Let the Dunes research begin

Eight years have passed since angry voters quashed plans for a major hotel and resort at Newport Dunes, and the current owners of the Dunes are ready to try again.

Few details have been hammered out, but this time around the project would stay within the rights to build a 275-room “family inn,” according to Newport Beach City officials.

But judging by the Dunes’ history, even a hotel within the already-prescribed boundaries might not go as smoothly as some might wish. Earlier attempts to build hotels at the dunes spawned a lawsuit by Newport Beach officials and a widely backed change to the city charter that lets voters decide on major developments.

In a recent interview, Newport Dunes Vice President and General Manager Andrew Theodorou declined to comment on the hotel proposal. “All I can say is that we’re doing the research,” Theodorou said.

Newport Beach Mayor Steve Rosansky and planning director David Lepo said they’ve met with officials from the Dunes and a possible hotel developer to discuss the project. Nothing is on paper yet, but Lepo said plans are to stay within the allotted 275 rooms.

Newport Dunes, a 105-acre bay-front resort, is on state-owned tidelands held in trust by Orange County. It now includes about 382 R. V. campsites, 24 cabins, a marina with boat slips, a café and a clubhouse with conference facilities and recreation room.

The right to build 275 rooms as well as 27,500 square feet of restaurant space dates from a 1983 legal settlement between the city of Newport Beach and Orange County. When the county planned to approve a major resort on the property, the city sued over who had jurisdiction over land-use decisions at the Dunes.

The issue resurfaced in 1999, when the Dunes’ owners at the time, Evans Hotels, proposed a $100-million resort with 400 hotel rooms and 100 time-share units.

Some residents raised such an outcry, complaining about added traffic and noise, that city officials required the developer to scale back the project. Then the Greenlight movement was formed, and plans for a number of projects such as the Dunes hotel evaporated.

Public frustration over about 10 development projects led activists to propose Measure S, commonly called Greenlight, which requires a public vote on major developments. It was approved in 2000 with 62% of the vote.

Greenlight leader Phil Arst said of the 10 projects, the Dunes hotel “was the one that arguably raised the public ire the most and got us voted in.”

It may not become clear how Newport Beach residents will receive the latest hotel proposal for the Dunes until more details are on the table.

“I think it really depends on what they come up with,” said Susan Caustin, who led opposition to the 1999 hotel proposal.

Lepo expects a lot of interest from the community, in part because whatever is built would generate some amount of traffic, he said.

“All development there is going to be under scrutiny,” he said.