Drumming up support for a Marinapark resort

Deepa Bharath

BALBOA PENINSULA -- Developer Stephen Sutherland chose a warm and

windy Saturday to begin his door-to-door campaign seeking support for his

luxury resort project on the Peninsula.

The president of Sutherland Talla Hospitality went knocking on

virtually every door on West Bay Avenue, handing out fliers with

information about the 147-room Regent Newport Beach Resort, which he

proposes to build at the Marinapark mobile home property.

Sutherland had announced Friday that the resort issue won’t be up for

a Greenlight vote on the November ballot because he does not want to

hurry the approval process.

Since the Greenlight initiative was passed by voters in November 2000,

city law requires that the project must get final approval from the

voters.

The project has both friendly support and vehement opposition among

Peninsula residents and Sutherland knows it.

“I have quite a bit of support here, but those against are more

vocal,” he said.

Some residents opposed to the resort are concerned that it will bring

traffic congestion to the area.

Although the council in January, gave Sutherland the go-ahead by a

narrow margin to conduct traffic and environmental impact studies, they

have said that their support for the project is contingent on the

blessing of American Legion Post 291, which is on the site.

In the next few months, Sutherland says he hopes to knock on the door

of every single home in the Peninsula.

“I want to get out in the community simply because I want people to

have the information,” he said. “When people hear ‘hotel’ they

immediately think of a high rise hotel.”

His project is different because it will feature only one and

two-story buildings. Sutherland also hopes to win public favor by

improving public beach access and by providing access to public into the

resort’s landscaped grounds.

On Saturday, he explained to residents that he does want to preserve

the “old world charm” of the Peninsula.

“I grew up here in this community,” Sutherland told one of the

residents. “I learned to sail here.”

And he says he is determined to talk to “every resident who’ll come to

the door.”

Some residents were more open than others to the information

Sutherland was eager to provide them.

One resident said she was “opposed” to the project and initially

refused to take the flier, but later changed her mind and took it from

Sutherland.

Others seemed interested to learn more about the resort.

Sue Woodworth said she is “happy about the hotel,” which she believes

will “clean up Marinapark.”

Her daughter Tiffine Loughery said a resort will do more to improve

property values in the area than a mobile home park.

“We pay so much to live here by the water,” she said. “I don’t mean to

sound elitist, but we do need some upper class tourism here instead of

tattoo parlors.”

-- Deepa Bharath covers public safety and courts. She may be reached

at (949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at o7 deepa.bharath@latimes.comf7 .