Proposed Porsche dealer rejected by Newport Planning Commission; appeal to council planned
A proposal by AutoNation to build a Porsche dealership along Mariners’ Mile was rejected Thursday by the Newport Beach Planning Commission, but the company said it intents to appeal to the City Council.
Commissioners voted 5-1 to deny AutoNation’s proposed 35-foot-tall automobile sales and service facility between 320 and 600 W. Coast Hwy. Commission Chairman Kory Kramer dissented and Commissioner Raymond Lawler was absent.
The proposed dealership would include a showroom, an outdoor vehicle display, offices, a service department and a rooftop parking structure for employees and car storage.
Planning commissioners first considered the plan Aug. 18 but postponed their vote to give AutoNation time to consider changing the building’s exterior design, which some commissioners considered too dark and out of place. AutoNation also was instructed to get feedback from neighboring communities and hosted two meetings with neighborhood groups.
In response to feedback from the Planning Commission and the community, AutoNation replaced the planned black siding with medium gray, added an auto lift lobby to screen the retaining wall from neighbors and added a larger rooftop cover in an effort to address concerns about noise and exhaust floating to nearby homes.
Several Bayshores and Kings Road residents have scrutinized the proposal for months and raised concerns about the potential for noise, light, air pollution and increased traffic along West Coast Highway.
Neighbors submitted a petition Thursday with more than 800 signatures against the proposed development.
“We just don’t think it’s appropriate for our neighborhood,” said resident Carol Dru. “We don’t feel it serves us as a neighborhood business we’d like to see.”
Several commissioners Thursday said that while they were impressed by the design changes, they would be more in favor of the development if it were solely a sales facility and did not perform repairs.
City officials have said it has been challenging to find suitable developments for the narrow stretch of Mariners’ Mile, which is hemmed in by bluffs on one side and Newport Harbor on the other. The answer on how to develop the roughly mile-long stretch of West Coast Highway has eluded planners for years, but in recent months, officials have been developing a plan to shape the overall vision for the area.
The Porsche dealership was intended to replace 12 businesses, including a linen store, a consignment shop, a dog food retailer and a European collectible car dealer that city staff said underutilize the property.
Commissioner Peter Zak said he favors the site being redeveloped but that the dealership as proposed isn’t compatible with the area.
“The height and massing being sandwiched between two residential neighborhoods just doesn’t fit,” he said.
Kramer, however, said the project “has a lot of positive attributes.”
“It’s well-designed and is not asking for anything beyond the ordinary,” he said. “It’s hard for me to find a reason for this not to be approved.”
Some commissioners pointed to AutoNation’s ongoing code enforcement issues at its current Porsche, Audi and Bentley dealership at 445 E. Coast Hwy., just past Mariners’ Mile.
The city has fined AutoNation several times over the years for allowing its car carriers to unload merchandise off the property and employees to park in adjacent neighborhoods, according to a city staff report.
Shawna Schaffner, chief executive of CAA Planning, which represents AutoNation, said the proposed development on Mariners’ Mile would mean Porsche would move from the East Coast Highway location, improving efficiency on that site.
“We want to move forward with this project so we can improve the existing site and prove that we will be good neighbors,” Schaffner said.
She said her client intends to appeal the Planning Commission’s decision to the City Council, which could either affirm or overturn it.
Twitter: @HannahFryTCN
