“It’s come together fairly quickly,” Rosansky said. “I’ve always been in favor of using as much time as we can take on something like this, but I look forward to scrutiny. It is a fairly large agreement with a lot of money, and a lot of entitlement involved, a lot of moving parts..”
As part of the deal, zoning for the area would create a new planned community that would merge two blocks of Newport Center, Fashion Island and San Joaquin Plaza to form North Newport Center Planned Community. The deal includes about $43 million in development fees, road and park improvements and other public benefits from the Irvine Co. The development agreement also includes an option for Newport Beach to purchase property in the 500 block of Newport Center between Santa Rosa Drive and San Nicholas Drive for a new city hall at the city’s appraised price of $145 per square foot for 53,000 square feet. That works out to roughly $7.7 million.
Officials say all facets of the pending agreement to create a new 430-housing unit planned community in Newport Center will be carefully considered before it is approved. A Planning Commission meeting on the issue Thursday was continued to Nov. 29.
If many citizens are concerned , few are voicing their opinions, Planning Commissioner Michael Toerge said Friday.
“Only two people showed up to speak at the meeting and one was from the Irvine Co.,” Toerge said. “Yeah, maybe it’s going along pretty quick, but the people need to show interest.”
