Greenlight wants halt to building

June Casagrande

NEWPORT BEACH -- While not directly addressing whether they approve of

a luxury resort planned on Balboa Peninsula, Greenlight Committee members

have taken an official stance that directly affects the development.

“We’ve taken a position that the city should have a moratorium on

projects like these pending the general plan update,” said Phil Arst of

the Greenlight Committee. “If the general plan is to have any substance,

they shouldn’t piecemeal projects that might conflict with it.”

The city is in the process of updating the document, which lays out

guidelines for almost every aspect of the city’s future, including

development. Under the Greenlight Initiative passed in 2000, any project

that significantly exceeds the general plan must be approved by the

city’s registered voters.

Stephen Sutherland, whose Sutherland Talla Hospitality Co. has an

exclusive opportunity to develop the city-owned land on the peninsula,

had hoped to move the project forward fast enough to get the development

on the ballot in the upcoming November election.

With that goal in mind, he scrapped plans to demolish the existing

American Legion post and replace it with a brand new one elsewhere on the

Balboa Boulevard property. The developer has also hoped to win over the

public heart by providing beach access, improved park facilities and a

new Girl Scouts house.

In the place of the Marinapark mobile home park, he plans to build a

147-room resort consisting of one- and two-story buildings -- a project

Councilman Gary Adams described as a potential “gem” of the city.

But with Greenlight as law and the general plan in the revision stage,

the future of the project remains uncertain.

“While on the surface, I can certainly see the logic behind the idea

for a moratorium, I still think the healthiest and fairest way to

approach projects is on a case-by-case basis,” City Councilman Steve

Bromberg said. “If you do that, everyone’s on an equal playing field.”

* June Casagrande covers Newport Beach. She may be reached at (949)

574-4232 or by e-mail at o7 june.casagrande@latimes.comf7 .