Mailbag: H.B.’s reputation takes another hit courtesy of TikTok

A weekend crowd of thousands becomes disruptive in Huntington Beach. Such pandemonium has been a staple of Surf City subculture for decades. But in the age of TikTok and other social media outlets it has become so much easier to fan the riotous flames. We can now stir chaos on our streets with our fingertips.

Ben Miles
Huntington Beach

Apparently, the applicant for the 2510 Project, Mark Moshayedi, has retained former Newport Beach Mayor Ed Selich to represent Moshayedi as a “consultant” at an upcoming Newport Beach City Council meeting hearing scheduled on July 13, 2021.

The 2510 Project allegedly will maintain its 35 proposed height, as well as its density, so it is not transparent as to what the applicant has proposed to city staff.

What is clear is that Deputy Director Jim Campbell stated at the previous planning commission meeting, “The applicant will address the community’s concerns about the design and height of the building and the use of the commercial space. We haven’t planned what the roll-out will be, because we don’t know when we are going to get the plans and the revised project description, but I think notice to the community would be warranted, so that the community has ample time to review the changes.”

The communities of Newport Heights, Bayshores, Cliff Haven and Lido Isle have to make certain that the precedent-setting project will incorporate those fundamental municipal codes in the city’s General Plan, Local Coastal Plan and Cal-Trans policies and, while encouraging and creating a harmonious and safe development, will be compatible and beneficial to the surrounding neighborhood. (At this point in time, the 2510 Project does not meet any of these standards).

One can only hope that the City Council will direct staff to insist on a comprehensive plan for Mariner’s Mile that would create a vision that would be an economical “gold-mine” for both the applicant and Newport Beach.

The question remains, will one of the authors of the 2006 GPU hold true to these founding principles, or will the lobbying and selfish indulgence continue?

It’s been a long 15 years and its time for a change.

Peggy V. Palmer
Newport Beach

“The more things change, the more they stay the same.”

I am not sure who the author is of that age-old adage, but it sure applies to many government bodies, including city government in Newport Beach. Encouraged though we may be about the decision to push the date forward on the decision-making process regarding the Mariners’ Mile development at 2510 Pacific Coast Highway, it is discouraging to learn that the decision makers have brought no new talent into the process.
The same people who were making decisions in Newport Beach at least 10 to 20 years ago are still hanging around offering their solicited or unsolicited advice. One would not be too far off referring to the “entitled” group as the “good ol’ boys’ club.” What happened to the results of the last election, which brought in a new council member, only to learn that the new member had to recuse himself from the Mariners’ Mile Project because of a “conflict of interest”?

As expressed by a community member recently, the current plans for the development at 2510 do not meet the City’s General Plan, the Local Coastal Plan or Caltrans’ policies. It’s time to reshuffle and put forth some creative ideas, which will meet the needs and desires of the developer and the community.

Lynn Lorenz
Newport Beach

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