Golfers 1, wave pool 0. Photo: Newport Beach Golf Course
There’s a fight in Newport Beach, and it’s the most Newport Beach kind of fight ever: golf course or wave pool? But the golfers appear to be winning the battle, at least for now. According to reports, Newport Beach officials have reversed “course” on a previous approval to dig up the golf course and replace it with a wave pool.
“The Snug Harbor Surf Park Project would redevelop the center portion of the NB Golf Course with approximately five-acres of surf lagoons,” reads the City of Newport Beach’s project description. “The lagoons would be surrounded by viewing platforms, seating, three warming pools, and a spa. The Project includes a three-story clubhouse building containing a reception area, surf academy, fitness facility, yoga center, administration offices, staff areas, locker rooms, retail store, restaurant, a coffee bar/snack shack, and other incidental uses. The Project also includes a two-story athlete accommodation building that would provide 20 units. Each unit would contain a bed, bathroom, closet, and a patio space facing the surf lagoon.”
Back in October, members of the Newport Beach city council voted aye on a go-ahead to build the wave pool on part of the golf course. It would replace three of the 18 existing holes, the putting green, restaurant, pro shop, and the driving range. Golfers were not happy, and they were not shy about expressing their unhappiness.
“While council members said they didn’t want to stand in the way of a business looking to redevelop private property, after the council’s vote in October, residents began collecting signatures challenging the approval,” the Voice of OC reported. “Locals gathered enough signatures to officially challenge the decision and place the question on an upcoming ballot, but the process didn’t end up getting that far. Instead of placing the question on a future ballot, council members instead rescinded their previous vote for the surf park on Tuesday night, effectively removing their original approval for what’s known as a general plan amendment.”
All but one of the council members were in agreement — council member Noah Blom recused himself because he’s got a business partner involved in the wave pool — and the rest were of the opinion that the signatures of the residents opposed to the plan were enough to cancel the project.
“I would say [let’s] just rescind because signatures were collected, there’s no difference in our decision, and cost-savings to the city,” said Council member Erik Weigand. “It’s a simple decision I think tonight.”
This doesn’t mean that the fight is over, though. The property owners still have the approval to redevelop some 20,000 square feet of the golf course (half of the originally planned 40,000), but council members are leery of intruding too much into private property owners’ rights.
“My job as a council member is not to tell an applicant what I want them to do with their private property,” said Council member Sara J. Weber. “They have a right to pursue a project, and our job is to evaluate it fairly. Nonetheless, here we are, the community has spoken, so I would absolutely support rescinding the general plan amendment, and I do believe it’s probably the most responsible way to respect the referendum process. I certainly don’t want to spend any money on an election, and I’m going to hope this reduces any further division within the community.”
