Overall height is an issue at Marinapark...

Overall height is an issue at Marinapark resort

On Sunday, I read with interest what I believe is the third

Marinapark “infomercial” written by developer Steven Sutherland,

printed in the Community Commentary section of the Pilot. I must

congratulate Sutherland on his adroit and free use of your paper to

advertise and promote his plan for utilization of scarce waterfront

city land on the Balboa Peninsula. This effort was another attempt to

answer important questions posed by Donna Martin of Newport Coast,

who was published in the Mailbag section. Martin asked why people

would chose this resort when they can get to the Hyatt and Hilton

resorts in Huntington Beach, the Montage Dana Point, the Ritz-Carlton

in Laguna or the Bay Club in Newport.

In his response, Sutherland indicates that the two Huntington

Beach hotels are different due to the fact that they are very

substantially larger and target primarily business clients. He

indicates that the Ritz-Carlton is similar in its business client

services. He thinks the Montage might be a closer fit, but it too is

substantially larger. He also claims that most of the rooms in the

Bay Club face either a parking lot or central courtyard -- whatever

that means. It is interesting that he has to verbally travel all the

way to France to find what he feels is comparable -- again, whatever

that means. What we’re talking about is a proposal on the peninsula,

and other comparisons are irrelevant.

Nowhere in any of his articles, testimony before the City Council,

or in other public forums does he make clear the vertical dimensions

of his planned hotel. It seems that, in terms of overall height, the

hotel will be at least as tall as the Balboa Bay Club and stretch the

entire length of the waterfront view of the parcel. The vertical

footprint will amount to a wall on the bay of at least three stories

facing directly across from the south side of Lido Isle obstructing

waterfront views from Balboa Boulevard.

There are numerous other issues revolving this project that we can

only speculate on, as no one really knows. One fact cannot be denied:

that the property owners of the peninsula are adamantly opposed to

this project based substantially on irrefutable evidence of aesthetic

denigration from building mass and resultant loss of view. Common

sense would indicate that traffic would be increased, and though

loudly denied, public access to the bay beach -- fronting the

proposed hotel -- would be de facto eliminated.

I understand the city’s motive here is financial and am

sympathetic to that. What’s wrong with simply upgrading the current

use and charging current market rates for ground leases, which could

be evaluated periodically? Why amend the current Newport Beach

general plan? Why hold a special election? Why stuff this plan down

the throats of peninsula property owners, risking rage and long-term

hostility from those most impacted? Let’s keep it simple and forget

this extremely controversial plan.

JERRY MCCLELLAN

Newport Beach

Newport Ridge center is at the right spot, right time

The answer to the question about the Newport Ridge center is

twofold. One, it is the only place for a community center if it is to

be built in the Newport Coast, Newport Ridge area. The committee that

was formed to look into this matter spent a year trying to define

alternative sites, and there are none. If a community center is going

to be built in our community, this is the only spot available.

Whether it would be the best site if there were other sites

available, I think, is also a good question, and the answer is, I

think, this is the best site not withstanding the fact that it’s the

only site.

What makes this the only site is that it is the only undeveloped

corner at the intersection that is truly the center of our community.

At one corner, we have the Newport Coast Elementary School; on the

corner across from it, we have the Coastal Canyon clubhouse, tennis

and swim center; and the Pavilions market on the third. Then we have

this area, which is not yet developed, on the fourth corner that is

adjacent to a park. So, it forms the functional hub of our community

and it is the right location for a community center.

The architecture is going to be high quality. It will be similar

to the architecture style of the shopping center itself and it will

blend nicely into the community with a lot of lush vegetation. So, I

am much in favor of the location.

JIM MCGEE

Newport Coast