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 review steps taken in the EIR, including tribal consultation, traffic and noise analyses, and a mitigation monitoring and reporting program. Perez said the EIR found no significant unavoidable environmental impacts after mitigation.

Shauna Schaffner, representing the applicant, said the surf park is designed to be both a local amenity and a regional attraction that would increase tourism revenue while supporting local teams and public safety training. “This project will increase access to surf at all levels, from beginners to experts, flattening the learning curve,” Schaffner told the council.

Opponents and supporters filled the council chamber for the hearing. Save the Newport Beach Golf Course and other speakers said the site is one of the city’s few affordable public golf and driving‑range facilities and argued that converting portions of the course would harm access for families, seniors and veterans. “This land may be privately owned, but for decades, it's been a public treasure,” said Benny Halleck, a volunteer chairman of the opposition group. Speakers raising environmental and safety concerns pointed to water use, nighttime noise and the ALUC inconsistency finding.

City staff and the applicant answered detailed questions about water, noise and airport issues. In the hearing staff and the utilities director described the project’s water demand analysis. Jocelyn Perez’s presentation estimated a project water demand profile used in the EIR; the project team separately noted the surf operation was projected to use roughly 28,000,000 gallons annually and that about 15,000,000 gallons would be returned to the Orange County Water District via the groundwater replenishment system. Utilities Director Mark Vekojevic said Newport Beach is close to self‑sustaining on groundwater and described the city’s water‑shortage contingency plan that would apply to this and other customers in drought conditions.

On airport compatibility, the airport land use commission had earlier found the project inconsistent with its plan. The applicant agreed to special conditions addressing the ALUC’s safety concerns, including limitations on spectators in certain safety zones during special events; the council considered and ultimately voted to override the ALUC determination as part of the package of entitlements.

Council members who supported the project cited property rights, a large private investment, the potential for community programming (lifeguard and first‑responder training, school access) and the staff‑recommended mitigation measures on noise, traffic and water. Those who opposed emphasized long‑term access to affordable golf, neighborhood impacts, and uncertainty over event operations and water use. The council’s vote followed extended public comment — well over 40 speakers — and more than 1,800 written communications in the public record.

The council’s vote certified the EIR, approved a general plan amendment to add development rights requested by the applicant, and adopted resolutions allowing the conditional use permit, site development review and related modifications, subject to the conditions and mitigation measures in the staff report. Mayor Joe Stapleton closed the hearing and noted that remaining implementation steps will follow the adopted conditions and standard plan‑check and permit processes.

Next steps identified by staff include final plan check, issuance of permits if findings remain valid, and ongoing monitoring under the mitigation and reporting program set out in the final EIR. The council also set a timeline for administrative follow‑up; the project remains subject to the city’s building‑permit and operational compliance checks.