Dunes resort project lies on public land

Alex Katz

NEWPORT BEACH -- Opponents of a proposed hotel and resort at the bayside

Newport Dunes recreation park are rallying around what they say is a

little-known but important fact about the project: it lies on public

land.

Project opponents claim many residents aren’t aware that the $100-million

resort would be built not on private land, but on Orange County property.

“There’s so many people saying ‘let them build on their land,’ and it’s

so quiet that it’s public land and has a public trust,” resident Bert

Ohlig said.

Robert H. Gleason, chief financial officer for Evans Hotels, confirmed

the Newport Dunes Partnership has leased the Dunes property from the

county since the early 1970s.

The partnership, which is owned by the Evans family, paid about $1.5

million to the county to lease the land last year, said county property

agent Mike Hentzen, who handles the Dunes lease.

Under the current lease, which expires in 2039, the amount of the

partnership’s rent is based on percentages of its gross profit from the

boat slips, recreational vehicle parks and retail businesses at the

Dunes.

“It’s extremely inappropriate to have the Evans family use [public land]

as a cash cow,” said Susan Caustin, a longtime opponent of the proposed

resort. “This is not an issue of property rights, and there’s hardly

anyone who knows this.”

Caustin and other opponents say the proposed four-star hotel and resort

would prevent the general public from using the property.

City planning commissioner Ed Selich said the resort would “provide

plenty of opportunities for people of all economic levels to go there.”

Gleason said the project developer has held more than 70 meetings with

various community groups to get input on the resort plan.

“I can’t imagine how the public could possibly have more input than

they’ve had,” he said.

The Planning Commission last week asked the project’s developer to

dramatically reduce the size of the proposed resort’s conference rooms

and to scale back the number of hotel rooms.

Project manager Tim Quinn said Evans Hotels is analyzing the financial

implications of the cuts and should make a decision on the direction the

project will take by early next week.