gnatcatchers playing along the water trails. Watch the bluebirds
sitting serenely at the top of a plant or perch! Yes fellas and
gals ....this is just lovely. Of course it used to be oil property
...used to have black sludge running everywhere...before the
Phillips or Shell, Standard or whoever left and the riparian growth
was allowed to flourish and grow greatly unabated.
So, "what if" the City of Newport Beach was lucky enough to have
53 acres of this wonderful land to offer their oversight and
consultant advice for and to? Oh, they already have that? What if
all of Banning Ranch laid in the "Sphere of Influence" of Newport
Beach? Oh, it does? Well, suppose that some developer decided that
they could create an environmentally correct Hotel and Home
development? Oh, they did that too? Suppose the the Sierra Club
...came out of the shadows to fight ANY development on this
totally unused property? Oh, they did that....too?
OK, we need to step back a little. Why is it that everywhere that
needs help...never gets it. West Newport should have been carefully
redeveloped 30 years ago. It could have been an absolute paradise
in 1978 ....with upscale shops along coast highway...an access to
waterways ....with boat docks, a mini-Huntington Harbor and all
verging onto the Banning Ranch property. Oh yeah, it could have
really been something - that would have changed the face of Newport
Beach forever. But no, citizens wanted to stay a small town back
then....they wanted not to increase property values by those dirty
old oil pumpers!
So, it's 2008....the Greater Newport Beach runs from the Huntington
Beach city border to the Laguna Beach border....we are one of the
most important political players in Orange County. We can do stuff!
Well, how about taking our role seriously? We need to develop
"environmentally" the Banning Ranch property. We need to support
the property values of our citizens in West Newport. We haven't
seen the complete development plan yet...but we believe that
raising all boats (if it meets all the environmental concerns)
is far superior to letting the land go to seed...as it were!
We strongly support the work of the Sierra Club.....but they were
not so helpful in our discussion on Statewide Fumigation Regulations
and Licensing. It is lovely that they have taken the time to chat
with our Newport Beach City Council and Staff about preventing any
type of development of this land....we just think that "a compromise"
might be the better choice in this case!
Let's take a good look at the proposed development plan for Banning Ranch....carefully make any environmental suggestions and build it!
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