Council to discuss changes to Woody’s Wharf permit

The public can weigh in at Tuesday’s Newport Beach City Council meeting on whether Woody’s Wharf should have dancing Friday and Saturday nights as well as extended hours.

At the Sept. 10 meeting, Councilman Mike Henn appealed the Planning Commission’s decision to allow the restaurant to begin outdoor dining at 10 a.m., instead of 11 a.m., and to stay open until 2 a.m., instead of closing at 11 p.m., according to a staff report.

In its Sept. 5 approval, the commission also cleared the way for dancing by giving Woody’s Wharf a variance to build a patio cover, which the business says would address noise concerns. The variance was needed because otherwise the cover would be considered too close to a seawall.

Henn said he worried about the effects the changes would have on the Balboa Peninsula neighborhood.

“I have a significant concern that that approval was not consistent with the interests of the community,” he said at the Sept. 10 meeting, “so I have asked that to be appealed to the City Council at an early date.”

The commission also approved the removal of tables and chairs in the outdoor dining area on Friday and Saturday nights.

Such changes are “characteristic of a night club-like operation,” Henn explained in an interview, “and that is inconsistent in the view of many of our residents with the general plan and with the zoning.”

He added, “From my perspective, it is completely inconsistent with what I have been trying to accomplish on the peninsula by way of improvement of quality of life for the residents.”

People wishing to speak on the issue at the council meeting will have three minutes each.

Also at the meeting, council members will vote on whether to approve an agreement with RBF Consulting to prepare an environmental impact report for the redevelopment of the former Newport Beach City Hall as an upscale hotel. The roughly $200,000 agreement will be paid for by Olson Real Estate Group, which was chosen by the council in July to help oversee the site’s development.