Inspiration Point Redesign Plan Approved

The Newport Beach City Council has approved the proposed redesign of the Inspiration Point coastal lookout area in Corona del Mar.

The project of Cunningham Design Inc. in collaboration with artists Helen and Newton Harrison, Paul Hobson and Marcello Petrocelli includes a “disappearing path” (a sandstone-colored sunken concrete walkway), erosion-resistant landscaping and an expanded mid-level viewing area with specially designed teakwood benches. The council approved the project Monday night.

A city appropriation for Art in Public Places, the Parks, Beaches and Recreation Commission’s capital improvement funds and proceeds from the Newport Beach Salute to the Arts will provide $152,661 for the project. This sum has been judged adequate to fund the estimated $156,800 budget, with any shortfall provided for by the next Salute to the Arts program in October. The redesigning of Inspiration Point is the city’s first art-in-public-places project.

The next step in the process will be a review by the Coastal Commission. Heavy summer use of the beach access, however, is likely to delay construction until fall.