By Grace Leung, Newport Beach City Manager
The next City Council meeting is Tuesday, Nov. 14. Items of interest are highlighted below. The entire agenda and reports can be viewed here: https://newportbeachca.gov/Home/Components/Calendar/Event/71679/72.
A study session will begin at 4 p.m. Agenda items include:
- Nighttime closure of public restrooms. City staff will present options for full or partial nighttime closures of Newport Beach’s 34 public restrooms for Council review and discussion.
- Library Lecture Hall construction bids. The Council will review and discuss recent construction bids and project costs for the proposed Library Lecture Hall.
The regular meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. Agenda items include:
- A Municipal Code amendment related to City Council Policy H-1, which describes the distance that piers and floats may extend bayward throughout the harbor. In September the City’s Harbor Commission recommended an amendment to provide clear guidance throughout the harbor on the distance that piers and floats may extend bayward versus the broad, harbor-wide approach in use today. The Commission recommends incorporating the entirety of H-1 into the Code.
- A Municipal Code amendment to allow short-term mooring license agreements and establish fair market value license fees for offshore and onshore moorings. This summer the Harbor Commission considered allowing mariners to use moorings without having to acquire an existing permit or participate in the sub-permit process. The Commission recommended Municipal Code revisions to accommodate a new license arrangement for City moorings as well as fair market fees for such a license. The recommendation also included a draft license agreement and process for issuing licenses for these moorings.
- Consideration of a $109,000 contract with Newport Beach-based Rabben/Herman for public outreach, concept development, and prioritization of proposed improvements to the Ocean Boulevard Bluff Park. In a previous study session, the Council asked staff to solicit a request for proposals to identify a consultant to develop the concept and design the project.
- Tennis and Pickleball Club at Newport Beach project amendment. The Council will consider legislative amendments to the approved Tennis Club at Newport Beach project at 1602 East Coast Highway. The amendments are to: 1) reduce the number of future tennis courts from seven to four courts and add 14 pickleball courts; 2) increase the number of future hotel rooms from 27 to 41 rooms; 3) increase the gross floor area of ancillary uses within the future hotel by 4,686 square feet, and; 4) provide three attached condominium units and two detached single-family residences in-lieu of five detached single-family residences. The request also includes a new 15-year-term development agreement to ensure the orderly development of the property and certain public benefits to the City of Newport Beach.
- Legislative amendments related to the General Plan Land Use and Noise Elements and a resolution to override an Orange County Airport Land Use Commission’s determination of inconsistency. The Council will consider ordinances amending the Newport Beach Municipal Code, Newport Place Planned Community and Newport Airport Village Planned Community to accommodate some of the housing units identified by the certified 2021-2029 General Plan Housing Element. Additionally, the Council will consider a resolution overriding an August determination by the Orange County Airport Land Use Commission that the amendments are inconsistent with the 2008 John Wayne Airport Environs Land Use Plan.
- A public hearing to consider water and sewer rate adjustments for the next five years. The Council will consider a Finance Committee recommendation to adopt an updated rate schedule that would increase the average household monthly rate by about $6 per month for water through 2028 and $2.20 – $3.50 for sewer charges through 2028. The City’s goal is to ensure that the rates will fully support operational costs, critical infrastructure maintenance and necessary capital improvement projects. Customer fees are the only source of funding; no taxes support Newport Beach’s water and sewer systems.
- Adoption of proposed changes to the Newport Beach Municipal Code and Council policies. The proposed revisions standardize language, eliminate unnecessary provisions, and update existing provisions, in part, to comply with changes in state law. The proposed changes are available for public review on the City’s website.
City Council Meeting Information
The Newport Beach City Council meets on the second and fourth Tuesdays of most months (the exceptions are August and December). Typically, there is a Study Session that starts at 4 p.m. Study sessions are times for the Council to take a deeper look at a specific issue, or hear a presentation, that might eventually lead to a specific and more formal action. A closed session often follows the Study Session. Closed sessions are typically to address legal, personnel, and other matters where additional confidentiality is important.
The Regular (evening) Session typically starts at 6 p.m., and often has a specific listing of different items ready for formal votes. Items on the “Consent Calendar” are heard all at once, unless a Council member has removed (aka “pulled”) an item from the Consent Calendar for specific discussion and separate vote. If an item on the agenda is recommended to be “continued,” it means that the item won’t be heard nor voted on that evening, but will be pushed forward to another noticed meeting.
Public Comment is welcomed at both the Study Session and the Regular Session. The public can comment on any item on the agenda. If you want to comment on a Consent Calendar item that was not pulled from the Consent Calendar by a Council Member, you will want to do so at the time listed on the agenda – right before the Council votes on the entire Consent Calendar (it’s Roman Numeral XIII on the posted agenda). If an item is pulled, the Mayor will offer that members of the public can comment as that specific item is heard separately.
Additionally, there is a specific section of Public Comment for items not on the agenda, but on a subject of some relationship to the city government. If you cannot attend a meeting and/or want to communicate with the City Council directly, this e-mail gets to all of them: citycouncil@newportbeachca.gov. The City Manager also gets a copy of the email, because in almost all cases it’s something that the City Manager follows-up on.
The Council meets in the Council Chambers at 100 Civic Center Drive, off of Avocado between San Miguel and East Coast Highway. There is plenty of parking in the parking structure. You are always welcome to attend in person, but you can also watch on TV, Spectrum channel 30 and Cox channel 852 or stream it on your computer.
This Insider’s Guide is not an attempt to summarize every item on the Agenda – just the ones that seem of specific interest to the City Manager. You are encouraged to read the full agenda if you wish.
