NEWPORT BEACH : Ocean Wall Report Headed for Review

Despite public attention to the issue, city officials predict that it will be months before a decision is made on what to do with 295 oceanfront walls that have been illegally erected on public space.

For decades, residents who live on the beaches between the Santa Ana River entrance and the end of the Balboa Peninsula have built walls between the water and their property lines to protect their yards from blowing sand. Once the walls were erected, homeowners improved upon the enclosed areas with patio furniture, decks and landscaping.

The issue was first addressed by the city last year, and in April, 1989, a committee was formed to investigate complaints of misuse of public land.

Today, the City Council is expected to refer the final report from the Ocean Front Encroachment Committee to the state Coastal Commission for review, according to City Manager Robert L. Wynn. Suggestions from the Coastal Commission will then be forwarded to the city Planning Commission, which will hold public hearings to get additional community input.

In their final report on the problem, the encroachment committee called for permits to be required for residents who have built walls. The recommendations call for a yearly fee, ranging from $50 for encroachments of less than five feet to $200 for residents with encroachment walls stretching 15 feet onto the beach. Fifteen feet would be the maximum encroachment allowed.

Before there can be final approval of any permit schedule, the local coastal plan must be amended, Wynn said. That amendment then goes before the City Council and finally the Coastal Commission. Resolution of the issue is not expected until November.

At their last meeting, council members suggested that concerned residents attend tonight’s public hearing, but Wynn said residents should instead attend a June 7 Planning Commission meeting, where comments would be “more effective.”