City may drop lawsuit against Irvine involving high-rise project

Newport Beach officials will consider dropping a lawsuit against Irvine, now that a developer has withdrawn the high-rise residential project that led to the suit.

Newport Beach and Tustin filed suits against the city of Irvine in October to block two projects in the Irvine Business Complex, a commercial and industrial area where the city has made a major push to bring in residential development. The suits claimed the projects were not adequately studied and could affect traffic and amenities in Newport and Tustin, which border Irvine.

One of the two projects, the 2323 Main St. development, would have included 445 condos. But Standard Pacific Homes, 2323 Main St.’s developer, withdrew the project and last week resold the property, Tim Strader Jr., a consultant representing Standard Pacific, confirmed Monday.

Tonight, the Newport Beach City Council will discuss dropping the lawsuit, because the Main Street property’s buyer is planning a commercial development that won’t require rezoning, Newport Beach City Atty. Robin Clauson said.

It’s not clear whether the lawsuit or other factors caused Standard Pacific to withdraw. Strader said the market has changed and referred other questions to a Standard Pacific spokesman, who could not be reached Monday.

But Newport Beach City Councilwoman Leslie Daigle counted the change in projects as a victory.

“Our efforts have paid dividends,” she said.

Newport’s other lawsuit still is pending. That suit challenged the Avalon Jamboree Village project, a 280-unit apartment complex at 2701 Alton Parkway.

Daigle said Newport Beach officials will continue to keep an eye on projects in the Irvine Business Complex and elsewhere that could have negative impacts on Newport.

“We’re going to be really attentive to the activities that are happening around us and the impacts that they’re going to be having in our community,” she said.

Two major Irvine businesses, Allergan and Deft Inc., also have sued the city of Irvine over projects in the business complex.