NEWPORT BEACH PLANNING COMMISSION PREVIEW

Koll Center expansion

The 250,000-square-foot expansion project at the Koll Center’s

southern tip, near the intersection of MacArthur and Jamboree boulevards,

includes a 10-story office tower and two parking structures. In addition

to about $1.16 million in mandatory traffic and transportation fees, the

developers have offered to pay another $2 million for long-term traffic

improvements, as well as $112,500 to fund a planning study for the area

and $60,000 to build a new fire station, bringing the total fees to about

$3.3 million.

What to expect:

Planning commissioners can recommend that City Council members either

approve or deny a general plan amendment for the project. While Koll

officials can still build another 15,000 square feet, the expansion

project’s remaining 225,500 square feet go beyond what the general plan

allows. Even if city officials sign off on the project, Newport Beach’s

voters will eventually make the final decision in a citywide election

because the project triggers Greenlight, the city’s new slow-growth law.

Tim Strader Sr., one of the project partners, has already said his group

would pay for a special election in the fall once they get the OK from

City Hall.

Boy Scouts sea base expansion

The Boy Scouts of America, Orange County Council, plans to expand its

sea base on West Coast Highway by adding an 8,092-square-foot sailing

building and a 6,400-square-foot rowing building. The expansion would

more than double the base from 9,943 square feet to 22,060 square feet.

At their May 3 meeting, commissioners expressed concern over the reduced

view of the bay from the highway if the buildings are constructed as

planned. While an open space of about 207 feet now exists, the view would

shrink by about 31%, to 142, because the sailing building would sit

parallel to the bay. Scout officials have come up with new drawings of

the project to give commissioners a better idea of what it would look

like.

What to expect:

Planning commissioners can either approve or deny the project. City

officials have also suggested two ways to preserve as much view as

possible. One alternative would move the sailing building 12 feet to the

west, resulting in a 26% reduction of public views. Another option is to

redesign the project so the sailing house becomes an addition to an

existing building on the western side of the base rather than a separate

building.

Coastal bluff development policy

Planning commissioners will take another stab at a policy to protect

coastal bluffs. After reviewing several projects on lots in Corona del

Mar that would have covered almost the entire bluff, commissioners

decided to look into the matter. A council policy calls for the

protection of bluffs, but commissioners realized they had no means to

enforce the policy. While many residents supported the move, homeowners

opposed the idea, saying it would take away their property rights. In

April, council members voted to return the issue to planning

commissioners and asked them to come up with a way to review new house

projects with objective standards to protect public views, the bluffs and

private property rights.

What to expect:

Planning commissioners will look at different ways for reviewing

construction on the bluffs. Options suggested by city officials range

from analyzing projects on a case-by-case basis to establishing objective

review guidelines to a combination of the two previous options. City

officials hope to get direction from commissioners on how to balance

public interests with property rights. If no consensus can be reached on

the issue, city officials recommend a change to the council policy that

calls for bluff protection to end the inconsistency of having a policy

but no means to enforce it.

FYI

* WHO: Newport Beach Planning Commission

* WHEN: 6:30 p.m. today

* WHERE: Newport Beach City Hall, 3300 Newport Blvd.