Corona del Mar Town Hall Meeting: Then and Now

Residents from across Corona del Mar mixed and mingled Wednesday night at the annual Corona del Mar Town Hall Meeting.

The event was held at Sherman Library and Gardens and included a community expo and presentations from Newport Beach Mayor Nancy Gardner, the Corona del Mar Business Improvement District and the CdM Residents Association.

If you missed the meeting, here are some of the highlights:

• Gardner spoke to residents about the connection between CDM's history and current dilemmas. Gardner also took a quick trip down memory lane, asking the residents if they remembered some of the old-school CDM spots like the Jamaica Inn, The Original Snack Shop and the Chef's Inn. But after the quick trip down memory lane, Gardner explained how she thought the past has affected present day CDM. "So many of the challenges we face today are because of things that happened back then," she said. "The mantra then was that growth is good. CDM used to have a lot of space, but when they started taking a lot from here and there they didn't project the population we have now." Gardner said CDM was once a small beach town, with a lot of ocean and beanfields, but the days of the village being problem-free are long gone. "The bad news is we have totally screwed up all of our natural systems and restoration is a misnomer," Gardner said. "We can't undo 60 or 70 years of development instead we have to manage it, we have to have artificial programs to put sand on beaches." Gardner said the good news, is that when the city decides when an issue is important it does something about it.

• Dave Webb, the city's deputy public works director, gave a brief overview on the proposed Corona del Mar Entryway Project. "The focus of this is to aesthetically enhance the entrance into Corona del Mar," Webb said. "The plans include making when you come into town more pedestrian-friendly through widening the sidewalks." If approved, the plan would eliminate the third lane at East Coast Highway near MacArthur Boulevard to make room for wider sidewalks and landscaping improvements. It would also remove nine of the village's parking spots. Webb said a traffic study may be done this summer, but said the project won't have much movement until the City Council discusses it during the budget sessions in May.

• The sharrows, or shared lane markers for bikes and cars, on Bayside Drive -- which have served as a test -- are still being discussed by the city's Bike Safety Committee but there are no plans to expand the sharrows onto Coast Highway just yet. "The results on the sharrows have been mixed," Gardner said. "And there is a sharp divide among the committee."

• Gardner invited residents to join her for a 2.75 mile walk through Corona del Mar on Saturday, May 12 at 9 a.m. Gardner said it is a time for residents to talk about concerns, share ideas and learn about some city projects. Scheduled stops along the route include Buck Gully, Big Corona Beach, the Goldenrod Footbridge and Little Corona Beach. 

• The meeting also included a celebration in honor of the CdM Residents Association's 25th Anniversary. "The charm of CDM has not changed over the last 25 years, everyone still desires to be a part of this community," Karen Tringali, the association's president said.

Let's keep Gardner's game of history going. Which old CDM restaurants, stores or places do you miss the most? Share your memories with us in the comments.