city council district 6 v corona del mar & newport coast
Nancy Gardner
councilwoman v newport beach, california
JULY UPDATE
SOBER LIVING HOMES
The City has reached a tentative agreement with the largest proprietor of
group homes in the City, Sober Living by the Sea, which will reduce the
over-concentration on the peninsula by reducing the number of beds from 238 to
156; disperse existing facilities; and set an overall cap on the number of beds
Sober Living may have in the City. Most significantly, the agreement applies to
all group homes including six-and-under-licensed. I can’t stress the importance
of this enough. Without this agreement, Sober Living could open as many
six-and-under-licensed as it wanted because such facilities are protected by
state law and cannot be regulated by the City. Other details: Sober Living can
have a maximum of 204 beds in the City, but there cannot be any increase over
156 until the dispersion of existing facilities is complete, and then they can
be located only in MFR zones and only off the peninsula; there will be a
1000-foot separation from schools and licensed day care facilities; and there
will be strict operating standards.
As most people know, after the City passed the ordinance dealing with the
overconcentration of group homes, we were sued by Sober Living for going too far
and by a group called the Concerned Citizens of Newport Beach (CCNB) for not
going far enough. Shortly thereafter settlement talks began with a three-way,
confidential mediation before a retired judge with the City using the expressed
desires of CCNB as the foundation of our demands from Sober Living. Someone gave
the Register a copy of the confidential materials distributed during the
mediation which meant the story broke before a final settlement was reached.
However, we are optimistic that we will reach an accord. If an agreement is
finalized, it will be turned into a Development Agreement which will go to the
Planning Commission and City Council for public hearings and approval.
CARS BLOCKING SIDEWALKS
I get occasional complaints about residents who park their cars so that they
block the sidewalk, forcing pedestrians into the street. If a pleasant comment
doesn’t work, you can call 644-3717 to report this.
IRIS SIGNAL
The pedestrian signal at Iris and Coast Highway will begin construction in
September, after summer traffic.
4th of JULY
The parking lot at Big Corona was full by 8:30 am, and there were so many
canopies it looked like the beach had been wrapped by Christo. Forget about
flags and fireworks. What the Fourth of July is really about is food. All the
grocery stores between here and Riverside must have had empty shelves because
under every canopy was a small feast. Anticipating the crowd, General Services
put out extra trash cans, not just on the beach but on the paths leading to both
Big and Little Corona. They were also out early the next day. By the time the
first beachgoers arrived on Saturday, there was no indication of the masses that
had been there the day before. And for those who think that we are not always
welcoming to our guests, my neighbor up the street let a strangers park in her
driveway. She said it was because they had a car full of kids. There had been
six children in her family, and the beach was the only getaway they could
afford. She didn’t want this other family to miss their day at the beach because
there was no parking.
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
Copyright 2008 v Nancy Gardner v All Rights Reserved