Habitat

NEWPORT BEACH — While waiting for her turn to speak Saturday, Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-California) shielded her eyes from the sun and looked over her shoulder, taking in the view. Between Fashion Island's towers to the left, homes to the right and commercial airliners soaring overhead, Upper Newport Bay was at high tide and full of life. If some politicians had their way years ago, this 750-acre watershed would look vastly different, probably with homes and baseball fields.

Ally Antis is like any other 14-year-old. The Mission Viejo resident enjoys swimming, playing piano, hanging out with her friends and spending time with her family. However, Ally also shines among others her age through her involvement with helping those less fortunate than herself. This summer, Ally, along with her father and brother, will travel with Habitat for Humanity to Mongolia for the Blue Sky Build 2012 project. "I think it's exciting that she, at such a young age, is excited to participate in something like this," said Aaron Antis, Ally's cousin.

I'm struggling with what to write to attempt to convince the neighbors that eight additional Habitat for Humanity homes built in their backyards would be an asset to their neighborhood and the community. I fear that no matter what I write, I will not be able to convince the neighbors of the value of this project, proposed for a 1.5-acre property east of Harbor Center. However, what I do wish to convey, as a longtime Costa Mesa resident since 1963 and a volunteer with the Orange County Chapter of Habitat for Humanity since 1996, is that this project will give eight more families the opportunity for home ownership, the opportunity to improve their living standards and, most importantly, the opportunity to have their children live in a safe environment with good neighbors, attend excellent schools and live in this outstanding community.

FLO MARTIN On March 10, 1999, Scott Bell, general partner for ICI Holdings, signed a settlement and mutual-release agreement. So did 24 residents of College Park, also known as Neighbors of Harbor Center. Bell agreed to build several sound walls and a landscaped berm to attenuate the effects of noise pollution from the rear of the Harbor Shopping Center loading docks. The agreement also stipulated that ICI would "not demolish or cause to be demolished that portion of the sound wall blocking access to Wake Forest Drive ... except after final city approval of residential land use in the Future Development Area."

Lolita Harper COSTA MESA -- The Westside will see more owner-occupied housing in the future as the City Council decided Tuesday to uphold a previous decision to convert six apartments into condominiums. Council members voted 4 to 1 to uphold the Planning Commission's decision, allowing Habitat for Humanity to convert apartments on Pomona Avenue into owner-occupied condominiums. Councilman Chris Steel, who had appealed the commission's decision, dissented.

No. Habitat for Humanity, however well-intentioned a business corporation, is marginalizing, isolating, stigmatizing and ghettoizing the people who will be placed in the eight homes behind a 14-foot wall. I am completely opposed to this. I was opposed to my own home being placed behind the loading dock of a regional warehouse. In good conscience, I cannot avoid speaking up to help those people who may be in the same boat. KATHARINE BEQUETTE Costa Mesa I called to support the project of Habitat for Humanity.

Deirdre Newman Neighbors of a proposed affordable-housing project proposed by Habitat for Humanity have already vehemently voiced their opposition to the plan. Now, the city's planning staff has joined the resistance, recommending the project be denied. Staff members said in a report that homes don't belong on the property because of noise concerns from the nearby Harbor Center, where Home Depot is located, and because the 1.5-acre site has historically been filled with commercial uses.

Deirdre Newman Like the sound wall they are trying to protect, College Park residents Monday presented a solid barrier against a nonprofit's plans to build houses in their neighborhood, convincing city leaders to reject the eight-home development. In turning down Habitat for Humanity's affordable housing development for a site behind Harbor Center, the City Council also overturned the Planning Commission's decision that the irregular-shaped site -- bordered on three sides by a wall -- was appropriate for residential use. Councilwoman Libby Cowan dissented.

Since 1957, Newport Beach-based Downey Savings and Loan has helped provide California residents with home loans. The company will now take on the job of home building as well. Along with Habitat for Humanity, Downey Savings has funded one of four homes being built in Stanton. Downey employees will work with home-building professionals to build a detached three-bedroom home consisting of a full bath, living room, dining room, kitchen and attached two-car garage.

Tamar Goldmann Regarding the proposed plan to develop eight Habitat for Humanity homes in a Costa Mesa neighborhood and the Pilot editorial, "Habitat project right fit for area," Oct. 3, it is amazing that the Pilot continues to choose to assign motives to the residents of College Park and then to criticize them while the statements of the developers are taken at face value. Although you agree that issues in most cases are "nuanced," you seem not to find any standing for our position.

On a windswept bluff with rippling ponds behind them, local officials Wednesday afternoon celebrated the latest phase of a multiyear revitalization effort for Fairview Park. The Wetlands & Riparian Habitat takes up 37 acres of the 208-acre Costa Mesa park. The new habitat, replete with walking trails, plants and wildlife, is highlighted by a series of ponds and streams that collectively and naturally filter million of gallons of urban runoff. Funders of the $5.2-million project include the Orange County Transportation Authority and Miocean, an Irvine-based nonprofit that attempts to curb the effects of urban runoff polluting Orange County's coastline.

Southern California Edison recently unveiled its ABC Green Home in Irvine to crowds eager to see its eco-friendly design and sophisticated gadgetry. The three-bedroom, two-bathroom house - built in conjunction with and sponsored by Green HomeBuilder magazine and its clients - at the Orange County Great Park was designed to showcase the highest possibilities of sustainable home building. Organizers touted that the entry-level home off Marine Way can be built anywhere from materials found anywhere, as in they're not "unobtanium.

A Costa Mesa woman and her brother washed cars Saturday with hopes of helping those less fortunate than them. Brittany Adams, 28, along with her brother Patrick Forte, 23, held the car wash and raised $483 toward their three-week trip to Kenya with Habitat for Humanity. "I'm just really excited for the trip," Adams said. "It's something [Patrick and I] have never done before. I'm excited to help out some really amazing people and see something different. " Forte agreed. "It's all about giving something back and taking on a new experience," he said.

After more than 20 years of planning, the city of Newport Beach on Thursday received the California Coastal Commission's approval for Sunset Ridge Park. City leaders rejoiced that their design changes finally swayed enough commissioners, who voted 8 to 4 during their third hearing on the matter. The 14-acre sports park at Superior Avenue and West Coast Highway will add more fields for youth and other teams, which often have to travel across town for play. Newport's historical west side wasn't developed with as much attention to recreation as modern master-planned communities, and the City Council has pushed park development plans.

The California Coastal Commission is scheduled to rehear Thursday the application for Sunset Ridge Park, a proposed Newport Beach city sports field. The hearing will be a showdown between city attorneys and commission staff members, who have repeatedly rejected the park. Planned for the bluff above West Coast Highway and Superior Avenue, the park would add needed playing space for the west side of town. But some commissioners and their staff have flagged the park's impact on protected bird habitat.

Rescued felines at the Orange County Humane Society are about to feel more at home Monday, thanks to the efforts of three Girl Scout cadettes. Representing the Newport Beach and Costa Mesa Girl Scout Cadette Troop 2360, Elise Denghausen, Julie Mariano and Sofia Vaides, all 13-year-olds who attend Ensign Intermediate School, have logged nearly 40 hours apiece on their chosen community-improvement project in an effort to achieve the Girl Scout Silver...

Ally Antis is like any other 14-year-old. The Mission Viejo resident enjoys swimming, playing piano, hanging out with her friends and spending time with her family. However, Ally also shines among others her age through her involvement with helping those less fortunate than herself. This summer, Ally, along with her father and brother, will travel with Habitat for Humanity to Mongolia for the Blue Sky Build 2012 project. "I think it's exciting that she, at such a young age, is excited to participate in something like this," said Aaron Antis, Ally's cousin.

In their first critique of the Banning Ranch development plans, California Coastal Commission staff members found that the proposed project would be unlikely to meet state standards. Banning Ranch would likely destroy sensitive habitat, develop on wetlands and otherwise trip up state law governing coastal development, according to a review of the draft environmental impact report (EIR) submitted to Newport Beach city planners. One of the last large undeveloped parcels in the region, Banning Ranch has been the subject of much debate.

Newport Beach city officials withdrew their Sunset Ridge Park application from the California Coastal Commission on Wednesday, after commissioners signaled they wouldn't approve its controversial access road. The nearly five-hour hearing in Oceanside left many wondering if the park would be built anytime soon. The city's application became entangled with larger environmental concerns about the proposed neighboring Banning Ranch development. As commissioners raised objections to encroaching on protected bird habitat and potentially illegal brush clearance, they also provided a glimpse into the fraught path ahead for the ranch's developers.

Traffic and noise resulting from the proposed Banning Ranch development would exceed acceptable levels and the effects may be unavoidable, according to the draft environmental impact report released Friday. Residents on the west side of Newport Beach and Costa Mesa would experience congestion at more than seven intersections, and the increased traffic would cause a high level of ambient noise, the report forecast. But impacts to sensitive wildlife could be mitigated by restoring and preserving some of their plant habitats, according to the report . These findings set up a likely protracted battle with environmentalists and neighborhood groups over the 400-acre residential and commercial project.