City to spend $1.8M to move Marinapark residents

The city of Newport Beach will spend $1.8 million to move residents out of mobile homes at Marinapark, the city attorney’s office said. Under a legal settlement announced Friday, the city will pay $35,000 each to the owners of 53 homes on the city-owned waterfront property, the city will then own the homes, and residents will be allowed to stay as renters until September 2009.

The payment is significantly more than the approximately $25,000 per home in relocation expenses the city offered in 2006. But residents weren’t satisfied with the original amount and filed a claim against the city. If the city is not ready to proceed with the park by September 2009, the settlement would allow residents to stay on a month-to-month basis. City Attorney Robin Clauson also said the city will settle a breach of contract lawsuit filed by Sutherland, but the terms of that settlement have not yet been disclosed. The suit was set to go to trial Monday if no agreement was reached.

— Alicia Robinson