Newport considers consultant to evaluate Mariner’s Mile
The Newport Beach City Council on Tuesday will consider entering an agreement with a community planning consulting firm to study land use along Mariner’s Mile.
Officials said the city needs help navigating the revitalization efforts taking place along the stretch of West Coast Highway between Newport Boulevard and Dover Drive.
In 2011, the council identified Mariner’s as one of six zones in need of revitalization. Work in other areas, including Corona del Mar, Balboa and Lido villages, West Newport and Santa Ana Heights, has been underway for years.
However, city officials haven’t yet settled on an overall vision for Mariner’s.
When the council was wrapping up an amendment to the city’s general plan — a document that guides development — in 2006, officials couldn’t reach consensus on the ratio of commercial to residential development, said Councilman Ed Selich.
“We never really did dig down into it,” he said. “Mariner’s Mile is a tough one. You have traffic issues, bayfront property that backs up against the bluffs, properties that don’t have a lot of depth on them, and various other challenges. There are a lot of issues that need to be resolved.”
City staff believes that an outside consultant could help solidify the vision.
If the council approves the $206,922 contract with Santa Ana-based PlaceWorks, the firm would interview stakeholders to hear their ideas, evaluate what policies are working and which are not, identify development standard incentives, evaluate the parking management plan and determine how best to design the street for pedestrians and bicyclists.
The study period would take six to nine months and go to the Planning Commission and City Council for review, according to the staff report.
The main issue, Selich said, is circulation along Mariner’s roughly 1-mile stretch of West Coast Highway.
A recently completed study by the Orange County Transportation Authority suggested Newport consider adding a pedestrian overcrossing near Riverside or Tustin avenues to improve walkability from the harborfront properties across West Coast Highway.
The study also pointed to ways to improve bicycle and pedestrian access by providing a continuous walkway on the highway’s harbor side.
City leaders also will have to consider whether to add a third vehicle lane on the highway in each direction or leave it at two, Selich said.
Officials and community members will have the opportunity to share their ideas on the width and lane configurations during a study session before the council’s 7 p.m. meeting Tuesday.
“Once the circulation issue is resolved, a lot of other pieces will start falling into place,” Selich said.
In 2014, Congress for the New Urbanism conducted a five-day planning and design meeting focusing on Mariner’s Mile that tested new ideas to enhance the corridor.
The city’s bicycle master plan also outlines changes intended to improve safety in the area.
“The idea is to now synthesize all of these different plans and documents into more of a comprehensive document for Mariner’s Mile,” said Community Development Director Kim Brandt. “We would like to determine how to maximize the amenities in the area to the benefit of the community.”
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John Wayne Day
The City Council on Tuesday afternoon also will consider designating May 26 as John Wayne Day in Newport Beach.
The move comes less than a month after a resolution to honor John Wayne failed to gain traction with state lawmakers. In response, Mayor Pro Tem Kevin Muldoon requested that his colleagues consider designating Wayne’s birthday in his name.
“John Wayne is an iconic figure and beloved in his adopted hometown of Newport Beach,” Muldoon said.
In late April, Assemblyman Matthew Harper, a Huntington Beach Republican who also represents sections of Newport Beach, introduced a resolution that sought a statewide day honoring the late movie star.
However, the Assembly voted down the resolution, 35-20, after several legislators took issue with statements Wayne had made about racial minorities and his support of the anti-communist House Un-American Activities Committee and the conservative John Birch Society.
The City Council study session will begin at 4 p.m. The regular meeting begins at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 100 Civic Center Drive.
