Newport Beach purchases triplex for conversion into parking on Balboa Peninsula

A triplex approved for purchase last month by the City Council at the corner of Balboa Boulevard and Coronado Street may become a public parking lot.

The purchase of the property at 301 E. Balboa Blvd. was part of the consent calendar on the Aug. 27 meeting of the City Council, and received unanimous approval. It was sold by Linda and Bobby Hanada for $2.6 million, according to city staff.

The lot it may be converted into would serve the east side of the Balboa Peninsula, where parking is especially hard to find. Public spots for people in that area are mostly found at the pier, one lot on Palm Street and limited street spaces.

“This parking, especially during peak summertime demand, often does not meet the parking needs of the area,” Newport Beach Real Property Administrator Lauren Wooding Whitlinger wrote in a report.

The property sold by the Hanada family is at the same intersection as a building owned by AT&T that Newport Beach officials would also like to turn into a parking lot. The city has been in talks with the telecommunications company and is waiting for it to relocate or downsize so a portion of the property at 311 E. Balboa can also be purchased.

It’s unclear from staff reports how soon crews might break ground on a new parking lot. In the meantime, officials were considering using the existing building as a temporary fire station while construction of a new facility for the fire department was in progress.

Tenants currently live in two of the units at the recently sold triplex. They will be eligible for relocation assistance “not anticipated to exceed $90,000 per unit,” according to city staff.