Newport fire-rings decision could finally happen Thursday

The fight among Newport Beach residents over the placement and number of wood-burning fire rings along the shore could come to an end this week.

The 12-member California Coastal Commission will come to town on Thursday to consider allowing the city to permanently place 64 rings — a mixture of wood-burning and charcoal-only — along the beach.

The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. at 100 Civic Center Drive.

In late January, the city submitted seven possible arrangements of 60 fire rings as part of its application to the Coastal Commission for a coastal development permit. Any change to the configuration or the density of the fire rings requires commission approval.

The city is asking the commission to authorize its temporary plan, put into effect in January, that reduced the number of fire rings on city beaches from 60 to 56, relocated some rings and limited some to charcoal-only to comply with air-quality regulations set by the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

The city also is requesting that the commission allow it to implement a permanent plan that would include 64 fire rings — 16 wood-burning rings and 16 charcoal rings in the Balboa Pier area, 16 wood and eight charcoal rings at Corona del Mar State Beach and eight wood-burning rings at the Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort & Marina. Some of the rings would comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, a commission staff report states.

Coastal Commission staff indicated that it supports the city’s proposal. The AQMD has indicated to commission staff that the permanent plan would meet its regulations.

Commission staff wrote that although a charcoal fire-ring experience is not equivalent to a traditional wood bonfire, the city is trying to balance the need to protect the fire rings as a low-cost recreational activity under the mandates of the California Coastal Act and to comply with the AQMD’s rule that the rings be spaced 100 feet apart.

“The proposed permanent plan offers the best solution to these competing interests,” the staff report says.

The city also plans to contract with a vendor that would sell charcoal on the beach during busy evenings and weekends.

Coastal Commission staff had not supported the city’s past efforts to remove all wood-burning rings, which the staff believes promote open and affordable access to the beach.

In July 2013, the AQMD amended its Rule 444 to require a 700-foot buffer between bonfires and homes and to designate “no-burn days” when fine particulates are at unhealthy levels. The policy is a softened version of a proposal that would have banned all beach bonfires in Orange and Los Angeles counties.

In response, Newport Beach began enforcing an interim ordinance that limited fire rings to charcoal. The AQMD considers charcoal to be cleaner-burning than wood.

The commission and the AQMD have argued for legal authority over the issue for more than two years, often leaving Newport Beach in the middle.

When Councilman Scott Peotter took his seat on the City Council in December, he led the charge to bring back wood-burning rings.

Peotter said he’s pleased with the proposal being considered by the commission Thursday.

“Everyone seems to be happy with the final layout and plan,” he said. “The demand for fire rings will be met, except for those rare occasions — holidays or weekend nights — when the beach is really busy.”