Newport Harbor Yacht Club closer to building a new clubhouse
Newport Beach’s oldest yacht club is a step closer to replacing its 97-year-old clubhouse with a larger, modernized building.
The California Coastal Commission last week approved plans for the Newport Harbor Yacht Club to demolish the deteriorating clubhouse to make way for a 23,163-square-foot, two-story structure.
The new building is expected to be about 4,000 square feet larger than the current one to comply with modern building requirements for wider hallways, an elevator, more restrooms and a larger food-preparation area.
“We need to have a facility that looks to the future and addresses changing member expectations and lifestyles,” said Staff Commodore Tim Collins. “The building will give us better member spaces and better functionality.”
The foundation of the building is planned to be raised to 9.4 feet above sea level to prevent flooding during “king tides.”
The current clubhouse, at 720 W. Bay Ave., often floods when storms and high tides overwhelm the Balboa Peninsula.
“The building’s approaching 100 years old and the physical structure has reached the end of its useful life,” Collins said.
Additional space also will help accommodate the growing junior sailing program at the club. About 60% of the club’s incoming adult members were either junior or skipper members when they first joined, according to Collins.
Collins declined to estimate the overall cost of the project. However, the yacht club will fund $350,000 toward public-access improvements elsewhere in Newport Beach as part of the project. The funds could go to help the city pay for a public pier and dock float at the old Central Avenue bridge, according to a Coastal Commission staff report.
The Newport Harbor Yacht Club was established in 1916, when the city and county were planning to dredge the harbor’s sandbars and improve its entrance to create a recreational harbor.
The club moved to its current building in 1919. Though it has been remodeled and enlarged, the clubhouse has never been replaced.
The club has grappled for years with the issue of how to restore the aging structure.
In 2012, it approached the city with plans for the new clubhouse. It asked the city to allow it to build the structure as tall as 36 feet. The city typically limits waterfront buildings to 31 feet.
The plans ultimately were approved by the Planning Commission and the City Council. Next, the yacht club’s 770 regular members will have an opportunity to vote on the building design and plans.
If the members approve, the club could break ground on the building as early as January. Construction is expected to last about 18 months.
