NEWPORT BEACH : Development Plan Focuses on Housing

An oil company has proposed constructing a 2,600-unit residential complex with a commercial center, neighborhood parks and a school at the site of a 590-acre oil field east of the Santa Ana River.

Although officials did not present a timetable on the development, the West Newport Oil Co. released the land-use plan last week on behalf of the county, which controls land on which 450 acres of the field sits.

Leonard Anderson, project manager for the oil company, said the plan is being reviewed as part of the county’s effort to complete its local coastal plan. At the end of a 45-day public comment period, the plan will go before the county Planning Commission, the Board of Supervisors and the state Coastal Commission.

If those agencies approve, Newport Beach officials will then review the plan to consider use of land within the city limits.

The site, where 300 wells have produced oil since 1944, runs along the Santa Ana River between Pacific Coast Highway and 19th Street and borders or includes parts of Newport Beach, Costa Mesa and Huntington Beach.

The area includes 185 acres of wetlands that will be restored in part by the oil company. The Army Corps of Engineers also is enhancing part of the natural habitat for wildlife.

Along the bluffs lining the wetlands, West Newport Oil is proposing an 18-acre recreational corridor that includes public bike trails linked to regional trails and the coastline. A three-acre commercial area also is planned.

An 11-acre commercial center also is planned, with a grocery store, bank and smaller shops.

The proposed 2,642 residential units would be a combination of single-family homes and apartments on 233 acres, accessible by a four- to six-lane road connecting Pacific Coast Highway to 19th Street.

The oil company has also proposed a five-acre neighborhood park and a 10-acre park that would be constructed next to a new school.

West Newport officials said they began working with the community and county and state officials in 1985 to devise a plan that would be acceptable to all interests. Anderson said residents overwhelmingly supported a residential development over commercial or industrial uses.

Company officials met with the presidents of six homeowner groups last week and said they plan to meet again with the groups in the next two to three weeks.

“We feel the plan contains a lot of public amenities and improvements for the area,” Anderson said. “We think it will be, hopefully, well received.”