Newport Beach Approves Housing Next to Airport

The Newport Beach City Council has approved two housing projects near John Wayne Airport, voting to override the Orange County Airport Land Use Commission’s ruling that the projects were inconsistent with the land-use plan for the airport zone.

The two projects, filed by separate developers, each involve the demolition of aging office buildings.

A 23K SF office building will be torn down at 1401 Quail Street to make way for 67 condos that will be built by Vancouver-based Intracorp. Eight of the condos will be designated as affordable housing at the project, which will include a 146-space parking structure.

At 1400 Bristol Street, a 29K SF building will be demolished and replaced with a 229-unit apartment complex by Picerne Group, a local developer. The complex, which will include 23 affordable units, will connect via a pedestrian bridge to a property at 1300 Bristol Street that also is under development by Picerne, along with a 422-space parking structure.

According to a report in the Orange County Register, the applicants asked the City Council to change the zoning for from office mixed-use to residential for the two projects, which were approved by the city’s Planning Commission last fall.

In January, the county’s Airport Land Use Commission ruled that “aircraft noise” would be incompatible with the residential use, saying the aircraft zones are set up to “support the continued use and operation of an airport by establishing compatibility and safety standards to promote navigational safety and reduce potential safety hazards for persons living, working or recreating near JWA.”

The airport zones are among several areas in Newport Beach designated for potential housing as part of the city’s state-mandated goal of building 4,845 housing new units by the end of the decade.

The city has targeted areas for housing development including West Newport Mesa, Dover-Westcliff, Newport Center and Coyote Canyon, as well as the airport area.

The city has identified the opportunity for an additional 2,577 housing units in the area around John Wayne Airport. In August, Newport Beach cut its affordable requirement in half, to 15% from 30%, for a 145-acre area now occupied by industrial and office properties near the airport, to try to attract developers.

In November, Newport Beach voters will have an opportunity to vote on the city’s housing plan under a city law that requires a vote if more than 100 units are added to an area, the report said.