Planned community center nears end of design stage

Deirdre Newman

A community center of the people and for the people is nearing the

end of its design stage, despite concerns about parking congestion

and high costs.

The City Council in February approved the $7-million center, which

will include a full-sized gymnasium, library, meeting rooms and other

amenities catering to public use. The center is being designed with

the help of Newport Coast residents, and will occupy about 22,000

square feet at the corner of Newport Coast Drive and San Joaquin

Hills Road.

But even with its planned 163 parking spaces, parking could become

crunched during large-scale, community-wide events, assistant city

manager Dave Kiff said.

Kiff and Jim McGee, chairman of the Newport Coast Advisory

Committee -- which is working with the city on the project -- see

options to handle parking congestion. Possible solutions to deal with

the increased need for parking include using the nearby Newport Ridge

Park parking lot and on-street parking on Newport Ridge Drive. Gym

occupancy could also be limited for special events, Kiff said.

“In our mind, there is no parking issue at all,” McGee said. “It

may be one of the best-parked facilities in the city of Newport

Beach.”

The cost of the project is a little dicier, since high steel and

concrete prices have driven up the cost of construction. Kiff is

optimistic that when the project goes out to bid -- in about three to

six months -- the hot prices will have cooled off some.

“We don’t know what it will cost until we send it out to bid,”

Kiff said. “Right now, the bid climate is bad.”

If the project climbs in cost, it would have to be scaled back,

since the city has only a $7-million kitty to work with on the

center, Kiff said. That chunk comes out of $25 million the Irvine

Ranch Water District paid for the right to continue providing water

to Newport Coast after it was annexed to Newport Beach in January

2002. The rest of the $25 million is being paid back to residents on

their tax bills over the next several years.

A subcommittee of the Newport Coast Advisory Committee has been

involved in designing the center, meeting with architects and design

consultants almost every week. The subcommittee on Monday examined

final design drawings illustrating floor plans and elevations.

“This is exciting, because it’s really progressed to the point now

where it’s very tangible and real,” McGee said.

The Newport Coast Advisory Committee is set to consider the final

design Tuesday, and approval is expected, McGee added. It will then

go to the Planning Commission, anticipated for January, and then on

to the City Council.

The council will accept the design, barring something unusual,

according to the annexation agreement, Councilman John Heffernan

said. Heffernan, who represents a portion of Newport Coast, said he’s

glad to see the project moving forward.

“Especially with the cost of construction rising; if they’re going

to build it, I think it’s time,” Heffernan said. “I think the

community has matured up there and wants it.”

* DEIRDRE NEWMAN covers government. She may be reached at (714)

966-4623 or by e-mail at [email protected].