Demolition of old Newport City Hall site begins

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A worker shoots a stream of water into the pile of debris to keep the dust down as he follows an excavator that rips apart one of the old buildings at the former Newport Beach City Hall site, where demolition began Thursday morning. (Don Leach / Daily Pilot)

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A tree-trimming crew removes old pine trees at the former Newport Beach City Hall site, where demolition began on Thursday morning. (Don Leach / Daily Pilot)

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An excavator backs out of a hole in the side of a building it tore down at the former Newport Beach City Hall site. (Don Leach / Daily Pilot)

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Office furniture lays in a heap outside one of the old buildings at the former Newport Beach City Hall. (Don Leach / Daily Pilot)

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A tree-trimming crew removes old pine trees at the former Newport Beach City Hall site. (Don Leach / Daily Pilot)

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A worker collects pieces of piping where an excavator rips apart at one of the old buildings at the former Newport Beach City Hall site. (Don Leach / Daily Pilot)

By Hannah FryStaff Writer

May 26, 2016 9:55 PM PT

Much of the old Newport Beach City Hall site on the Balboa Peninsula was still standing after the first day of demolition Thursday, but don’t expect it to stay for long.

Crews began tearing down the buildings that for decades housed Newport Beach city employees to make way for the 130-room boutique Lido House Hotel, which will eventually welcome visitors onto the Balboa Peninsula.

Jim Campbell, the city’s principal planner, was on site Thursday, watching the demolition in action.

The project has been billed by city officials and residents as a key element in the years-long effort to revitalize the peninsula from what some call a “war zone” to a family friendly residential and commercial destination.

“It’s an exciting new day for Lido Village,” Campbell said. “There’s a little bit of dust that needs to settle before the hotel opens, but it should be a good catalytic project for that area.”

The city began looking into how to use the City Hall site in 2011, considering options such as a community center and residential and commercial uses, before settling on a boutique hotel, which city officials and nearby residents have said will be a vibrant addition to an aging area. City staff moved into the new City Hall site in Newport Center in 2013.

The City Council approved the four-story, 98,725-sqaure-foot project in 2014, and the California Coastal Commission signed off last year.

Project plans call for the hotel, meeting and retail space, a spa, restaurants, a pool and recreation area and a rooftop bar. Guest rooms are to include a king bed, or two queen beds, extended-stay suites and villas, and a presidential suite. Prices would average about $212 per night.

The city plans to lease the 4-acre site to Olson Real Estate Group for the project

For years, the city has been looking at projects designed to breathe life into the Balboa Peninsula. The Lido House Hotel as well as a town home project along Via Lido and the revitalization of Lido Marina Village to include waterfront shops, restaurants and a gourmet market are in line with the effort, city officials have said.