COSTA MESA/NEWPORT/IRVINE : NEWPORT BEACH : Hostel Plans to Come Before City Tonight
The City Council tonight will consider an appeal from two Australian investors who want to establish a youth hostel in Newport Beach.
This month the Planning Commission rejected the plan pitched by Andrew Grace and Philip Boston to open a 50-bed International Backpacker’s Inn on 32nd Street.
The council cited a lack of parking in rejecting the proposal.
Since that vote, Grace and Boston have made arrangements to pave part of an adjacent lot to create nine parking spaces.
They hope the addition of more parking will persuade the council to overturn the Planning Commission’s rejection and allow them to renovate a vacant office building into overnight lodging.
Some nearby residents opposed the project, saying that the youth hostel will create noise and crime by attracting inland teens who would come to Newport Beach for a cheap stay.
Supporters of the hostel maintain that the Backpacker’s Inn, which will charge about $15 per night, will be populated by European and Australian travelers who will contribute tourist dollars to city business, according to Bob Dakota, a local resident who is helping Grace and Boston.
The City Council meeting will begin at 7 p.m. in City Hall.
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