CORONA DEL MAR TODAY

Council Approves Home In Spite of Begonia Friends Efforts

A 5-2 City Council vote brought a Corona del Mar homeowner one step closer Tuesday night to ending what he called “one of the most unpleasant experiences of my life.”

Kim and Carolyne Megonigal want to build a single-family home on a vacant lot at Begonia Avenue and Pacific Drive. They twice have been approved by the city’s Planning Department, but concerns over whether their proposed garage would block views from the nearby Begonia Park created a huge wave of public outcry.

On Tuesday, more than a dozen opponents testified against the home’s current plans.

“To me, the Begonia Park view is one of our sweetest treasures,” one neighbor, Karen Fleming, told the council members.

But several people testified in support of the Megonigals as well.

“I almost never see anyone in the park, even on weekends,” an Irvine Terrace man said amid boos and cries of “Go home!”

Several times, Mayor Keith Curry had to use the gavel and ask audience members not to applaud or boo.

Members of the group Friends of Begonia Park said they want the family to be able to build a house, but the home should not block views from the park under the city’s General Plan.

City Attorney David Hunt advised the council that they needed to decide what constitutes a significant impact on a public view.

“There is no silver bullet out there,” he said. “That’s what you have to decide.”

City Councilwoman Nancy Gardner said she thought that the views from the park would in fact be significantly impacted. She and Councilman Don Webb voted against approving the plans.

“I disagree with staff and the Planning Commission,” she said.

Councilman Ed Selich, however, said that much of the testimony was emotional, and he was going to rely on the expert opinions of staff.

As the council voted, the Friends of Begonia Park members loudly muttered “Recall” and “Twelve Hundred” as they left Council Chambers. The group had gathered more than 1,200 signatures against the plans.

The Megonigals smiled as friends hugged and congratulated them.

Outside City Hall, Kim Megonigal seemed nearly speechless and overcome by emotion.

“This has been a long, long, long…” he said, his voice trailing off. The couple has owned the lot for 10 years and has worked to get plans approved for three years, he said.

Read our earlier coverage here and here.