Decision time? Not any time soon

Mathis Winkler

NEWPORT BEACH -- The proposals range from minor renovations costing

$25,000 to a $41.3-million project that includes townhouses and a luxury

hotel.

Most would keep American Legion Post 291 and the Girl Scout House at

Marinapark -- in one form or another.

Some would reserve space for the mobile homes currently sitting on the

city-owned land. Others would remove some or all of them.

City Council members will look at the nine different plans for

Marinapark’s future at their meeting tonight. City officials had hoped to

present more detail on each proposal since the council last discussed the

issue in May. But only one developer provided all the information the

city had requested.

Several organizations, such as the city’s Parks, Beaches and

Recreation Commission, have expressed concern that building a hotel or

homes on the land will deprive the city’s residents from using it for

recreation.

Other residents, such as William P. Ficker and Richard S. Stevens,

have proposed to preserve Marinapark for the public and build a visitors’

marina with a repair shipyard, stores and restaurants.

“This property is one of the remaining major assets that the city

controls,” Ficker and Stevens wrote in a letter to the city. “So it is

very important that it be developed with long-range city needs in mind.”

It will be up to the council members to decide where to go from here.

They could vote to give the go-ahead for a plan by Sutherland Talla

Hospitality, the only developer that met a July 17 deadline to supply

more detailed information.

The $30-million project would include a 156-room Italian-style resort

and spa with shops and a restaurant.

“But they could also say, ‘Despite the fact that [another] proposal is

not fleshed out, it looks really interesting,’ ” said Assistant City

Manager Sharon Wood. “Although that’s not typically done if you’re given

a deadline.”

Wood added that most other developers and groups interested in

Marinapark gave some additional information. The American Legion, which

wants to renovate its current building and extend its lease, informed her

that it didn’t have much to add to its previous proposal, she said.

While council members might not have all the information they need to

make a decision, some said they had enough to postpone a vote for some

time.

“We received 12.8 pounds of proposals Friday night,” said Councilman

Tom Thomson. “I don’t think we will come to a decision on Tuesday night.

We need time to study them.”

And there’s more than just the proposals that council members need to

think about. There’s the issue of relocating the mobile home park after

the City Council extended a lease for two years in February.

“We need to look at that and make that a factor in our deliberations,”

said Councilwoman Norma Glover.

A study on the costs of a relocation is expected to be released

Friday.

Tidelands boundaries represent another concern, since it’s still

unclear if the area has been classified as “tidelands.” A resort or hotel

could be built on such land, city officials said. Residential areas would

not be allowed.

The city still hasn’t heard back from the state Lands Commission to

clarify the matter. City Attorney Robert Burnham said he hoped to hear

from the commission before tonight’s council meeting.

FYI

The City Council meeting starts at 7 p.m. tonight at City Hall, 3300

Newport Blvd. A study session on the development of the area surrounding

John Wayne Airport begins at 5 p.m.