MAILBAG:

In reading Marilyn Beck’s excellent letter regarding the proposed Aerie development in Corona del Mar, I noticed she had inadvertently stated that 25,240 cubic feet of bluff material removal will be required for the project. That number is 25,240 cubic yards (or 681,480 cubic feet).

The massiveness of this project and the destruction of the coastal bluff is made possible only with a number of concessions by the city of Newport Beach and the Planning Commission, which recently approved this project with a 6-1 vote. Those concessions include a General Plan Amendment, a Zone Change Amendment and subterranean encroachments into the front and side setbacks of the property.

The massiveness of this project is enabled by the city’s policy of including submerged land and non-buildable slopes in determining the buildable area of the site. As pointed out at the Feb. 22 Planning Commission meeting, this project is inconsistent with the city of Newport Beach’s own Coastal Land Use Plan regarding the protection of the coastal bluff.

This project will negatively impact all of Corona del Mar. The size and building requirements for the construction of this project will require trucks and equipment that Corona del Mar is not designed to accommodate. The impact on the streets, the noise, and the traffic generated by construction vehicles will be significant throughout Corona del Mar.

JINX HANSEN

Newport Beach