Newport Beach Council Approves Snug Harbor Surf Park After Hours of Debate

The Newport Beach City Council voted to approve the Snug Harbor Surf Park project at 3100 Irvine Avenue, certifying the final environmental impact report and overriding an Airport Land Use Commission (ALUC) determination that had found the plan inconsistent with the airport land‑use plan. The motion passed 6‑to‑0 with one recusal; the council recorded the result as “Motion passed by vote 6 and 1 abstain.”

The project proposes redeveloping the central portion of the privately owned Newport Beach Golf Course with two surf lagoons, a roughly 50,000‑square‑foot clubhouse, approximately 20 overnight athlete rooms, supporting retail and restaurant spaces, and 351 parking spaces covered by solar canopies. City planning staff and the project team said the development will include a reservation system capping surfers in the lagoon at 72 per session and a program of community benefits including high‑school team access, junior‑guard and lifeguard training, and public camps.

Project planner Jocelyn Perez told the council that independent fiscal analysis attached to the staff report “demonstrated a net positive fiscal impact to the city of approximately $256,000 a year.” The staff presentation also described environmental…