News: Councilwoman Nancy Gardner

city council district 6 v corona del mar & newport coast

Nancy Gardner

councilwoman v newport beach, california

november UPDATE

CONCESSION AT BIG CORONA

When Big Corona got its face lift, the concession stand was torn down and replaced with a new stand and lifeguard center. The City wasn’t able to come to terms with the previous tenant, so the space remained vacant last summer, but we have now narrowed down the field of potential new tenants to two. One would provide a basic beach menu of hot dogs, fries, etc., but would add a Japanese twist with sushi and teriyaki bowls. The other would have a similar beach menu but also be open in the morning with coffee, espresso and breakfast pizzas. A decision will be made shortly so that the tenant improvements can get under way and have the place open by summer.

RESIDENTS’ MEETING

Last month I met with residents concerned about the impact of nearby restaurants on their quality of life. This was sparked by the proposal of Panini’s owner to move from his present site to the old Orient Handel rug store. From all the comments, it was clear that the primary problem is the shortage of parking which forces customers and employees to park in front of people’s houses which in turn leads to unwelcome noise and congestion. I have invited the various restaurants in Corona del Mar to a meeting this month to see if we can come up with some short term fixes. Long term relief will hopefully come when the City’s parking study is completed.

Meanwhile, the Council will be reviewing the Panini situation at a future meeting.

FIRE SAFETY

I watched the Bel Air fire from my dorm at UCLA. I watched the Laguna fire from the roof of my parents’ house in Shorecliffs which I was hosing down. I don’t want to watch a Newport Beach fire from any place, so I’ve asked the fire marshal to give us a report on our vulnerabilities at the next Council meeting.

FLUORIDE

When the Metropolitan Water District announced it would add fluoride to the water I was startled because I thought we’d been adding it for years. We get as much as 25% of our water from MWD and have no way to make up for that supply, no other well to draw from. We also have no control over MWD. However, a number of our residents have protested the addition of fluoride to the water, claiming that there are health issues associated with the ingestion rather than topical application of fluoride. We are contacting public health officials and others to address their concerns and meanwhile have asked MWD to delay the program to provide time to do this. I have heard unofficially that our request has not been granted.

ANOTHER CITY HALL SITE?

After some hard negotiating by Ed Selich and Steve Rosansky, The Irvine Company has agreed to sell a parcel of the 500 block of Newport Center to the City for a city hall. It’s part of a development agreement that will soon be coming before the Planning Commission and the Council. Whether this new site will be considered a viable option by those who want to place city hall in the park site I don’t know, but I think everyone will want to study the agreement which includes $27 million in fees to build a city hall no matter where it’s located, a $5 million matching grant for the Oasis Senior Center and other items.

THE WOW FACTOR

Don Webb and I got a tour of the new clubhouse and grill at Pelican Hills. I don’t know how the food is, but the decor’s impressive. The locker rooms are so sumptuous I’m planning on driving up there every morning to take my shower. It’s a public course, after all.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

> CdM Parking

> Palm Trees
> City Hall Location

> Other Concerns

FUTURE TOPIC SUGGESTIONS

This is a two-way process, so please don’t hesitate to contact me with your ideas and opinions.

Councilwoman Nancy Gardner

QUALITY OF LIFE Advocate FOR NEWPORT BEACH

City of Newport Beach - 3300 Newport Blvd - Newport Beach, CA 92663

Phone: 949.644.3004 - EMAIL: gardnerncy@aol.com

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