A remembrance of frames past While driving...

A remembrance of frames past

While driving by the remains of Kona Lanes, I was reminded of

events that had taken place a few weeks earlier.

It was the last week of school and my sons had some friends over

during the afternoon. My oldest boy came up to me and said they were

bored. I told him that they could go out in the street and shoot some

hoops. He then reminded me that the week before they had the police

called on them for playing basketball in the street. Apparently, some

people must think that kids playing basketball is an illegal

activity.

So then I mentioned to him, “Why don’t we go to the school and

play some football?” They all thought it was a great idea, so we

grabbed a football and were off. I, another adult and about 20 kids

set up to play football at the nearby school until the janitor came

by and asked for our permit. Seeing as we didn’t have one, he asked

us to leave or he would be forced to call the authorities.

Apparently, playing on school property without a permit is an illegal

activity.

When we got back to my house, my son asked me: “Dad, you grew up

in Mesa Verde (where I now live). What did you used to do during the

summer?” After thinking a bit, I recalled riding mini-bikes and

go-carts in vacant lots and dirt fields, which no longer exist in

north Costa Mesa. I used to go ice skating at Ice Capades Chalet,

which no longer exists in Costa Mesa. And every summer, I would join

the youth bowling club at Kona Lanes, which no longer exists in Costa

Mesa.

It was then I started to realize that there is no place for kids

to go in North Costa Mesa to have constructive fun. No YMCA, no Boys

& Girls Club, no public recreation center, nothing.

The population wants to keep kids off the streets, off drugs and

out of gangs, but what outlets do we provide for them?

Which brings me to the purpose of writing this letter. We don’t

need another strip mall at the old Kona Lanes site. What we really

need is a fourth recreation center. North Costa Mesa is a beautiful

place to live, unless you’re a kid.

BRET M. RAUS

Costa Mesa

Can all sides learn from Nichols’ matter?

After watching the Newport Beach City Council meeting on

television and trying to keep an open mind as a parade of people each

offered their opinions regarding Councilman Dick Nichols’ statement,

I came to an unexpected conclusion. The huge hype about Nichols’

comment is an excuse for people on all sides of the issue to vent

their own stored-up emotions on the subject.

Nichols has made several statements on various issues that have

become launching pads for debate in our community. I find that

healthy because it encourages discussion and indicates people are

interested in the decisions and direction this city is headed.

Who is right and who is wrong obviously depends upon one’s

perspective, but without Nichols, we might never have had a chance to

explore publicly the issues. Hopefully, the opposing sides actually

heard a little of their opponents’ concerns and, in time, might be

less rigid and more appreciative that others have valid viewpoints

worth considering.

The bottom line: Nichols should stay the course.

ELIZABETH LONG

Newport Beach

Support of overlay not anti-family

Eastside property owners supporting the proposed overlay zone have

been characterized repeatedly as anti-family, so we are writing to

set the record straight. As parents of young children and as

homeowners in the neighborhood, we are very much pro-family and also

for the overlay. Here’s why:

The Eastside housing tract in question was one of the first tract

developments ever built in Costa Mesa, during the late 1940s,

consisting of 140 rectangular properties measuring about 60 feet by

120 feet, with alleyway access.

Although there has been much remodeling throughout the years, most

properties have retained the essential character of the original

tract, as follows: front yard, residence, back yard, alleyway garage.

Even today, 90% of the properties here exhibit this basic tract

character.

The people who like to call the overlay proposal “anti-family”

never discuss this original layout of our tract or the beautiful open

back yards we have for our kids to play in between our homes and

alleyway garages. They claim we are out to restrict their remodeling

space.

The truth is that our only concern is to prevent our open back

yards from being walled-in on both sides, to the east and west, by

two-story stucco walls like you see down in Balboa, Corona del Mar

and Newport Heights -- because living in a stucco canyon between

two-story walls is not good for children or anyone.

The overlay proposal would reduce current development standards in

our tract by only 15%, from a possible 6,865-square-foot, two-story

home to a 5,814-square-foot, two-story home. The average home in our

tract today is less than half that size.

All newer, non-alleyway tracts in our city have 20-foot rear

setbacks, which prevent two-story construction around the back yards,

but not us. Our rear two-story setback from the alley is only 5 feet.

We families here who support the overlay have also petitioned the

city to add a new 50-foot, two-story rear setback for alleyway access

properties, which would preserve our open back yards while allowing

ample room for two-story construction over the existing homes.

We urge every resident of Costa Mesa who cares about quality of

life issues and responsible growth to write to your City Council

members and express your support for the Eastside overlay proposal

and also a new 50-foot rear two-story setback for alley access

properties in the city.

Without these measures, the Eastside will soon become Newport

McMansion without the beach -- wall-to-wall stucco, with our children

transfixed indoors at their video games, while mom and dad take their

refreshment in the courtyard.

BART & CHARMAINE ROSA

Eastside