Newport Beach to consider its coastal plan on Monday

Newport Beach officials will consider a plan Monday that could streamline the approval process for homeowners and businessowners who want to renovate or improve coastal zone properties.

The California Coastal Commission in September signed off on the city’s Local Coastal Program Implementation Plan, a regulatory document that the commission requires all coastal cities to create to guide development in the state’s coastal zone.

Roughly half of Newport is in the zone, which encompasses the city’s entire shoreline and includes areas such as the Balboa Peninsula, Balboa Island, Corona del Mar and the Back Bay.

The local coastal program consists of a land-use plan, which was certified by the Coastal Commission in 2005 and most recently updated in 2009, and an implementation plan.

Councilman Ed Selich said the document is important for homeowners because it only requires them to go to the city for approval when they want to complete a renovation, instead of spending months waiting for the Coastal Commission to sign off.

Residents who live in the coastal zone and want to complete a home renovation currently have to obtain permits from the city and the Coastal Commission. The process can take up to 18 months.

“It might not affect them today, but eventually if they have a home or business repair this document is going to make their life much easier,” Selich said. “It makes the whole process a lot more efficient.”

In all cases, permits issued by the city could still be appealed to the Coastal Commission, according to city staff.

The 12-member commission, which is responsible for enforcing the state Coastal Act, has long asked cities along the coast to prepare programs to cover rules for development and protection of coastal resources. The local coastal programs are intended to give cities more control over projects in their areas, which would decrease the state agency’s workload.

Newport Beach started crafting its document in the 1970s, and the Coastal Commission began pushing cities to finalize the plans in the early 2000s. Since then, the city has been paying fines of $12,000 annually because the commission has not yet approved its plan.

The City Council first approved the plan in 2015, and now is required to sign off again before it can be implemented.

Monday’s meeting begins at 6 p.m. at the Newport Beach Civic Center, 100 Civic Center Drive.