NEWPORT BEACH : Council Approves Church’s Expansion

The City Council has agreed to allow expansion of a church in a residential area after residents withdrew their objection to the project.

The unanimous approval Monday clears the way for Our Lady Queen of Angels Church to add another 23,534 square feet by building a new parish hall, offices, classrooms and a garage. The church, which is within the jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange, is at 2046 Mar Vista Drive, across from Corona del Mar High School.

Originally, some residents balked at the expansion, fearing that it would draw additional cars to a neighborhood already inundated with school traffic. But city officials say the expansion would add 50 cars a day to the area at most.

The Bluffs Homeowners Community Assn. withdrew its objections to the project providing that the city approve a traffic study of streets near the high school. City Manager Robert L. Wynn estimated the cost of such a study at between $10,000 and $12,000.

But Councilman John C. Cox Jr. said that funding a study would be a “waste of money” when the council is already aware of the traffic problems.

However, Councilman Clarence J. Turner said he was previously unaware of how clogged the traffic is around the school between 7:30 and 8:05 each morning. Turner said solutions must be found to reduce the congestion before the Newport Beach coast is developed, which is expected to cause a jump in enrollment at the high school.

“This is the first time I’ve frankly been aware of just how serious the problem has been over there,” Turner said.