and strong neighborhood objections.

Residents get to vote on Measure Y because of the 2000 Green Light Initiative, which was meant to give us a vote on major developments, like those now at issue for Newport Center. You might ask if the supporters of Measure Y want the city to evolve into West L.A., with Newport Center becoming another Century City.

We have a good quality of life here. Join me in protecting it by voting no on Y.

JOHN HEFFERNAN is a former Newport Beach mayor.