Nature center fears housing may compromise sanctuary that served Newport Beach for generations

Ferns softly rustle against passing students and other visitors treading a path lined by tall, old trees. The branches of redwoods provide a canopy over part of the Environmental Nature Center in Newport Beach, shielding it from the noise of adjacent Newport Harbor High, surrounding residences and the trappings of modern life.

“That’s one of our goals here... is to give the impression that you’re not in the urban sprawl, trying to block out as much as we can of the outside world,” the nature center’s executive director, Bo Glover, told the Daily Pilot Monday.

The site features 15 different sections showcasing plants from across California’s woodlands, deserts, chaparral and forests. It was founded in the early 1970s as a project out of Newport Harbor High, transforming a campus dumping ground known as “the gulley” into a pocket paradise.

Over the years it has grown to now host around 26,000 children on field trips, summer camps and a variety of other programs each year, Glover said. That includes a unique preschool, in which its 72 enrolled students spend 80 to 90% of their time outdoors with nature as their classroom.

“Over 750,000 students have come through the ENC on programs over the years,” Glover said. “No other facility who does what we do can claim those sort of numbers in terms of the impact we’ve had and the services we’ve provided for our city.”

Kate Williams, a staff member of the preschool at the Environmental Nature Center in Newport Beach, hands rosemary to a student Monday. Supporters of the facility fear potential residential development on a neighboring property may compromise its privacy and serenity.

(Eric Licas)

He and supporters of the nature center say its mission of cultivating a refuge in suburban Newport Beach may be compromised by the potential development of multistory residences directly adjacent to the preschool. The vacant property neighboring the center has been marked in the city’s housing element for the creation of new homes. In January, staff at the ENC learned a developer had expressed interest in starting a project there, Glover said.

Newport Beach’s assistant city manager, Seimone Jurjis, said the party considering purchasing that vacant lot was interested in building detached single family homes that would ultimately be put up for sale. The developer has entered into a purchase and sale agreement for the property, Jurjis said.

The city’s housing plan would currently allow for structures of up to 65 feet in height at that location. Those could potentially be built at the top of a slope leading down to the nature center, likely blocking out the sky. That would disrupt visitors’ immersion in nature, create potential privacy issues, impact the health of nearby plants and possibly lead to other unforeseen problems, Glover said.

“The ENC is such a special place and it does deserve protection,” Glover said. “We’re not saying that residential development isn’t needed. It’s obviously been identified by the state and our local cities have been underneath a mandate to provide those areas. This isn’t the place for it. It just isn’t.”

The preschool at the Environmental Nature Center serves about 70 children. Supporters of the facility say its privacy and serenity may be compromised by potential residential development on a neighboring vacant lot. They are hoping the Newport Beach City Council will remove that property from the housing element.

(Eric Licas)

No application for any project at that site had been submitted to planning officials as of Tuesday, but the city has had meetings with the developer. The company was interested in determining what the minimum allowable density of housing units might be, Jurjis said.

“It is not high density, as we call it,” Jurjis said during Tuesday’s City Council meeting. “It’s not an apartment complex [like] we’ve seen maybe up in the airport area.”

In light of concerns brought forth by supporters of the nature center, Newport Beach City Councilman Erik Weigand had raised the possibility of taking the neighboring vacant property out of the housing element. That would remove it from the inventory of sites designated for additional residential development.

Newport Beach is under state mandate to zone for an additional 4,845 residential units by the 2029 end of the current Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) cycle. The city’s housing element calls for the creation of 8,174 housing units, about 68% more than what the assessment requires. City officials say that buffer is necessary to account for the challenges in developing low and very-low income housing in Newport Beach’s coastal property market.

“You guys have already done a wonderful job of putting a buffer on the housing element; because of that you have plenty of capacity to meet your RHNA goals,” Katie Smith, the organizer of a petition to remove the lot next to the nature center from the housing element, told city officials during Tuesday’s meeting. “This buffer was included for moments just like this when new impacts emerge and adjustments are necessary. The people in this room and the people, the people out of this room are showing you this is necessary.”

Smith was among about 30 people spoke out against construction adjacent to the nature center during public comments. After over an hour of testimony featuring the voices of nature center staff, parents and their children, a straw poll to determine whether the issue would be included on an agenda for formal discussion at a future meeting failed to pass; Weigand was the sole vote in favor.

As a result, the property next to the nature center remains marked for the development of additional housing and negotiations regarding its purchase and future construction are uninterrupted.

Preschoolers greet Environmental Nature Center Executive Director Bo Glover on Monday. He and other supporters of the refuge fear its serenity and privacy may be compromised by potential residential development on a neighboring vacant lot. They are asking the Newport Beach City Council to consider removing that property from the housing element.

(Eric Licas)

Weigand acknowledged that Newport Beach, like many other Southern California communities, risks costly fines, the loss of local control over zoning and other consequences if it fails to achieve its state-mandated goals, and making changes to the housing element this late into its implementation could open a potential “can of worms,” during an interview with the Daily Pilot Wednesday. But he noted that the single family homes planned by developer D. R. Horton Inc. would contribute a relatively small number of units to the city’s residential inventory, while possibly having a dramatic impact on one of the community’s most beloved institutions.

Weigand and Councilwoman Robyn Grant told The Pilot they will remain in communication with the ENC to monitor proposed development and explore any alternative solutions.

“I will continue to support the ENC to accomplish their mission and am working with their leadership to foster relationships with adjacent property owners and other stakeholders to diminish any impacts as our community changes,” Grant wrote in an email Wednesday.

Glover said he was “disappointed” by the result of the straw poll. He thanked those who spoke out on behalf of the nature center in a message to supporters Wednesday morning, and asked for their continued backing.

“This fight is far from over,” Glover wrote. “We’re already planning our next steps.”