Officials reject land purchase

The Newport Beach City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to waive an option to buy a piece of land from the Irvine Co. in Newport Center for a new city hall.

The option was part of a multimillion dollar development agreement with the Irvine Co. approved late last year. The deal gave Newport Beach the opportunity to purchase property in the Newport Center block between Santa Rosa and San Nicholas drives for a new city hall at the city’s appraised price of about $7.7 million.

The passage of Measure B in February, however, made the option to buy the land from the Irvine Co. a moot point. The measure amended the city charter to require the next city hall to be built on city-owned land next to the central library on Avocado Avenue.

Because Newport waived its option to buy the land, the Irvine Co. has agreed to hand over a piece of waterfront property known as the Lower Castaways to the city sooner than what was originally agreed upon, according to a city staff report.

The four-acre piece of land on East Coast Highway with access to Upper Newport Bay near Castaways Park was also part of the city’s development agreement with the Irvine Co. The parcel is officially valued at $6.3 million, but city officials have said it could be worth as much as $10 million, compared to what the city might pay for similar waterfront park land.

City efforts to find an architect to design the next city hall are moving forward, Mayor Ed Selich said at the meeting. A city design competition netted 51 designs from teams from around the world, Selich said.

City officials expect to announce their picks for design teams in late June. The teams will have until Sept. 19 to submit their designs.

BRIANNA BAILEY may be reached at (714) 966-4625 or at brianna.bailey@latimes.com.