In a humorous remark near the end of Tuesday night's Newport Beach City Council meeting, Councilman Ed Selich summed up best the decision-making process for the Newport Beach Country Club property.
"Now I know what they mean in Congress when they say, 'Making laws is like making sausage; it aint pretty,'" said Selich, who served three terms as chair of the city's Planning Commission. "I have never seen a situation like this."
By 6-1 votes on each of two agenda items, the council decided: to move ahead with a plan for a new 56,000 square foot golf clubhouse from Newport Beach Country Club Inc. (the tenant), and a proposal from Golf Realty Fund (the land owner) to revamp the tennis club, add 27 one-story bungalows, five single-family homes, and a 7,490 square-foot spa and fitness center. Golf Realty Fund's plan calls for removing 17 of the private club's 24 courts to make room for the bungalows. Mayor Nancy Gardner dissented on both motions.