City hall could cost $100M

Add a dog park, a walkway over San Miguel Drive and a 17,000-square-foot public library expansion, and before you know it, Newport’s new city hall and park project could end up costing as much as $100 million.

Early estimates for the city hall and parking structure pegged the cost to be about $84 million, but the project has grown since then to include a library expansion and other add-ons.

Whether the cost of the project will force city officials to put a few other city park projects on the back burner is still up in the air, said Newport Beach Councilman Keith Curry, who chairs the city’s finance committee.

“I don’t think we know yet what the impact is going to be,” Curry said.

The city’s latest estimates for Marina Park, which include a 200-foot-long dock, 10,800-square-foot community center and 11,200-foot sailing center peg the cost of the project at $23 million.

The city also has plans to build the roughly 13-acre Sunset Ridge Park in West Newport that would include a Pony League baseball field and butterfly garden.

Councilman Mike Henn has raised concern about the cost of the city hall and park project, questioning the size and scope of the city hall designs at a recent City Council meeting.

“We should be very prudent before we settle on final design,” Henn said. “This project enjoys a considerable amount of enthusiasm, and I share enthusiasm for this project. All I’m doing is sounding a note of prudence.”

While Henn said he has confidence in the city’s building committee to make the right decisions about the project, he said he wants to make sure the city’s financial plans are in order to pay for such a large project because of the recent downturn in the economy.

“There is a need for prudence at a higher level than when we enjoyed higher revenue growth for the city,” he said.

The latest draft of the city hall project, slated for a chunk of undeveloped land in Newport Center overlooking the Pacific Ocean, includes a rock-climbing wall, a bird-watching area, children’s gardens, walking trails and a cafe.

The cost of sinking the elevation of the project to appease residents who live in the neighborhoods off MacArthur Boulevard also will drive up the cost of the project.

A parking garage that residents were concerned would block their ocean views also has been sunk one level underground in the latest version of plans.

Excavation costs alone are expected to run as high as $4.6 million, according to the most recent city estimates.

The cost of a pedestrian walkway over San Miguel Drive is estimated to boost the cost of the project by another $2.3 million. A system of photo-voltaic cells on the roof of the city hall are estimated to cost about $1.6 million.

The cost of the project could go up even more if the city decides to add an emergency operations center for the fire and police departments to the design.

The latest estimates don’t include the cost of building the emergency center, which could be anywhere from 1,200 to 4,000 square feet, Newport Beach Mayor Ed Selich said.

Plans for the emergency operations center were dropped in January, but the idea is back on the table after residents voiced support for adding an emergency facility to the design.

The Newport Beach City Council is slated to approve a final design for the city hall and park in November, and some costs and features of the design could be chipped away before then, Selich said.

“We’re not going to build what we can’t afford,” he said.

City officials hope to break ground on the project in 2010 and move into the new facility in 2012.

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