Resort project permits granted

Alicia Robinson

The Irvine Co. received the blessing of the Orange County Planning

Commission Tuesday to begin moving dirt for a long-awaited resort

next to the Pelican Hill Golf Club.

The commission granted coastal development permits needed to build

the Pelican Hill Resort, a project that will fill 119 acres around the golf club with 40 guest bungalows, 128 time-share units, an inn

with a restaurant and a spa.

The permit approvals can be appealed within 15 days by anyone, but

planning staff members and Irvine Co. officials were able to meet

most of residents’ concerns by modifying the project, county planner

Bill Melton said.

Part of the site layout was changed, and top-level parking was

eliminated from a parking structure to pacify neighbors.

“[Some neighbors] were concerned about views and other things, and

the Irvine Co. drastically changed their project,” Melton said. “Most

of the people were happy, but there were a few that still had some

issues about building height.”

Construction of the resort should begin in mid-2005, starting with

a new golf clubhouse, which could open by 2007, Irvine Co.

spokeswoman Jennifer Hieger said.

“We’re very pleased with the outcome, and we’re looking forward to

moving ahead with the resort,” she said. “It will be unique to the

Southern California coast and ... it will complement the surrounding

community.”

Community members will be able to use the spa and the restaurants

in the inn and clubhouse, and meeting and event space will be

available at the resort, so it should draw people from the

neighborhood as well as out-of-town guests, she said.

Although Newport Coast was annexed to the city of Newport Beach in

January 2002, authority to approve the project remained with the

county as part of the annexation agreement. City officials like the

resort project because it’s less dense than what the existing zoning

allowed, Newport Beach assistant city manager Dave Kiff said.

“It’s still a powerful project, but it’s not nearly as big as it

could have been,” he said. “We can’t ignore the revenue factor there,

too. The bed tax will be quite substantial.”