FOCUS : Properties at the Pinnacle--Spyglass Hill, Harbor Ridge and Seaview
A man pushing his granddaughter in a stroller in the Spyglass Hill area had lost his way. “Montecito?” he asked, meaning the drive by the same name. “I’m from out of town. Been out walking for an hour. My daughter will wonder where we are.”
The man’s problem is a common one for newcomers to Spyglass Hill: Streets simply fold into one another and unravel gently as they wind down the hill. Goleta Point leads into Drake’s Bay Drive, which leads into Montecito.
Houses atop Spyglass Hill are built at two or three levels, with the top of the hill on Rocky Point Road harboring the most handsome. Lush lawns grace the houses on Goleta Point, Morro Bay Drive and Rocky Point Road. On Cambria Drive, as on other streets in this exclusive neighborhood, regiments of gardeners keep the landscapes green and tidy.
Spyglass Hill was the first of the planned communities that emerged in Newport Beach. Originally owned by the Irvine family, the land was developed under the auspices of the Irvine Co. Spyglass Hill was built in the early 1970s by the Lusk Co., and the last tract was completed in 1972. Seaview was the second to come into being, in 1976. Harbor Ridge tracts were approved in 1977.
Attractive houses grace the western hillside on the drive south along San Miguel Drive, looking toward the quiet cul-de-sacs of Windsor, Hillsborough and Belmont. Past the stop sign at Spyglass Hill Road is Harbor Hills, a gated community with access only by computer card. A playground called San Miguel Park lies at the foot of the hill. Farther along San Miguel stands the Gerber Children’s Center.
Carla Delaney, editor of the Spyglass Hill community newsletter, says that what drew her family to Spyglass Hill was one particular house, a “custom, unique home.” Spyglass is subdivided into estate-size lots; there are no condominiums. The homes are expensive, but each is “unlike any other,” Delaney said. Houses cost at least $500,000 and run as high as several million dollars. “Every home has a view, and it’s almost a small-town atmosphere, warm and friendly.”
The threat of burglary is no greater than in other parts of Orange County, she says. But like anything else, when there’s a lot of money involved, those at risk are more likely to want to protect themselves. Most homes on Spyglass Hill have gates or alarm systems, and there is an active Neighborhood Watch program.
Harbor Ridge Estates has some of the largest lot sizes in all of Newport Beach, according to Brett Bernard of the Newport Beach Planning Department. They also have some of the best views. A guard stands at the entrance off San Miguel Drive at Spyglass Hill Road; an exit gate is located at Ridgeline Drive. These palatial houses are bedecked with gables and turrets, each standing two or three stories high.
Yet the housing options at Harbor Ridge are surprisingly varied. There are condominiums as well as detached houses and estates. Homes can cost anywhere from several hundred thousand dollars to $5 million.
Seaview also has a gated entrance manned by guards. While many of the street names are fancifully nautical, exterior designs often lack individuality. The Sea- view entrance off San Miguel Drive, at a street called Yacht Coquette, leads to other streets named after winners in the America’s Cup competition: Yacht Mischief, Yacht Defender, Yacht Resolute.
Seaview comes closest in appearance to tract housing. Buyers select from five basic floor plans, with choices ranging from two bedrooms and a den to four bedrooms and a family room. Some models are two stories, others a single story, but those who buy the single-story homes may later add a second story.
There are 167 houses in total. All houses have brown wood-shingle roofs, although the exterior walls are painted different shades--some white, some gray. The least-expensive models begin at $400,000 and range as high as $995,000 for a choice house with a private pool and a view of both the city and the ocean. An added feature of the area is the Seaview Racquet Club, which offers a pool, tennis courts and a spa.
“It’s the most convenient and the best community in the world,” says Joann Brock, board president of the Seaview Neighborhood Assn. Brock has lived in the community from its opening 13 years ago.
“You can walk to Gelson’s (grocery) at Harbor View in eight minutes, and to Ralph’s and the drugstore at Newport Hill in 12 minutes. And kids can ride their bikes to school, to Anderson Elementary School, Corona del Mar High School (which includes seventh and eighth grades), as well as to Harbor Day Country School on Pacific View Drive. All are within walking distance.” The pool, the two tennis courts and the barbecue area at Seaview all “belong to the community, and they belong to us,” Brock says. Monthly dues of $145 pay for the amenities and personnel at the security gate.
Marty Walker lives in Harbor View Hills on Ford Road in a condominium built by Irvine Pacific and echoes Brock’s feelings regarding community and convenience. The homes are “cozy and cute as can be . . . very close to Fashion Island, close to the ocean, close to the airport, . . . close to good shopping, close to the freeway, close to the new entertainment complex in Costa Mesa.”
And if you’re thinking investment, there’s no lack of appreciation. Walker bought her home in 1976 for less than $150,000. She now estimates the selling price at nearly $325,000.
For those with less-material concerns, the area is home to an abundance of churches. Pacific View Drive alone harbors three houses of worship: St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church, the Lutheran Church of the Master and a Christian Science church. Also on Pacific View Drive is a Coastline Community College outlet.
Just to the east, off Coyote Canyon Road, signs announce “County of Orange, Landfill Operating”--a county dump.
But not to worry. Even from the heights of this hilltop refuse facility, the views are spectacular.
Population Total: (1988 est.) 8,104 1980-88 change: +21.4% Median Age: 38.9 Racial/ethnic mix: White (non-Latino), 94%; Latino, 2%; Black, less than 1%; Other, 4% By sex and age: MALES Median age: 38.1 years FEMALES Median age: 39.5 years Income Per capita: $27,113 Median household: $64,021 Average household: $76,707 Income Distribution: Less than $25,000: 12% $25,000-49,999: 23% $50,000-74,999: 26% More than $75,000: 39%
