Study of airport area needed to consider fees

Mathis Winkler

NEWPORT BEACH -- City council members dropped a proposal to single out

the area surrounding John Wayne Airport to discuss fees for developers

and instead decided to make it part of a general plan update.

Council members made the decision during a study session Tuesday.

A committee, consisting of city council, planning commission and

economic development committee representatives, among others, should

begin to explore the issue in the next few weeks.

“We’re talking about twigs without looking at the forest,� said

Councilman Gary Adams, who suggested to make an airport planning study

part of a review of the city’s general plan.

He added that looking at the airport area as a separate issue “doesn’t

make sense.�

Legal constraints will limit just how much officials can ask builders

to pay.

To address those limits, the city will have to pay for a planning

study for streets and other public utilities for the land surrounding

John Wayne Airport.

“As a general rule, you need to know what you’re proposing to do, how

types of development will contribute to a need for improvements,� said

City Atty. Robert Burnham. “There needs to be a study before we can

assess development impact fees.�

Although state grants might be available for planning work related to

a comprehensive general plan update, the city will probably have to use

general fund money to pay for the study, city officials said.

The city’s Economic Development Committee has recommended to put the

development of the airport area high on the list of priorities. Last

year, council members approved $250,000 over two years for this planning

work, assuming that property owners would contribute the same amount of

money.

But developers -- uncertain about the future of their projects because

of the Greenlight traffic and growth control measure on the November

ballot -- have hesitated to spend money on the planning study, according

to a staff report.

Major development proposals for the area include a 556,000-square-foot

expansion of Conexant Systems Inc., a high-speed communications chip

manufacturer, and a 250,000-square-foot expansion of Koll Center Newport.

Representatives for both Conexant and Koll Center told council members

that while they would support fair fees for developers, the city had to

reach a decision soon.

“We need some clarity on this issue or it’s going to drive us away

from this city,� said Rich Bluth, director of facilities for Conexant.

Councilwoman Norma Glover said that careful planning for the area was

important.

“I think that we need to be fair [in imposing fees,]� she said. “And

see how they are compatible with other areas of the city.�

Glover added that the city would have to look at the effects each

development would have on traffic.

“If the mitigation is less, the fee should be less,� she said.