Architect sees his city hall idea gaining steam

Bill Ficker believes you can have it both ways — a park and a new city hall on a site next to the Newport Beach Central Library.

The retired Newport Beach architect has continued to quietly press the plan he first suggested in 2006, in spite of two City Council votes that rejected a city hall on land that’s long been reserved for a park.

Now he’s revised the project, and he thinks he’s got the support of the community, if not four votes on the City Council. Council members will vote Tuesday on whether to postpone park plans until a city hall site is chosen.

“Instead of having people begging for money to do a park, let’s make the park and the city hall one project, then we know we have money for it,” he said. “Why not do something that will be a hallmark for other cities?”

Ficker isn’t wedded to a particular building design. His plan shows an entrance road off Avocado Avenue opposite Farallon Drive and a city hall with one-story and two-story sections. A two- to three-story parking structure would serve the city hall and the library. Ficker said the buildings would not interfere with ocean views.

The city hall and parking take up less than three of the site’s 12 acres, so he suggests creating a park on the remainder.

“This is an opportunity for the community to work together. It isn’t a matter of environmentalists against developers,” Ficker said.

The cost estimate for the project is the same as his earlier plan, about $27.5 million. City officials are exploring other sites for a new city hall, but each has its difficulties, including the existing Balboa Peninsula site.

Advantages of the park site are that the city already owns it, and the current City Hall could continue to operate while a new one is built.

But it has its own hurdles. Because the Irvine Co. dedicated the land as a park through a 1992 agreement with the city, the company would have to agree on any new use for the property, Newport Beach Assistant City Manager Sharon Wood said.

Attempts to reach Irvine Co. officials for comment were unsuccessful late Friday.

And because the city’s general plan calls for open space there, building a city hall on the site likely would require a public vote.

But Ficker expects community support for a good idea to win the day. As an architect and former World Cup sailor, he said, he’s always pursued excellence and wants to see the city he loves do the same.

“I purposely didn’t form a group because I thought if this has merit the group will form itself or people will get interested,” he said. “There’s absolutely no benefit to anybody here except the taxpayer.”