Mailbag:

How generous of the builder to allocate 70% of Banning Ranch for open space (Reporter’s Notebook: “Oh, the possibilities for ranch,� June 19)!

But what they have neglected to add is that the 70% they so generously donate as open space is not developable.

There’s more: Over the years there has been concerted pressure from Newport Beach to construct a bridge over the Santa Ana River connecting Costa Mesa to Huntington Beach. Both cities have opposed that bridge because of the traffic it will generate, but despite their steadfast opposition, for some mysterious reason the bridge remains on the county master plan.

Newport Beach wants a 19th (or 17th) Street Costa Mesa bridge in order to ease traffic on Pacific Coast Highway, a state highway. The fact that a state highway is supposed to ease traffic on city streets doesn’t concern Newport Beach. They would use the bridge to create additional traffic on Costa Mesa’s and Huntington Beach’s city streets. What has this to do with the proposed Banning Ranch project?

Additional development from the proposed Banning Ranch project and the traffic it would generate would automatically reopen the bridge topic, recreating the mess in which neither Costa Mesa nor Huntington Beach has had a change of heart.

Why not leave that beautiful view to those who would share the Fairview Park/Talbert Park/Banning Ranch open space. The animals who would share it with us need a contiguous run of open space — not a patchwork of occasional strips.

Although not specifically protected by our constitution, our native fauna and flora need to share this land with us. Without them we won’t long survive either.

ALAN REMINGTON

Costa Mesa

Bay Bridge will be boon to community

I read your article about the Bay Bridge in Newport Beach possibly being opened to the public (“Bridge could be opened to public,� June 19).

Normally I don’t care a lot for the Coastal Commission’s decisions and I usually come down on the individual’s property rights side of the argument.

Not this time.

I think they got it right. One morning as I was out running on the peninsula, I decided to run across the bridge just to take a look at the island and the neighborhood, when one of the property owners came running out and yelled at me to get off of their island.

It’s the only time this has happened to me since moving to Orange County 35 years ago.

Let me know when the bridge opens; I can’t wait to see the neighborhood!

GEORGE O’NAN

Costa Mesa