Here are some items the council will...

Here are some items the council will consider tonight.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE SEAT

The council will consider appointing Lloyd Ikerd to fill a vacancy

on the city’s economic development committee created by the

resignation of hotel designer Stephen Sutherland, who served on the

committee since it was formed in 1993. Ikerd is a commercial and

industrial real estate broker and a former mayor of Paramount, and he

has lived in Newport Beach for six years.

Sutherland was the major proponent of plans for a luxury resort at

Marinapark, city-owned property now occupied by a mobile-home park

and some community facilities. The project failed at the ballot in

November. In his resignation, Sutherland cited personal attacks by

city council members during the campaign for the hotel project.

WHAT TO EXPECT

The appointment was recommended by the economic development

committee, which advises the council on economic issues, and Ikerd

has experience with development issues, so the council is likely to

approve the choice.

NEWPORT COAST COMMUNITY CENTER

When Newport Coast was annexed to Newport Beach, the city promised

to devote $7 million from an agreement with the Irvine Ranch Water

District to build a community center for Newport Coast residents.

The council will decide how to proceed with the project, which has

been designed but does not include the library residents wanted,

which didn’t fit into the budget.

A design for the center includes a gymnasium with a stage area,

two community rooms and a parking lot with 93 spaces. Because the

parking lot is not big enough to meet building codes, which require

145 spaces, the city suggested more parking be added in the space

reserved for a library. Residents involved with the project want to

keep the library space empty. They maintain that the city said

parking could be shared with nearby Newport Ridge Park.

WHAT TO EXPECT

The park’s lot has 77 spaces, which would be more than enough when

combined with the planned 93 spots. But city staff members worried

that the lot is too far away and events at the park might even take

up parking at the community center, so it’s unclear how the council

will vote on the issue.

HOUSING CODE CHANGES

Rules on affordable housing policies that are now applied on a

case-by-case basis could become city code, if the council tells staff

members to draw up code amendments. The city has an “inclusionary”

zoning policy, which requires an average of 20% of new housing to be

affordable to low to moderate income households. But there has never

been an ordinance to enforce it; it’s just been hashed out on each

individual project.

Developers building fewer than 50 units could pay a fee in lieu of

providing affordable units, and those building more than 50 units

would have to meet the 20% affordable-unit requirement.

WHAT TO EXPECT

If the council asks for the amendments to be written, that’s just

the beginning. The real action would come at a public hearing when

code amendments are formally proposed, which would likely happen

within the next several months.

-- Compiled by Alicia Robinson