Street fight ends with council decision

Noaki Schwartz

CORONA DEL MAR -- The civil war raging between the north and south side

of Pacific Drive may have officially ended, but not before some fences

were broken.

One resident sparked the controversy with a request for 10 feet of

city-owned property so she could increase the size of her home. The City

Council on Tuesday granted Christi Bettingen the request, adding 10 feet

to her front yard.

But the neighborhood battle had already turned ugly before the council

meeting.

“I was appalled when I got called from Christi crying about signs posted

against the abandonment -- some with her address,” said neighbor Ann

Stern. “I thought Newport Beach is where people are better educated and

have better manners. This is animalistic behavior!”

Residents brought videos, charts, photos and speeches before the council

to illustrate why the decision should fall one way or the other.

Even a brother and sister found themselves on opposite sides of the

issue.

“I have to convey my mother’s opinion, which is different from my uncle,”

said Harry Wallace. “This won’t change the character or charm of that

block.”

Years ago, Pacific Drive was marked for public transportation. The city

set aside a certain portion of property in front of each home on the

south side of the road for this purpose. But in the end, the project was

dropped.

Many of the residents who own the quaint homes, some which date back to

the 1920s, said they did not realize the city owned their front yards.

Some were in favor of getting the land back from the city. Others were

passionately against it, saying that the neighborhood would be destroyed

and property taxes would increase.

Despite the heated emotions, however, the council was swift in its

unanimous decision to return the unused property to the homeowners.

Council members tried to assure residents that homes would not spill into

the road and property lines would not change.

Having experienced a similar issue in her own district, Councilwoman

Norma Glover was not without advice.

“To this day, there are people that still aren’t speaking to each other,”

she said, adding that she hopes the same won’t happen in this

neighborhood.