Tech center’s future still up in the air

June Casagrande

Planning Commissioners approved a request that would allow the

Newport Technology Center Building to lease nearly half its space for

office use, but the building’s future is again uncertain as Mayor Tod

Ridgeway has called up the matter for review by the council.

“This is such a significant project in size, in excess of 400,000

square feet,” Ridgeway said. “It deserved the dignity and review at

the council level to evaluate the impact of allowing 43% of it to be

general office.”

The building was constructed in 2001 as a renovation of the former

Hughes Aircraft plant. Before construction, developers anticipated

the building would be home mostly to Internet start-ups and other

technology firms that generate less traffic than office uses such as

law firms and real estate brokers. Traffic reports for the project

were based on this vision, which they described as a research and

development use.

But the technology businesses never came, and the building has

been nearly empty since. In hopes of making the building profitable,

owner New Superior Group LLC decided to begin leasing the space for

general office uses. But that change required a new traffic study.

Planning Commissioners on May 6 unanimously approved the traffic

study to allow the building to have 43% general office and 57%

research and development tenants.

“The Planning Commission is a code-driven body; we’re not a

political body,” commissioner Larry Tucker said. “The applicant met

the code requirements so there was no basis on which to deny the

request.”

Greenlight leaders had initially opposed the change, which they

said would bring more traffic and felt circumvented Greenlight law by

changing the traffic impacts after the building was constructed.

Tucker and Ridgeway said they don’t think the project circumvents

Greenlight; they say that, had the original request been for a

building with half general-office use, it still wouldn’t have

required a general plan amendment or triggered a Greenlight vote.

The Daily Pilot is negotiating to lease office space in the

center.

Ridgeway said Greenlight leader Phil Arst had asked him to call up

the item -- a request Ridgeway said he would consider.

“I said I’d think about it, but when I did think about it I came

to the conclusion that this deserves a council review,” Ridgeway

said.

Arst could not be reached Monday afternoon for comment. No date

has yet been set for the item to come before the council.