Newport condo/commercial development clears zoning hurdle with Coastal Commission
A proposed 7-acre pedestrian-oriented residential and commercial village along the bayfront on East Coast Highway in Newport Beach cleared its first hurdle with the California Coastal Commission on Thursday.
The commission, which has final say over development along the California coastline, voted 11 to 1 to approve a zoning change for the property from recreational and marine commercial to mixed-use water-related. The change would limit the proposed development to mixed-use structures with homes above the ground floor, according to commission staff.
The project, known as Back Bay Landing, aims to replace an RV parking lot at 300 E. Coast Hwy. with 49 condominiums and 60,000 square feet of commercial space including restaurants, marine-focused shops and dry stack boat storage adjacent to Upper Newport Bay.
“I think this plan is a huge asset for the area,” Coastal Commissioner Mary Schallenberger said.
The landowner, Bayside Village Marina LLC, originally asked the commission to consider changing the zoning to mixed-use horizontal, which would allow freestanding condos instead of placing them above ground-floor commercial uses. That zoning change won preliminary approval from the city of Newport Beach in 2014.
The change to mixed-use water-related is “intended to provide for commercial development on or near the bay in a manner that will encourage the continuation of coastal-dependent and coastal-related uses,” a commission staff report states.
The commission also is requiring that the developer upgrade bicycle lanes and a pedestrian trail on Bayside Drive, including a new trail that would connect to the Newport Dunes recreational area, and make the bayfront pedestrian promenade continuous to improve public access.
The commission did not approve a 65-foot coastal viewing tower proposed for the development. The site currently has a 35-foot height limit put in place in the 1970s to help preserve views.
Commission staff said the tower would be “inconsistent with the character of the area and result in adverse visual impacts to public views of the bay and the cliffs of Upper Newport Bay.”
The zoning change approved by the Coastal Commission needs approval from the City Council. Also, Bayside Village Marina LLC will have to go before the council and the Coastal Commission again for approval to start construction.
“We look forward to moving into the [community development permit] process and making Back Bay Landing a reality with a sense of place, new public access and great public uses,” said project manager Gordon Craig.