Newport Beach to put housing plan measure on ballot|

Newport Beach voters will have an opportunity to reject a state-approved housing plan passed by the City Council in favor of an alternative that calls for fewer units to be built in the coastal city.

- BY GABRIEL SAN ROMÁN

DON LEACH Daily Pilot NEWPORT BEACH is mandated by the state to increase housing. Supporters of a new measure claim the city's plan will bring overcrowding to the beach town.

A petition for what supporters are calling the "Responsible Housing Initiative" successfully gathered enough signatures to qualify for an election.

The City Council, which passed the housing plan last year, was given three options at a meeting last week: adopt the initiative outright, schedule a special election or put the question before voters during the general election next November.

Councilmember Robyn Grant acknowledged the thousands of Newport Beach residents who signed the petition but also defended the housing plan the council passed under the weight of state mandates.

"After extensive legal analysis and public outreach ... this council approved an updated general plan to bring Newport Beach into compliance and avoid serious penalties," she said.

"Given the ballot initiative, Newport Beach residents will ultimately decide whether they agree with this measured approach safely moving forward with the mandates."

Grant did not favor scheduling the vote by calling for a special election in February, in light of the fact that doing so could cost the city more than $1 million.