COSTA MESA Property along Harbor Boulevard is...

COSTA MESA

Property along Harbor Boulevard is for sale

Homes may sprout along Harbor Boulevard on a 5-acre parcel by the

Fairview Developmental Center. The City Council considered changing

the state-owned property’s zoning from high-density residential to

public/institutional, which would allow recreational uses, but

instead council members opted on Tuesday to pursue a medium-density

zoning.

The state plans to sell the property and has received about 18

bids from developers. The new proposed zoning would reduce the

property’s maximum density from 20 units per acre to 15 units per

acre. It must be brought back to the council for approval.

Also on Tuesday, the council voted to change its meetings from the

first and third Mondays every month to the first and third Tuesdays.

The change goes into effect with the next meeting, on Tuesday.

NEWPORT BEACH

Cox and Hobson take

a tour of the Back Bay

Hoping to curry political favor -- and funds -- for a $38 million

Back Bay restoration project, Rep. Chris Cox on Friday took Ohio Rep.

David Hobson on a tour of the Back Bay by bus and helicopter. Hobson

chairs the House subcommittee on appropriations for energy and water

development, which will dole out funding for projects such as

dredging the Back Bay.

Hobson said getting the $13 million Newport Beach is hoping for

this year will be difficult, but he’ll try to deliver some money for

the work. He expects to draw up an appropriations bill for 2006 by

June.

BUSINESS

Samueli’s purchase

the Mighty Ducks

Corona del Mar businessman Henry Samueli and his wife, Susan,

announced Friday they had made a deal to buy the Mighty Ducks of

Anaheim for an undisclosed amount. Samueli is chair and co-founder of

Broadcom, Inc., an Irvine firm that makes computer chips.

Samueli pledged in a statement to keep the team in Orange County.

The Mighty Ducks have not played hockey since the close of the

2003-04 season and it is unknown when their next game will be. The

National Hockey League canceled this year’s season last week because

of an unresolved collective bargaining dispute.

ENVIRONMENT

Santa Ana River project expects delays until fall

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced completion of the Santa

Ana River project may be delayed until fall. Officials blamed a

combination of storms, damage to dredging equipment, and the running

aground of a dredging boat for current setbacks. Environmental

concerns for endangered least terns that nest near the project area

could slow the project over the summer if dredging is not completed

before the terns’ mid-March nesting season.

Dredging began in November with a $5-million budget.