Here are some items the Planning Commission...

Here are some items the Planning Commission will consider tonight.

WINERY PRODUCTION

AND SALES

To keep up a steady production level despite uncertain crop

yields, the Newport Beach Vineyards and Winery needs to truck in more

grapes. Richard Moriarty, owner of the Santa Ana Heights wine

production facility, grows grapes on site but sometimes needs to

import them to supplement his own crops.

When the city Planning Director told him that processing imported

grapes wasn’t allowed under his existing permit, Moriarty appealed to

the Planning Commission. He also wants to sell wine at farmer’s

markets and online; now he sells to local restaurants and some

stores.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Staff members recommend allowing Moriarty to import grapes, as

long as it’s less than half his total production. They also said

permitting sales off site, including online, likely won’t cause any

concerns for neighbors.

OCEAN BOULEVARD HEIGHT LIMIT

Corona del Mar homeowners Doug and Sandi Jackson are building a

new bluff-side home on Ocean Boulevard, where buildings on the slope

below the street may not exceed the height of the street’s curb. The

city zoning code limits building height on Ocean Boulevard to protect

the public’s ocean view there.

The Jacksons want permission to build a garage that’s 2 1/2 feet

higher than the curb so they can make their driveway less steeply

sloped. An earlier design for the home, presented in 2001, showed the

same garage, but the commission required the garage to be lowered for

the plan to be approved.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Planning staff members are recommending denial of the request, and

the commission and City Council in the past have relied on the curb

height limit on Ocean Boulevard to keep houses from blocking public

views.

If the request is denied, however, the homeowners could appeal to

the council.