Marinapark hotel trimmed again

June Casagrande

The developer of a proposed luxury resort at Marinapark has

trimmed the project one last time and will file plans with the city

on Monday.

The Regent Newport Beach Resort, if built at the site of the

Marinapark mobile home park, will have 110 guest rooms, down from the

156 rooms originally proposed. Developer Stephen Sutherland has also

reduced the size of the ballroom from 7,600 to 3,600 square feet. The

plan now also includes three “view corridors,” areas of open space

where the bay is visible from the street.

“It’s smaller and it’s better,” Sutherland said. “By reducing the

number of rooms, I’ve created more open space on the site, I’ve

created three large view corridors, so someone can see all the way

through the property to the bay from the sidewalk on Balboa

Boulevard. It opens the property up a bit more.”

Marinapark is between 15th and 18th streets on the harbor side of

the Balboa Peninsula.

Sutherland said that the changes were made partly to win the

support of neighbors. Some residents have opposed the project because

they believe it threatens to change the character of the peninsula.

Supporters believe it will give a needed boost to an area on the

decline.

The changes mark the fourth time that Sutherland has announced a

reduction in rooms.

“I expect this to be the final plan,” Sutherland said.

In the meantime, city officials will vote Tuesday on whether to

renew for one year the lease for the residents of the mobile home

park. Last year, the city renewed for one year the residents’ right

to continue to live on the city-owned land. Residents unsuccessfully

pushed for a longer-term lease.

Though city officials point out that the residents agreed years

ago that they might one day have to leave, residents claim that the

terms of their original deal with the city have been undermined.

According to their original lease, they would have had to leave if

the city had turned the waterfront property into a public park. City

officials later changed the wording of the lease to permit a private,

for-profit venture on the site.

The city selected Sutherland as its preferred developer for the

site. The one-year extension for consideration Tuesday night is

similar to the one-year extension that was granted last year.

“We need to keep our options open regarding the use of that land,”

City Manager Homer Bludau said.

* JUNE CASAGRANDE covers Newport Beach and John Wayne Airport.

She may be reached at (949) 574-4232 or by e-mail at

june.casagrande@latimes.com.