Newport residents rip plan for 26-story condo tower that would replace art museum

Newport Beach residents raised objections Monday night to a proposed 26-story condominium tower, asserting that it would hamper the city’s effort to reduce water consumption and would increase housing density and snarl traffic in Newport Center.

The tower, called Museum House, would replace the Orange County Museum of Art, which plans to move to Costa Mesa.

The new condo building is proposed to reach 295 feet tall, with an additional 20 feet for equipment. It would be one of the tallest buildings in Orange County.

City staff held a meeting Monday to allow the public to comment on factors that should be addressed in the project’s environmental impact report.

Several residents asked for the developer to place a crane on the 2-acre site at 850 San Clemente Drive to show the height of the building.

The proposal, by Related California Urban Housing LLC, includes demolishing the single-story art museum to make way for Museum House, which would include 100 condos and a two-level subterranean garage.

Residents took issue with the amount of development underway in Newport Center and said another building would compound problems.

“We don’t really need more housing in Newport Beach,” said resident Susan Skinner. “It is the height of irresponsibility for our City Council to be approving construction after construction after construction.”

An Irvine Co. residential development on San Joaquin Hills Road is under construction north of the museum property. A proposal for another development, which would include 49 condominiums in a seven-story building at Newport Center and Anacapa drives, is expected to go before the city Planning Commission this year.

“From a long-term perspective, are we looking for Newport Center to become Century City?” resident Ruth Kobayashi asked city leaders. “Because I think that’s a fair argument that someone could make.”

Residents also questioned how much water the proposed tower would use during construction and beyond, pointing to the city’s struggles to achieve state-mandated water-use reduction targets.

Water consumption will be addressed in the environmental impact report, according to city staff.

Of the 100 units proposed for Museum House, 47 would have two bedrooms and three bathrooms and 53 would have three bedrooms and four bathrooms. The units are expected to range from 1,750 square feet to 4,950 square feet. Many would feature private balconies.

Initial designs feature a common area with a club room, library, view deck and concierge. Level 3 would have additional common space, including a garden and grilling terrace, a fitness and spa area, a pool and deck with a fireplace, an outdoor kitchen and a barbecue area. An outdoor roof terrace also is planned.

The proposal points to changes ahead for OCMA, which has called the San Clemente Drive property home since 1977, after it was donated by the Irvine Co. Through the years, the museum has contemplated expanding its footprint in Newport Beach.

In 1997, the museum completed a modest expansion, taking over a library building next door. However, it still lacked gallery space to show its permanent collection.

Most recently, OCMA announced that it plans to move to a new building in Costa Mesa, on 1.64 acres near the Segerstrom Center for the Arts that was donated by the Segerstrom family years earlier.

Todd Smith, the museum’s director and chief executive, said OCMA trustees voted to allow Related California to prepare a plan to redevelop the current site. Funds from the sale of the land would be earmarked toward construction of the museum’s new building.

The museum didn’t provide estimates of the current site’s value or the cost of its new building.

“We believe [Related California’s] vision for this site will blend nicely into Fashion Island and is the best use of this property,” Smith wrote in a statement.

For the project to move forward, Newport Beach city leaders would have to approve a general plan amendment to change the land use from private institutional to multiunit residential, with maximum development of 100 units.

The project will go before the Planning Commission and the City Council after the environmental report is completed this year. The report will study potential effects on noise, traffic, air quality, views and other factors.

The Planning Commission is expected to weigh in by the summer, according to the city.