Newport Coast Becomes Part of Newport Beach

The 7,000 residents of Newport Coast, who dwell in expensive, gated neighborhoods with breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean, become citizens of Newport Beach today.

“It brings us very close to completing the city,” Newport Beach City Councilman Gary B. Adams said. “This is a win-win for both the city and the coast.”

Under the annexation plan, Newport Beach firefighters will move into the Newport Coast station today and Newport Beach will take over law enforcement from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

City employees also will begin picking up trash and keeping medians and parkways looking lush and green.

In addition, the city will pay off about $18 million of a county assessment, saving the average Newport Coast homeowner $240 a year.

For the first few years after annexation, providing these services to Newport Coast will cost the city money. But with a projected population of 12,000 residents by 2010, tax revenue from the coast soon will cover the cost of those services.

Still, some residents worry that Newport Coast, where homes sell for millions of dollars, may be stuck with the short end of the deal.

“We’re paying a lot of taxes up here, and we want to make sure we get these moneys back,” said Philip Greer, who led an unsuccessful petition drive to block the annexation. “Are they going to be fair and bring this area into the political mainstream?”

Greer said he remains concerned that Newport Beach officials will fail to respect his community’s uniqueness, which he said centers on tightknit families and good schools. He also charged that the annexation process did not involve residents as much as he would have liked.

Many residents are wondering, for example, what will happen to the community’s private parks, which until now have been maintained by dues from homeowners associations. Will they become public?

And what will officials do about planes buzzing overhead? Newport Beach has lobbied heavily for an airport to be built at the El Toro Marine base, in part because residents of Newport Beach’s Back Bay loathe the constant sound of jets from John Wayne Airport. But an airport at El Toro could send planes over Newport Coast.

City officials counter that Newport Coast residents will get better fire and police protection as well as city services such as a community center.

“When the folks up there learn the details, I think they’ll be comfortable about it,” Adams said.

Even Greer admits to coming around a bit in recent weeks.

“I think the city has made some positive moves to be more inclusive,” he said. “I’m willing to give it a chance.”