Corona del Mar : Residents Move to Block Newport Center Growth
A group of homeowners who oppose Irvine Co. plans to expand Newport Center will sponsor a referendum to block new growth that would be permitted there by a July vote of the Newport Beach City Council, officials said.
Members of the Corona del Mar Community Assn. believe that their community is “already overburdened with excess through traffic and excessive traffic noise,” Shirley Conger, spokeswoman for the group, said.
For the record:
12:00 a.m. Aug. 6, 1986 For the Record
Los Angeles Times Wednesday August 6, 1986 Orange County Edition Metro Part 2 Page 3 Column 3 Metro Desk 2 inches; 65 words Type of Material: Correction
A story in Sunday’s Times incorrectly identified the developer of a plan to widen Coast Highway in Corona del Mar. The City of Newport Beach will use local and federal funds to widen the highway west of MacArthur Boulevard to six lanes. The highway expansion plans are part of the city’s ongoing traffic circulation improvement program, according to city planner Pat Temple. East of MacArthur Boulevard in Corona del Mar, the highway will remain a four-lane artery.
“We’re not opposed to growth,” Conger said. “But the idea of this (proposed referendum) is traffic management before growth.”
The transformation of Coast Highway to a six-lane thoroughfare east of MacArthur Boulevard is one of the primary objections of the group to the Irvine Co. plan. Also at issue is the traffic noise level in the community surrounding the Coast Highway.
Richard Nichols, an engineer who is a member of the group, said that noise levels in the area already exceed the 65 decibels allowable in any residential area.
If the referendum drive succeeds, the general plan amendments by the city council to the Irvine Co.’s general plan would be subject to a vote by the Newport Beach electorate.
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