General plan update turning into growth battle

June Casagrande

NEWPORT BEACH -- The mundane-sounding general plan update process is

instead turning out to be one of the hottest battlegrounds yet for

Greenlight. And residents are taking notice.

On the heels of the surprisingly well-attended Visioning Festival on

Saturday to kick off the process, officials have extended to Feb. 1 the

deadline for residents to apply to serve on an advisory committee because

of the huge response.

But even as they fight to get slow-growth advocates on that advisory

committee, some Greenlighters say the playing field is uneven.

“We are unhappy with the process and are talking with Mayor [Tod]

Ridgeway about what we think is a stacked General Plan Update Committee,�

Greenlight spokesman Phil Arst said. “We have only two known Greenlight

supporters out of 11 people on that committee, whereas 63% of the

electorate favors slow growth.�

Activist Allan Beek and City Councilman John Heffernan are the two

committee members who actively support the city’s Greenlight Initiative,

which requires that an election be held on any development large enough

to require an amendment to the general plan. Arst said he was happy,

however, about the recent appointment of Councilman Steve Bromberg, whose

voting record reflects a case-by-case approach to development issues

instead of a pro- or anti-Greenlight position.

The 11-member General Plan Update Committee will appoint the 35 to 37

resident members of the General Plan Committee. More than 100 people have

already applied to serve on the advisory committee and scores more have

requested applications.

On the other side of the issue, Greenlight opponents are also using

the general plan update process to advance their position that the

initiative goes too far.

“No change is not an option,� Ridgeway said. “Costs of providing city

services go up, and something has to pay for them.�

Ridgeway said renewing the general plan offers an opportunity to

create balanced growth that will benefit all residents. And the process,

he said, is also a platform for promoting a new tone in city government.

“We as a council are not going to remain passive,� he said. “We’re

working toward better communication with constituents about what

representative government has done the last 10 years. We’ve not increased

traffic; we’ve decreased it. What you’re not hearing is how good we are

on the environment, open space, traffic.�

Activists on both sides say that pending changes to the general plan

are crucial to the city’s future. And the more than 500 people who packed

Saturday’s Visioning Festival demonstrate that residents agree.

“It was very encouraging to see so many people turn out to the

festival,� Heffernan said. “It was a good cross section and there was a

diverse range of opinion, and that’s good for everyone.�

FYI

Applications for the General Plan Update Committee will be accepted

through Feb. 1. Residents who want to be considered may apply online at

www.nbvision.2025.com or they may call (949) 644-3238 for an application.