Proposed surfing lagoon on Newport Beach Golf Course property to get EIR

Developers who want to build a surf lagoon generating waves on command in Newport Beach must conduct a study of its potential impact on residents and receive input from the public before the City Council can even consider reviewing the project for approval.

Developer CAA Planning submitted an application in April on behalf of Back Bay Barrels LLC to redevelop what is currently a part of Newport Beach Golf Course between Irvine Avenue and Mesa Drive. The proposal includes construction of a 7-acre surf lagoon, a 50-foot-tall three-story building that will contain food service, retail space and fitness facilities, as well as a 45-foot-tall two-story building to provide overnight accommodations for athletes.

The City Council voted last week to move forward with an environmental impact report for the project. The study will examine what effect the proposed facility may have on traffic, air quality and other factors.

“They’ll analyze every little detail that affects the environment, affects the area around there,” Councilman Erik Weigand said during the meeting. “Tonight we are not approving any project. That will have to come at a later date, after the EIR is generated, after there’s public input, after there’s discussion about it.”

Environmental Planning Development Solutions Inc. will produce the report. CAA Planning will cover the $277,630 price tag for the analysis.

Residents will have opportunities to weigh in on what the report should investigate and can respond to its findings after it’s completed. If the project moves forward from there, people will have more chances to offer public comment on the matter as it is reviewed by the Planning Commission and then possibly the City Council for approval.

Resident Holly Jarvis said she believed the surfing lagoon and its multistory buildings would be an “eyesore” in a letter to the council read by her fiance, Bill Grabowski, at last week’s meeting. Grabowski noted the project would apparently reduce the number of holes at the golf course, which “has served the city and community well and provides a recreation for many of our youth at a reasonable price,” he said.

The cost of surfing sessions at wave pools can range from as low as $65 per hour to upwards of $400 per hour. The Kelly Slater Surf Ranch in the Kings County city of Lemoore, which is about 100 miles away from the ocean, is accessible by invitation only and costs about $70,000 to rent out for a day, according to Wavepool Mag.

It and many other wave pools deliver reliably rideable waves in places without decent surf spots nearby. In comparison, the site of the proposed surf lagoon in Newport Beach is about 6 miles from beginner-friendly surf spot Blackies and less than 10 miles away from enormous barrels at the Wedge.