Lolita Harper
Looking to turn downtown Costa Mesa into the place to be for
nightlife and entertainment, Planning Commissioners ignored staff
recommendations Monday and gambled on supporting an upscale nightclub
on Newport Boulevard and 19th Street.
Planning Commissioners voted 4 to 1 to approve the nightclub, to
be called Vegas, at the large mission-style building that introduces
freeway traffic to the heart of downtown.
Planning Commissioner Eleanor Egan dissented, saying the proposal
lacked adequate parking and noise control.
"Basically, I like the project very much. If they could have
solved the noise and parking problems, I would have enthusiastically
voted for it," Egan said. "But since it has been approved, I wish it
success."
The success of the downtown area is what commissioners had in mind
when they deviated from planning staff recommendations.
Planning Commission Chairwoman Katrina Foley said all the concerns
about noise and parking have been taken care of in the plans or can
be worked out as the project develops.
The applicants are extremely willing to work with surrounding
homes and businesses, she said.
"I think this will help establish that area as an entertainment
district with nightlife restaurants, which is what I believe was
intended for downtown when we redeveloped Triangle Square," Foley
said.
The upscale club proposed for the basement portion of 1901 Newport
-- the Spanish-style building that sits across from Triangle Square
in the heart of downtown Costa Mesa -- would be about 11,000 square
feet and contain a dance floor, three bars and distinct lounge areas
surrounded by a typical nightclub setting. It is designed to
entertain about 800 persons from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through
Friday and from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.
During the earlier hours, the club will operate as a restaurant,
tentatively called La Fondue. Later, the Vegas nightclub will come to
life.
Club owner James Raven avoided a probable denial a month ago when
the idea of a nightclub obviously did not have the support of the
Planning Commission. Commissioners voted to postpone the project so
that some of the parking problems could be addressed in the plans.
Raven and his associates came back to the city with a combination
of valet and self-parking for a lot they would share with Turnip Rose
banquet facility.
The venues would require 528 parking spaces, according to a staff
report. While Raven's parking plan can accommodate that many cars,
