Newport Beach council to take a look at townhouse project proposed in Santa Ana Heights

The Newport Beach City Council will review an eight-unit townhouse development proposed in the Santa Ana Heights neighborhood Tuesday.

The city Planning Commission approved the cluster of homes at the corner of Mesa Drive and Santa Ana Avenue in March over some neighbor concerns about neighborhood compatibility and traffic intensity and safety.

The intersection forms a border between Newport Beach and Costa Mesa, with Costa Mesa to the southwest. According to Newport city staff, the objections about whether the project would blend with its surroundings came from neighbors on the Costa Mesa side, where single-family homes are more common.

Newport’s zoning in the area, however, is for medium-density residential, and multifamily complexes predominate near the corner. The proposed homes would be in two buildings of four units each.

The townhomes, according to a city staff report, also would improve motorist sightlines because the development would reconfigure the driveways and require removal of fencing and landscaping currently on the plot where the homes are proposed to go.

Tuesday’s council meeting starts at 4 p.m. with a study session, followed by the regular session at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 100 Civic Center Drive.

Senior-housing project

The council also is set to give its final approval for a proposed senior-living facility on the former site of the Orange County Museum of Art.

Vivante Senior Living is looking to build the luxury complex at 850-856 San Clemente Drive in Newport Center.

The six-story development would replace the former OCMA structures with 90 assisted-living dwellings and a 27-bed memory care unit. Proposed amenities include a dog park, dining rooms, a full-service bar, yoga and fitness rooms, an indoor pool, a two-lane bowling alley and lounge, a golf simulator, a salon, an art room, a theater and a library.

Marine Avenue trees

The council also will hear a staff presentation on the current health and status of the trees lining Marine Avenue on Balboa Island.

The towering, mature trees — mostly lemon-scented gums, a type of eucalyptus — have been part of the local shopping and dining district for most of the man-made island’s roughly 100-year existence.

Residents say the trees are part of what makes the tight-knit island charming and should be preserved. However, they could come down as a result of potentially extensive improvements to the surrounding infrastructure.

The city has said removal isn’t imminent, but that needed upgrades to aging pavement and concrete could mean the trees would lose their support system.