Park slips to next stage

Alicia Robinson

Eight months after Newport Beach voters nixed plans for a $35-million

resort at Marinapark, the City Council could be on the verge of

deciding what to do with the waterfront parcel.

A meeting today could be the last for an ad hoc committee that’s

looking at suggestions on whether to build a public park, a marina or

something else on the 9.8-acre, city-owned property.

“This wasn’t rocket science,” said Councilman Tod Ridgeway, who is

one of three councilmen on the committee. “We have variations on the

theme of a marina and public park, and then we have the [Protect Our

Parks] presentation of all public park.”

The group has heard five presentations and has one scheduled today

from the Central Newport Assn.

All the ideas presented so far provide some grassy areas and

community facilities; they all retain space for the existing Girl

Scout house; and all plans but one include a place to launch small

boats, such as kayaks.

The difference is the plans’ money-making potential. Three

proposals are for marinas -- one with up to 75 berths -- and two of

those include commercial space.

Development costs are available for only two of the plans, one

mainly a marina and the other all park space, both estimated at $12

million. The marina plan could net as much as $2.3 million a year for

the city. No other revenue estimates are available.

To Ridgeway, the profit to be generated by the land will be of key

importance. The city needs dock space, he said, and boat slip rental

fees could help pay for construction and operation of a public marina

facility -- assets a passive park, which would lack fields or courts,

can’t boast.

“We don’t have $12 million to build a passive park. That is not

something that is in our budget and never will be,” Ridgeway said.

But a money-making marina is not what voters asked for when they

rejected the hotel plan, said Tom Billings, who founded the group

Protect Our Parks to fight the hotel. His group presented a park idea

to the committee in May.

“People don’t want a use that is limited to 60 people that can put

their 60-foot boats in there. They want a use that will benefit

everyone communitywide,” Billings said.

If the committee decides it doesn’t need a meeting in August, it

will pass on what it has learned to the council, which could face the

issue as soon as next month.

The committee won’t officially pick a plan, but it can have an

opinion.

“They might say, ‘We like this one best,’ but they’re not supposed

to say, ‘We therefore recommend this one,’ so that’s kind of a fine

line,” Assistant City Manager Dave Kiff said.

When the committee began its work, the council was expecting to

learn from state officials exactly how much of the Marinapark is

tidelands, which are state-owned coastal lands reserved for public

use.

Now it’s unlikely that the tidelands issue will be hashed out,

because that only matters when the property will be used for

residences, Kiff said.

FYI

Today

The Marinapark ad hoc committee meets at 4 p.m. in the Newport

Beach City Council chambers, 3300 Newport Blvd.

What’s next

The City Council could vote on a park use in August. By year’s end

will come a report on the legal ramifications of closing the park.

Info

https://www.city.newport-beach.ca.- us/marinapark.html

* ALICIA ROBINSON covers government and politics. She may be

reached at (714) 966-4626 or by e-mail at

[email protected].