Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Banning Ranch Study Session(AMENDED!)

JOINT SESSION AT THE EOC
CORRECTION! The Banning Ranch Meeting scheduled today has been moved to the CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS from the EOC to accommodate a large crowd.
Thursday, October 20th, 2011 there will be a joint study session for the Costa Mesa City Council, Parks and Recreation Commission and the Planning Commission. As usual for study sessions, this is an informational meeting and the City Council can take no action. The meeting is scheduled for 4:30 - 6:00 p.m. and will be held in the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) adjacent to the Costa Mesa Police Headquarters at 99 Fair Drive.

PUBLIC IS INVITED
The meeting will be devoted to a discussion of the Newport Banning Ranch Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) and the public is invited to attend and comment. Time has been allotted for public comments at the beginning of the meeting.

AGENDA IS OPTIMISTIC
The agenda is optimistic considering the brief time scheduled. Here is the schedule as presented in the recent announcement:

1. Introduction - City of Costa Mesa CEO
2. Overview - City of Newport Beach
3. Newport Banning Ranch Team
4. Costa Mesa City Staff
5. Council Questions
6. Banning Ranch Conservancy
7. Council Questions
8. Final Comments - Newport Banning Ranch Team

IN A NUTSHELL
Briefly, the Newport Banning Ranch Project consists of 401 acres and the project proposal includes 1,375 residential dwelling units; 75,000 square feet of commercial uses and a 75-room resort inn. Approximately 51.4 gross acres are proposed for active and passive park uses, including a 26.8 gross acre public Community Park. Approximately 252.3 gross acres of the 401 acre site are proposed for natural resources protection in the form of open space.

TRAFFIC, TRAFFIC AND MORE TRAFFIC
The controversy in Costa Mesa deals with the anticipated increase in vehicular traffic throughout the Westside of the city via the planned Bluff Road. It is expected that this traffic will put even more pressure on the already-beleaguered Newport Blvd,/19th Street intersection at the terminus of the 55 Freeway. This project has also ripped open the scab of a possible 19th Street Bridge over the Santa Ana River into Huntington Beach - a project long fought by Costa Mesa.

COME EARLY FOR A SEAT
Because the Emergency Operations Center is a fairly small venue, those planning to attend are encouraged to arrive early to insure having a seat. Although it is only schedule for 90 minutes, the agenda report specifies 3 minutes for each speaker and no limit has been given for the number of speakers to be permitted.

CMTV TO RECORD THIS EVENT
Costa Mesa Television will be in attendance and will record the meeting for later viewing on Time Warner Cable Channel 24 and ATT U-verse Channel 99, plus it will be available for viewing via streaming video on the City web site.

THIS IS THE PLAN...
The following image is a plan for this development. Click on the image to expand.

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13 Comments:

Blogger Colin said...

I like this much better:

http://savebanningranch.org/visionofapark.html

If the car amount allocated in that web site is true, that's a lot of traffic that's not needed in that area. 19th is busy enough there, that bluff road would turn into a new Newport in no time. And those family housing values will decrease. Also, what's an urban colony ? Is that like shops on first story, apts above ? Neat idea, but not a whole lot of entertainment options within that neighborhood, it's all industrial. And what kinda of resort are we talking about here ? Doesn't HB have enough of those ? Just my two cents.

10/19/2011 10:19:00 PM  
Blogger Original Max said...

Banning Ranch can either turn into the West Side's Back Bay or a noisy urban concrete traffic clogged mess for Costa Mesa.

There is no reason for Costa Mesa to take this traffic. It's all cut through traffic. This is traffic that does not shop here, or live here, or pay taxes here, or pay for the roads they abuse.

Add cul de sac pocket parks at the end of 17th and 19th, bike lanes to 19th, or increase on street parking. Our representatives shouldn't be bending over for more traffic.

We have always had councils that have protected us against this traffic. I hope that hasn't changed. If it has, I won't be voting for them or anyone they support. We need representatives that will protect our quality of life and not sell us out so cheaply.

10/19/2011 11:35:00 PM  
Blogger feral390 said...

If recent history is any indicator then it's safe to say that meetings, deals and decisions have already been made. Bottom line if the council men can profit, they will and the community will suffer. Pretty much the same story we've read for the past few months. It's not about what's best for our city.

10/20/2011 06:36:00 AM  
Blogger Joe said...

Feral:
"If recent history is any indicator then it's safe to say that meetings, deals and decisions have already been made. Bottom line if the council men can profit, they will and the community will suffer. Pretty much the same story we've read for the past few months. It's not about what's best for our city."

Me:

Terrible, mean thing to say. Retract that this instant!

Developer Riggmarshal only cares about "pocket parks" and city employees.

"Bootlicker Gary" cares about employees before secondary things like his bar.

Menssy just wants a few more minutes in the locker room.

Bever: Will be starring in the new movie "What Went Wrong at Supercuts Today."

10/20/2011 08:40:00 AM  
Blogger Colin said...

Agreed feral. They are insane to build more housing now. This community will end up like those two towers off Main and the 55. Hardly anyone is in those things, it's a ghosttown. I really don't understand why we have to cover every inch of SoCal in houses and streets and mini malls.

10/20/2011 09:19:00 AM  
Anonymous Gary Craig, CPA said...

Does Costa Mesa get any say in the Banning to 19th street connection, given that the connector will not touch land owned by Costa Mesa (as I understand it?)

10/20/2011 09:29:00 AM  
Anonymous CM/collateral damage said...

Follow the money on this one. menacing and riggy are both ex developers. wait and see who gets the lift.
Maybe a toll road from newport to huntington , put the leprecan under the bridge to collect the tolls. Then pay for the hb helicopter to patrol it.

10/20/2011 09:56:00 AM  
Anonymous Alex said...

Gary Craig, Costa Mesa does not have to widen 17th or 19th or get rid of it's on street parking or ability to create bicycle lanes. Costa Mesa does not have to welcome this traffic. It could even put a traffic light in to limit the cut through flow.

We are taking about a road for an average of 34,000 cars and trucks a day. There will be way more during the Summer and at peak times. This will bypass any future cut and cover project designed to decrease OC's most heavily traveled intersection at Newport and 19th.

The East Side's Back Bay was almost developed and a bridge built to connect University across that beautiful open space. I think the Banning Ranch Conservancy has the right idea.

www.banningranchconservancy.org

10/20/2011 11:26:00 AM  
Anonymous OCLonghair said...

Does anyone really believe this meeting is to ask for permission? This meeting is to make our council understand this is going to happen.

Hey Jimmy, it’s not funny when you’re the one taking it up the…

And as for the 3 minutes – unlimited speakers… we have seen that go by the wayside over the past year at both City and Fair Board meetings. What make us believe they won’t attempt another “In the interest of…” or “Due to time constraints…” Motion carries… “All us I M P O O T A N T peoples up here win; you little nobodies down there lose.” “If you don’t like it… file a suit and stand in line.”

Eric… Nice move. Don’t kid yourself, I totally expected for you to come up with some scheme to weasel out on your word. You are a worthless part time representative of this city. You are a petty, small man; a simpleton who deserves every bad thing that is bestowed upon you.

Now I await your next attempt to shut me up… FYI, it ain’t gunna happen!

BRING IT ON…

10/20/2011 02:34:00 PM  
Anonymous OCLonghair said...

I think the city should welcome the havoc and mayhem; it’s JUST the Westside and once opened Leece’s property will no longer be CM-Beverley Hills.

Eric, I know what you did!

CHEST BUMP!

10/20/2011 02:46:00 PM  
Anonymous OCLonghair said...

If NPBch wants CM to back off on this Ranch deal, they should just offer to go "Half-Zees" on the "New-Ban-Mesa Sports Complex"

Eric, come clean!

10/20/2011 03:42:00 PM  
Blogger The Pot Stirrer said...

I'll try to write about the study session over the weekend - the good, bad and ugly about the meeting.

10/21/2011 12:47:00 AM  
Anonymous Peter. . .how could you believe what you said? said...

I have never seen the public laugh at Peter Nagavi when he has made a presentation before City Council, I guess now that he is the "Interim" CEO, people do not believe him because he now has an office on the 5th Floor.

10/23/2011 10:08:00 PM  

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