New hope for park

Paul Clinton

Former Newport Beach Councilwoman Jan Debay fought for eight years to

turn 15 weed-infested acres at the corner of West Coast Highway and

Superior Avenue into a city park.

Thwarted by one obstacle after another, including a refusal by

property owner Caltrans to sell the parcel, Debay left office in November

without accomplishing her goal.

Now, it looks like the dreams of Debay and dozens of other West

Newport Beach residents could come true. State Sen. Ross Johnson

(R-Irvine) has introduced a bill that would transfer the property out of

the hands of the transportation agency.

“Obviously, I’m thrilled,” Debay said. “There have been a lot of

disappointments throughout the years.”

Johnson’s bill, introduced Jan. 25, would transfer the land to

California State Parks for use as a park. In exchange for the transfer,

Newport Beach would pay “at least equal to the acquisition cost paid by

the state,” the bill states.

The California Department of Transportation bought the land for $1.3

million in 1966, with plans to build a state freeway parallel to Coast

Highway. Unable to muster support for the roadway, especially after

Newport Beach residents voted against it in a 1973 initiative, Caltrans

let the land lay vacant.

The agency has resisted several attempts by the city to buy it, Debay

said. Newport Beach appraised the land for $4.1 million a 1 1/2 years

ago.

Under the Johnson-sponsored legislation, known as Senate Bill 124, the

city would write a $1.3-million check to Caltrans, officials said. The

bill has not gone for a vote.

“With so little open space left in Newport Beach,” Johnson said in a

statement, “it is important for us to do all we can today to preserve

land for park use and open spaces for future generations to enjoy.”

If the bill is successful, the state parks department would own the

land. Newport Beach would lease the parcel, known as “Caltrans West,” at

minimal cost. The city would build the park and assume all liability

associated with it, city officials said.

Caltrans spokeswoman Beth Beeman had little to say about the bill.

“This is part of pending legislation in Sacramento,” Beeman said. “We

have not taken a position on it.”

City officials have come up with a conceptual plan for the land that

would include ball fields and a rest area. Including the cost of paying

Caltrans, the park project has been budgeted at about $6 million. It will

be well worth it, Newport Beach City Manager Homer Bludau said.

“There’s a real scarcity [of parkland] on this side of town,” Bludau

said.

Residents have fought for a park at the location for more than 20

years. While it has a far more bland name at Caltrans, it is known

locally as “Sunset Ridge Park.” In earlier days, sheriff’s deputies would

park their patrol cars on the ridge to admire the breathtaking view at

dusk.

Louise Greeley, who lives in a condominium at the property’s edge,

also praised Johnson’s bill.

“Now there’s hope for a child to play,” Greeley said. “That’s tough

for kids to have no place to throw a baseball.”