Vote Delayed on Project for Elderly

Faced with staunch opposition from residents near a proposed apartment complex for the elderly, the Newport Beach City Council voted late Monday to postpone a decision until next month.

But in voting 6-1 to delay consideration of the Emerald Village project until May 22, council members indicated that the developer should consider scaling back the 85-unit building. Apartments in the proposed deluxe complex for seniors would rent from $2,500 to $4,000 monthly, including meals, transportation and light personal assistance.

“I could support this project if the mass was reduced,” said Councilman Phil Sansone, whose district includes the Corona del Mar area where the building is planned. “But looking up there at that thing (an artist’s rendering of the project), I just can’t support it,” he said to the standing-room only crowd, filled with many who opposed the project in favor of a park or other smaller development.

Said councilwoman Jean H. Watt, “I still believe this site is best for open space, but that’s a dream. . . .”

The four-story, Mediterranean-style housing complex is proposed for the ocean side of Coast Highway at Hazel Drive, next door to the Five Crowns restaurant. Only two floors would be visible from the highway because the lower floors would be built on the downward slope nearest the ocean, said Jon Christeson, vice president of Emerald Associates.

Need Assistance

City officials say the apartment complex is designed for seniors who need a bit of assistance during the day. Residents opposed to the project have complained that it would block their ocean views and generate more traffic. They said they preferred single-family homes or a park for the site. But the developer argues that seniors contribute less traffic than any other age group.

Supporters of the project say the building would meet increasing demands throughout Southern California for senior housing and would replace a closed restaurant that has become an eyesore.

But Mary Alys Gilchrist, a registered nurse who lives in the neighborhood, said she opposes the project because she doesn’t think there is enough parking. “I’ve not heard anything discussed about wheelchairs,” Gilchrist said, referring to how the elderly would get about the busy intersection. “I haven’t heard anything discussed about the trips to (the) hospital.”

Gilchrist added that planners studying traffic demands from the project should have considered the fact that older people usually need to visit their doctors more often.

A supporter of the project countered that 10 single-family homes built on the lot instead of the apartment would produce more traffic than the seniors’ apartment building.

Fill a Need

“I feel this will fill a need in our community as well as greatly improve the site,” said one woman who did not give her name. “We need more houses in Corona del Mar like we need more restaurants.”