CATCHING UP WITH ... Old Newport Boulevard

Amy Spurgeon

Seven years ago, a group of merchants on Old Newport Boulevard felt it

was time the wheel-worn, pothole-ridden stretch of road received some

city-funded improvements. Considered to be one of the oldest roads in the

city, Old Newport Boulevard once connected Newport Beach commuters with

Santa Ana, back in the 1950s.

The old road, chock-full of character, runs parallel to Newport Boulevard

from The Arches Restaurant to 15th Street. And in this part of town,

everybody knows your name.

“You either know each other or ignore each other,” said 30-year business

owner Roger Schwenk.

Nowadays, the buzz up and down the boulevard is that the city of Newport

Beach has neglected this stretch of land for years.

“They are too busy worrying about Balboa Island and Fashion Island,”

Schwenk said. “This is fashion-less island.”

Schwenk said he has been waiting since April for the city to put asphalt

down in front of his antique store.

“I have had women twist their ankles coming into my business,” he said

pointing to the potholes.

And he’s not exaggerating. Crumbling driveways and paint-peeled buildings

are frequent sights along the road.

Assistant City Manager Sharon Wood referred all questions to Newport

Beach’s planning director, Patricia Temple, who could not be reached for

comment.

The goal in the early 1990s was for longtime Old Newport Boulevard

merchants to brainstorm with the city to come up with a plan to improve

the area. The result, adopted five years later by the City Council, was

the Old Newport Boulevard Specific Plan.

The 10-page document sought to enhance the appearance and identity of the

area, encourage redevelopment and establish guidelines and standards for

new development. The plan also called for the improvement of parking

access and visibility in order to “encourage visitor traffic.”

But longtime street merchant Barbara “Corki” Rawlings says the city has

made few strides toward the printed word.

“I think we are the stepchild of the city,” Rawlings said. “We just get

lost and left behind.”

Some improvements of Old Newport Boulevard include the addition of Bolsa

Park and the rezoning of both sides of the street to include commercial

and residential uses.

Types of businesses, as well as their outward appearances, vary up and

down the boulevard.

Visitors can find marine supplies, unique restaurants, beauty salons and

auto repair shops, as well as vintage clothing and antique stores.

Another major property owner on Old Newport Boulevard is onetime Costa

Mesa resident and now Las Vegas fugitive Sid Soffer. Due to building code

violations years ago in Costa Mesa and a subsequent jail sentence, Soffer

skipped town.

Soffer said Tuesday that even though he has not been in the area for more

than four years, he continues to keep up with current Newport-Mesa

events.

Soffer is upset that the city implemented a zoning plan on the boulevard

that incorporates commercial and residential uses.

“I don’t need residents hollering about my bar,” Soffer said. “Residents

and commercial businesses should be separate.”

Despite feelings of abandonment, many shop owners are hopeful things on

the street will improve in the future.