HomeMy WebLinkAboutPA2017-228 Comment 2b_04292019_HykesFrom: Amy Smith Hykes <aschicago@hotmail.com>
Sent: Monday, April 29, 2019 5:40 PM
To: Zak, Peter; Weigand, Erik; Lowrey, Lee; Ellmore, Curtis; Kleiman,
Lauren; Koetting, Peter; Kramer, Kory; Herdman, Jeff; Zdeba,
Benjamin
Subject: Concerns regarding Ford Rd Development - Newport House
To Whom it May Concern,
I am of resident of Newport Beach and live in the Port Streets. I am opposed to
the Ford Road Project. I have listed many concerns I have regarding the project
below. I hope that the City Planning Commission and the City Council take into
account the opinions of the people that live in Newport.
1) Safety. I am very concerned about the design of this project and the entrance and exit to
the complex. This entrance/exit is squeezed into an area that is high traffic with
pedestrians, people jogging, bikers and cars. Cars will have limited visibility of bikers
riding quickly along a park path or kids running to a soccer game.
2) Traffic. The amount of traffic on Ford Road and specifically Mesa View Drive can be
extremely heavy especially during school and commute times. There are already 3-4
school buses that pick up and drop students off at Bonita Canyon Sports Park every
day. There is heavy traffic during those hours with cars dropping and picking up those
students being bused to school in addition to the normal CDM and other local school
traffic. Due to this Mesa View Dr. frequently gets backed up.
3) Parking. How will the “no parking in the park lot” be enforced. “No parking” signs
alone don’t work. Signs don’t stop it from happening if there isn’t any consequences or
active monitoring. After the handicap and guest parking spots there are 39 spots left
for people living there. Of those spots 26 are tandem spots, so they have to be shared by
people in the same unit. These spots are a pain for people, especially in tight
underground parking lots. It is very likely instead of using the tandem spots and having
to move cars around all the time they will choose to park one car in the park lot. After
the 26 tandem spots, that leaves 8 units fighting over 13 spots. Cars will overflow onto
the street and neighborhood and this doesn’t take into account if there is a pool party or
gathering. Also, during the construction of the “Newport House” where will all the
construction cars park? Will they take up the park parking lot or take up spots all along
the street. How would this work? What is the plan?
4) Need. Is there a need for this type of housing? The Bluffs and Bayshores always have
“Leasing Now” signs up. It doesn’t seem like there is a shortage of apartments or
condos in this area. Mr. Lawler tried to sell this as a “retirement” location for people
who have lived in the port streets. Do current residents really want to buy or rent a
unit that is right next to the “eyesore” AT&T building, on top of McArthur and Bonita
Canyon Dr. and overlooking a park parking lot? In addition to the awful location to live,
they will have limited and tandem parking. No thanks! When they can’t sell or rent all
of the units, is there a plan or rule about where the developer would be able to put “for
sale” or “for lease” signs. I don’t think we want our public park filled with “leasing now”
signs.
5) Aesthetics. Mr. Lawler said several times how the neighbors think the AT&T building is
an eyesore. Squeezing in a three story building on top of an ugly building won’t change
the fact the AT&T building is an eyesore. In fact, it could make it worse. Right now the
building is hidden among trees and shrubs. New construction could change this. The
new proposed construction will require the removal of some trees and shrubs. I see it
as adding an additional eyesore on top of the one that already exists. The developer said
himself in the meeting “it is a very tight space”. So why are we open to approving
something that is going to look out of place and squeezed in. Lets consider the
aesthetics in our city planning. The apartments in The Bluffs that line Bonita Canyon
Dr. are only 2 stories and are set back farther from the road. Why would we allow
Newport House to have 3 stories with two 37 ft. towers?
6) Conflict of Interest. After watching the meeting I learned Mr. Lawler used to be on the
planning commission in Newport Beach. The perception here is that developers (in this
case Hines) will hire someone that worked on the planning commission so that they can
use that person’s connections and influence to get projects passed. The city needs to be
careful of this perception and ensure the citizens are heard and not just the
developers. I would propose that if you are or were on the city’s planning commission
you are not allowed to submit or be involved in proposals submitted to that town on
behalf of developers. There is a conflict of interest here.
Please keep our parks and surrounding areas safe so that families can enjoy
them. That park has seen an uptick of usage with the installment of pickle ball
courts that is great for our community. Young kids are riding bikes over to the
pickle ball courts and playing pick up games with people who are 60+. Where in
our community do young teens play sports with the older generation? It is great
to see and a wonderful addition to our community and that park. Please don’t
over develop the “tiny lot” with an out of place looking three story building that
towers over our outdoor space and creates safety hazards and parking issues.
Sincerely, Amy Hykes