HomeMy WebLinkAboutPA2017-228 Comment 151_05052019_BurkFrom: Chris Burk <cburk92660@gmail.com>
Sent: Sunday, May 05, 2019 8:46 PM
To: Zdeba, Benjamin
Subject: Newport House
Dear Mr. Dzeba,
As a Port Street resident, I am writing to express my fervent opposition to the proposed residential project
(“Newport House”) located at the corner of MacArthur and Ford roads.
My rationale for opposing the proposed project is as follows:
- It will not deliver to the Port Street community anything that cannot already be found readily nearby; and
- Some “common-sense,” fundamental flaws of the site make it incompatible with the proposed use.
What are some of the “common-sense,” fundamental flaws of the site?
- The point of ingress/egress for the Bonita Canyon Sports Park is immediately adjacent to the point of
ingress/egress to the proposed development site. Cars, bicycles, etc. entering and exiting these sites will not be
aware of or necessarily anticipating each other, which would create a genuine life-safety risk for all parties. I have
attached a photo taken from the driver seat of my SUV while exiting the park, and as you can see, the mutual blind-
spot for the respective sites would be very real. To vote in favor of a project that would create such an obviously
dangerous situation would defy common sense and arguably meet the standard of “gross-negligience” on the part of
the Planning Commission from my perspective.
- The aforementioned life-safety concern is applicable to the activity trail (walking, running, biking, etc.) that
crosses the point of ingress/egress to the proposed development site as well.
- The adjacent park is used extensively by Port Street residents and the broader community for organized sports
activities, birthdays and other events. The Planning Commission can require the developer to post as many “No
Newport House Parking” signs as it wants, but there will be absolutely no way for parking enforcement to know
who may be a violating this policy. It is “common-sense” that Newport House residents and their guests will
recognize this and use the park’s lot for overflow, convenience, etc. Parking at Bonita Canyon Sports Park is already
insufficient for moderate to peak usage times, which will force families who legitimately intend to use the park to
manage the inconvenience and potential increased danger of parking along Ford Road.
Regarding the benefits of the project to the Port Streets:
The developer suggested in its initial presentation to the Planning Commission that the site would be an attractive
option for “divorcees” and “seniors/empty nesters” who want to stay a part of the community. This could be a
worthy goal, but the affected parties have already proven there is a plethora of equally viable alternative options to
choose from that do not pose any life-safety risk to the community. For example, 100% of the divorced individuals
that I know have managed to own or rent within the Port Streets or immediately nearby (East Bluff, The Bluffs and
Fashion Island), while continuing to send their children to Andersen Elementary. Regarding seniors/empty nesters, I
have lived in the Port Streets since 2011 and have yet to meet any that identified a lack of smaller footprint
residential stock as a pressing issue within the community.
In conclusion:
From my perspective, the proposed project attempts to “solve” some problems for the Port Street community that
simply do not exist.
Furthermore, approval of the proposed project will create some new and obvious life-safety related dangers that do
not currently exist and cannot be effectively mitigated because unfortunately, the configuration of the site does not
allow it.
For these reasons, the proposed project should be resolutely rejected by the Planning Commission without delay.
Thank you for the opportunity to share my concerns regarding the proposed project, and I appreciate the Planning
Commission’s thoughtful consideration of this matter.
Sincerely,
Chris Burk
2028 Port Bristol Cir
Newport Beach
Sent from my iPad
image2.jpeg