CORONA DEL MAR TODAY

Corona del Mar Group To Ask For Village to Be Exempt From Zoning Changes

Could the village vibe that defines Corona del Mar be in jeopardy?

Proposed changes in the Newport Beach Zoning Code could result in huge homes being built on small Flower Street lots — changing the seaside cottage feel of Corona del Mar forever, local leaders said today.

“We have to stop this or we will become Newport Coast, Jr.,” said Karen Tringali, president of the Corona del Mar Residents Association group. The group’s board voted unanimously today to write a letter to the city’s Planning Commission, asking that small lots on the Flower Street be treated differently under the new Zoning Code. Tringali said she would work on the letter today and present it tonight.

Changes in the Zoning Code are being considered in order to bring the code into alignment with changes adopted in the city’s General Plan four years ago. City officials have been holding meetings and public hearings for years, but the Corona del Mar group has recently begun to study the impact of the changes, which include spelling out floor area ratio (FAR), height restrictions and open space requirements.

Planning Commissioner Michael Toerge, who attended the Thursday meeting of the CDMRA group, said he has serious concerns about the current Zoning Code draft.

“I can’t get behind this plan because of the impact it could have,” he said. “I do feel an intense responsibility to make people aware. These are big changes.”

The new Zoning Code could allow for homes to have more square footage, although they might seem visually less bulky, he said. But there are no guarantees about the visual impact, he said, and by adding more living space to homes on small lots, the community could develop overcrowding, parking issues and other problems.

Tringali said that Corona del Mar has traditionally claimed to be a seaside village with “village charm,” and that small lots with appropriately sized cottages is part of that charm.

“Ultimately you’ll get larger dwellings,” she said, referring to the zoning code changes. “Are these larger dwellings consistent with our advertising a seaside village? Somehow it seems to be flying in the face of the village component.”

City Councilman Ed Selich suggested that homes could be kept from being too big for their lots by adding height restrictions of 25 feet, or by banning third stories.

Balboa Island leaders asked for, and were granted, exceptions from the proposed Zoning Code rules because that community also has small lots that are not suited for large “McMansion”-type homes, board members said.

Tringali said a survey this spring of residents showed 88 percent of respondents wanted to limit floor area ratios.

The Planning Commission will discuss the Zoning Code at a meeting at 6:30 p.m. tonight in Council Chambers at City Hall at 3300 Newport Boulevard; click here to see the agenda.

City Staff met with residents on Wednesday to discuss coastal bluff development, and another Planning Commission public hearing was held on Tuesday. Read our earlier stories here and here.