ON THE AGENDA Here are some items...

ON THE AGENDA

Here are some items to be considered by the Newport Beach City

Council tonight.

PARKLAND ENCROACHMENT

In their study session before the regular meeting tonight, council

members will tread into the delicate area of what to do about

encroachment onto two city parks. At Kings Road Park and Irvine

Terrace Park, residents have built onto what is legally parkland.

WHAT TO EXPECT

At both parks, the areas where residents have encroached on public

land are largely unusable and possibly hazardous lands such as the

sloping cliff behind the Kings Road resident’s home. Council members

won’t take any formal action tonight, but could decide to put the

matter on a regular council agenda to possibly discuss selling the

land to the residents, kicking them off or working out some kind of

agreement.

GENERAL PLAN

Also in their study session, council members will get a

presentation on the status of the General Plan update process.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Staff members will discuss the broad range of issues they believe

should be addressed in the general plan. Council members will discuss

other topics they might like to see addressed in the plan.

ZINC CAFE

Council members will revisit a decision by the Planning Commission

to allow Corona del Mar’s Zinc Cafe to extend its hours and add a

beer and wine license. Planning Commissioners approved the request

after some discussion of whether the request would add to parking,

traffic and other worries near the Coast Highway eatery.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Staff members chose not to make a recommendation to the council.

Instead, they outlined the council’s options of upholding the

commission’s decision, reversing the decision or working with Zinc

Cafe owners to revise the project.

CENTENNIAL COMMITTEE

As Corona del Mar’s upcoming centennial celebration shifts into

high gear for later this year, the Newport Beach centennial, which

takes place in 2006, is beginning to compete for headlines. In their

regular meeting tonight, council members will choose seven people to

serve on the committee that will help plan the festivities.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Though it’s hard to predict who the council members will pick, it

doesn’t take a clairvoyant to see that with applicants like Gay

Wassall-Kelly, Dayna Pettit and Wendy Brooks there’s a fun

celebration on the horizon.

COUNCIL POLICIES

This is the time of year when the city examines many of the points

in its policy manual to make sure they’re still up to date.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Staff members will give a presentation on about two dozen city

policies, ranging from how the city adopts its budget to how it

complies with the California Environmental Quality Act and how it

invests its money. Staff members have recommended a number of

changes, but say most of them are minor. Still, expect council

members to pay close attention to the fine print.

GENERAL PLAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE

A dozen people are up for eight open seats on the city’s General

Plan Advisory Committee, which advises staff on updates to the city’s

general plan. Council members will review the field of applicants

tonight in hopes of rounding out the committee.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Since the council in January started considering refilling the

four vacancies the committee, four more vacancies have occurred. The

city has its hands full with trying to find enough applicants to

represent specific areas of the city and area concerns. For example,

it looks like a vacancy to represent West Newport Beach on the

committee will go unfilled, at least for now.