Newport planning commission approves luxury condos

The Newport Beach Planning Commission voted 6-1 Thursday to approve a luxury condominium complex on a coastal bluff in Corona del Mar.

The Aerie, an eight-unit luxury condominium project on Carnation Avenue in Corona del Mar, has divided neighbors who live near the proposed project site.

Some residents believe the project will benefit the neighborhood, but others say the project will compromise the bluff, which is visible from Newport Harbor.

Plans for the condominiums have been scaled back significantly since the city council kicked the project back to the Planning Commission to be reworked in August, said Aerie developer Richard Julian.

“During the last six months, we have put a significant amount of effort to listen to the council’s recommendations and improved the designs,” Julian said.

Living space in the project has been scaled back by 25%, coastal views have been preserved, and the number of units in the project has been reduced from nine to eight, he said.

A number of Corona del Mar residents said they believe the project would only improve the neighborhood.

The Aerie would replace a 60-year-old apartment building that now stands empty.

“I take a boat down on the harbor and see this dilapidated building and think ‘why is it there?’” said Corona del Mar resident Wendy Webb, who supports the project. “Why are we objecting to something that would beautify our community?”

Other residents said the natural beauty of a coastal bluff is threatened by plans for the condominiums.

The large structure would dominate the bluff and alter the landscape of the neighborhood, a few residents said.

“This will result in a new and destructive precedent for the Carnation Avenue Bluff. We ask you to really look at this and hope you will abide by the law,” area resident Lisa Vallejo told the commission. Vallejo lives adjacent to the proposed project.

The condominiums would have private decks and pools for each unit and an elevator to take cars to underground levels. The developer originally planned a seven-story building on the spot, but has modified the plans to make the building six levels.

In other business, the Planning Commission was scheduled late Thursday to hear arguments over whether to revoke a use permit for a popular sushi restaurant after undercover police officer reportedly observed patrons drinking and using drugs in the parking lot of the restaurant.

An attorney for the restaurant requested the planning commission postpone the hearing late Thursday night because it did not have enough time to respond to police allegations of illicit activity in connection to Fury Rok & Rol Sushi Lounge, 4221 Dolphin Striker Way.

“We’ve been provided various documents in a piecemeal fashion over the pass few weeks and precluded from developing a meaningful defense,” attorney Stephen Jamieson said on behalf of the owners of the restaurant.

No decision had been made on whether to postpone the hearing as of late Thursday night.

The sushi lounge is licensed as a restaurant, but a Newport Beach Police investigation found evidence the establishment has been promoting itself as a night club, according to Planning Commission documents.

The investigation found Fury advertised dancing on he social networking website MySpace.com and also has used the services of nightclub promoters.

The sushi lounge is authorized to serve alcohol, but it would need a different permit to operate as a nightclub.

Undercover Newport Beach police officers visited the restaurant in January and reported observing Fury patrons drinking out of plastic cups and urinating and vomiting in the parking lot, according to a Planning Commission staff report.

Police officers also have reported a high number of arrests of Fury patrons in the area for driving under the influence, according to police reports to the planning commission.

BRIANNA BAILEY may be reached at (714) 966-4625 or at brianna.bailey@latimes.com.