Measure A Merits Approval

One concern with the special election Tuesday in Newport Beach is that voters must give a simple yes or no answer on an extremely complex and emotionally charged issue.

Measure A seeks to resolve the controversial question of how the Irvine Co.’s Newport Center should ultimately be developed. The decision made by Newport Beach voters will have an impact on the entire region. Despite imperfections, Measure A still merits approval.

Some Newport Beach residents oppose Measure A simply because they don’t like or trust the Irvine Co. Others simply don’t want more growth. Period. They have company among those who don’t want to expand John Wayne Airport or improve freeways because they fear such changes will bring more people and more urban problems to Orange County. They are also joined by those fed up with traffic congestion and are skeptical about anything that will add to it.

Unfortunately, the issue is not simple or clear-cut. This is underscored by the fact that thoughtful, concerned people are represented on both sides of the measure.

Measure A is actually the third plan developed for Newport Center, and it is scaled down considerably from what the company originally proposed. It was worked out between the city and the Irvine Co. in scores of public and private meetings.

The plan envisions a $300-million expansion of the center in stages that include three office towers, homes, restaurants and shops. It also calls for development of a cultural complex on $3 million worth of land to be donated by the Irvine Co., additional open space, a teen center on land provided rent-free for 20 years and, most important, $47 million in road improvements.

The road projects include the immediate construction of Pelican Hill Road to route motorists around traffic-choked Corona del Mar, and improvements on Jamboree Road, MacArthur Boulevard and Pacific Coast Highway. Newport Beach stands to benefit with other parts of the county from some of these improvements that have been made part of the bargain. Indications are that these road improvements, to be funded by the company, will accommodate the traffic generated by the new development.

The Newport Center plan isn’t perfect. It has some shortcomings, particularly in the housing element, that need to be addressed by the company, win or lose Tuesday. Done right, more housing can reduce traffic by placing people nearer to their work. Most conspicuous among the housing needs are more moderately priced apartments for clerical workers and sales clerks. And those workers should be given the first chance at available units.

The Newport Center plan does address the traffic problem. But it ignores the opportunity to do much more through creation of additional housing. Doing so would set an example for other responsible developers to follow.

The key to the plan is the immediate construction of Pelican Hill Road. It’s a major component that the city, not the Irvine Co., has demanded. Critics who argue that the road fits well into the company’s larger coastal plan and eventually will be built anyway are right. But that could be many years away, given the opposition to other development that has tied up the coast plan for the last five years.

Rejecting Measure A will not halt development of Newport Center. The Irvine Co. could make some additions under earlier plans approved by the city, or continue to expand piecemeal. Worse, the company could sell off property to developers who don’t have a phased, comprehensive plan. These small-scale owners could not be required to include amenities, such as major road improvements, which the city can’t afford and the Irvine Co. has agreed to provide.

There doubtless are appropriate limits to the growth of Newport Center. This plan, carefully negotiated by the city, seems within those reasonable limits. It is strengthened by the benefits it provides the community. It deserves passage Tuesday.