Park supporter sees nothing but green

To some, the site for Newport Center Park looks like an empty lot. To Debra Allen, it’s a future oasis of green, with paths for leisurely ambles and shaded benches for an alfresco lunch or some quiet reading.

The Newport Beach City Council will decide Tuesday whether Allen’s vision will be realized. The council will vote on whether to move forward with the 12-acre park on Avocado Avenue next to the main library or to delay a decision until a city hall site is found.

The land was dedicated as a park in a 1992 agreement in which the Irvine Co. donated the parcel in exchange for some entitlements to build commercial space.

The cost of building the park is now $3.75 million — more than triple what it was in 2005, in part because construction costs have risen steadily, but also because more parking, additional landscaping and other amenities have been added.

Allen — a member of the city’s parks, beaches and recreation commission — and other park supporters want the council to begin building the first of three phases.

“What you would see at phase one is you could park in the parking lot off Farallon [Drive], and you could walk toward the library,” she said. “You would have a big mesa, a turf grass mesa. It would have benches, a trail,” and vine-covered shade structures.

Phase two includes a circular arbor with seating near the library and a parking lot to serve the library and park, and phase three would enhance the plants and landscaping, and add a pedestrian bridge over a deep ravine on the site.

A private donor has pledged $600,000 toward the park, and this year’s city budget includes $200,000 for the park. The council will vote on whether to double the city portion and accept the donation to get phase one underway.

Allen said once the grassy area is in use, people will want to help find the money to finish the park.

It’s unclear why it took so long to get moving on the park. City Manager Homer Bludau said until the city hall proposal, the park project wasn’t on many people’s radar.

“Before that, I don’t think a lot of people paid attention to that site,” he said.

Allen believes that if the park is built, it will be a model for the city, but it won’t work with a city hall.

“A 72,000-square-foot office building with grass on the roof is no substitute for this park,” she said.