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HomeMy WebLinkAboutKlein and Wilson LetterKLEIN & WILSON BUSINESS TRIAL LAWYERS A Partnership of Professional Corporations 326 Old Newport Boulevard Newport Beach, California 92663 Telephone (949) 031 -3300 Far..sirnile (949) 631 -3703 February 2. 2010 HAArn DELIVERED Mr. Jaime tNlurillo Associate Planner City of N tewport Beach 3300 Newport Boulevard Newport Beach. CA 92655 mm. klei nandivilson.cotn RECEIVED BY PLANNING DEPARTMENT JAN 2 9 2010 CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH Re: 328 - 340 Old 1Yervport Boulevard — Shaoulian Project Dear Mr. N4urillo: Klein Sr Wilson is the property owner of 326 Old Newport Boulevard. immediately adjacent to the above- referenced project. We conduct our law practice at this location, with parking provided for our employees and visitors on the first level of our structure (our offices are above the parking level). 117110WICC to our parking is fi•om Old Newport Boulevard, at slid - block. There is no center median. no traffic signal or traffic light. Dr. Shaoulian's proposed project is inLncdiately adjacent to our structure, on the east. Its proposed parking garage entrance, like ours, is on Old Newport Boulevard. )List west of our building and our parking entrance is the Lin- signalized intersection of Old Newport Boulevard and the on and off "ramps" to the larger Newport Boulevard. This un- signalized intersection is a magnet for cars. as well as for accidents and near - accidents. due to vehicles exiting Newport Boulevard which take a left onto Old Newport Boulevard. as well as vehicles entering the on -ramp to Newport Boulevard which take a left from Old -Newport onto the on -ramp. KL> IN & WILSON BUSINESS TRIAL LAWYERS Nor. Jaime Nlurillo January 29. 20 10 Pace 2 PLANNING DEPARTMENT JAN Z 9 2010 CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH Old Newport Boulevard is fairly heavily traversed Noonday through Friday; with the exception of mid -day. Old 'Newport Boulevard acts as a "feeder" road for many vehicles coming from the west and south as a means of access to the on -ramp for the larger Newport Boulevard, especially for commuters getting to their jobs. V For the City to approve a project which doubles the allowable FAR, and which cannot be developed at this intensity without the City changing our General Plan. will bring: More h n.lie than Old Newport Boulevard can handle. ht fact; the Shaoulian project will generate a net increaseof703 daily vehicle trips. Since Shaoulian's tenants will be medical offices. which typically operate Monday through Friday between 5:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., the vast majority of these 703 additional traffic trips will occur during the same hours our firm is operating, and other existing businesses are operating. V • Traffic circulation issues, as vehicles needing to take a left turn into on- coming traffic in order to access our parking entrance (and Dr. Shaoulian's project) do not have the luxury ofqueuine up in a center median. Instead, when confronted with a steady stream of on- coming vehicles, ouremployees and visitors will have to stopon Old Newport. and wait until the increased traffic volume clears, which will result in cars queuing up behind them, on Old Newport Boulevard. '['his stacking of cars will worsen traffic circulation in the area. • /nsuufficieut parking. In order to accommodate parking for the Shaoulian project, one of the entitlements the applicant needs fi•om the City is the approval of a seven space off- street parking credit. While the City has surface, public parking on Old Newport. why shotdd the existing businesses nearby effectively lose seven parking spaces. because the Shaoulian project is too big? We would ask the City to do the following: • Uphold they integrity ojour General Plan. The allowable FAR for the Old Newport Sub -Area is 0.5. G\ hHe we would not be concerned about allowing a moderate increase. this Applicant is asking the City to ignore its General Plan standards and policies. and double the allowable FAR. Require the project to provide !00% of its parking on-site. I f this project is too big to accommodate its own parking without poaching spaces from the public parking lot. the project should be down- sized. KLErt�t e WiLsoi\ BUSINESS TRIAL LAVVYERS Mr..laime t\durillo .lanuary 29. 2010 Page 3 RECEIVED BY PLANNING DEPARTMENT JAN 2 9 2111.0 CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH • Approve a smaller project Nud will -enernte less traffic trips. Old Newport Boulevard is a two lane road with no center medians -for turns. Old Newport is already loaded in the mornings and late afternoons with commuter traffic. We work. here. We see the street and on -ramp intersection from our offices — we have a bird's -eye view. Old Newport cannot handle an additional 700+ vehicles a day. TharnkyoufOryourconsiderationofourconunents. We know that many ofthe other esisting businesses and property owners on Old Newport Boulevard have the same concerns about traffic conuestion and lush;_ Public parking that the project, a5 proposed in its current size, will bring. Sincerely. Uerh�l{df �r \'q. Klein. P.C. Mark (3. Wilson, P.C. �«1_,