Marriott tennis club could close soon

The Newport Beach Marriott Hotel and Spa may shut down its tennis club soon, as a Miami-based home-building firm has won approval for a project to erect condominiums on the land by Fashion Island.

Newport Beach City Councilwoman Nancy Gardner and Cookie Chrysler, a spokeswoman for the consulting firm Government Solutions, confirmed that the Lennar Corp. has gotten a green light from the city and the California Coastal Commission to proceed with the project. Lennar filed plans for the condominiums in 2004 as the hotel embarked on a thorough renovation.

The tennis club has been part of the Marriott for more than 30 years. In addition to holding lessons and offering memberships, the club hosts a summer program for children that has turned out a number of future tennis stars for UCLA, USC and other universities. Staff members said they were unsure how long the club could remain open, but they planned to continue the summer program this year.

“It could happen in three months,” said head trainer Robyn Ray, who has been with the club since it opened. “It could happen in a year.”

Newport Beach resident Mike Hoppe, a member since 1993, said he and his friends were savoring the club while it was still around.

“There’s a homogenous group of people that plays here, so they’re all going to be displaced if this development happens,” he said.

MICHAEL MILLER may be reached at (714) 966-4617 or at [email protected].