Newport Beach : City OKs Revised Fire Station Design

The City Council this week gave final approval to the design and size of the new Balboa Island fire station, ending months of community work on architectural plans and putting the project back on track.

The council unanimously approved the new design Monday. Although construction of the $1.1-million building is three months behind schedule, it should be finished as planned in January.

“It is a very stellar plan,” said Steve Bromberg, president of the Little Balboa Homeowners Assn., who along with neighbors has been contributing design suggestions for the station. “A lot of the fat has been taken out of it, and it’s a very nice facility. The design is actually really pretty.”

New plans for the building call for a smaller station in a “Spanish-Mediterranean” or “early California Mission” style.

Neighbors had objected to a larger, more institutional structure that was approved earlier this year.

The new plan also calls for constructing community restrooms closer to the fire station than to residents’ homes, as outlined under the earlier plan.

Residents who have been involved in the design plans hope to hold a town hall meeting in coming weeks to hear further residential input on the plan.