Newport Beach council majority not on boardwith tweaking housing element for ENC

A request to discuss removing the 1.5-acre former site of the Newport Bay Hospital from the city’s housing element died Tuesday night, April 15, after failing to receive majority support from the Newport Beach City Council.

Councilmember Erik Weigand, who represents the West Newport district where the property lies along 16th Street, had asked for a straw vote from his colleagues. Dozens of community members showed up to address the council in support of his request.

Weigand had hoped to gain enough support to agendize a future discussion about removing the site from the city’s housing element—the official document that outlines where new housing could be developed. His concerns, and those echoed by the public, stem from the site’s close proximity to the Environmental Nature Center (ENC).

ENC staff and parents of students who attend the preschool and other programs expressed worry about the impact of potential “high-density development” on the center’s tranquil, 3-acre site, which features a stream and a variety of native ecosystems and habitats.

The ENC has been in operation since 1972 and currently serves 72 preschool students, with more than 26,000 students participating annually in its camps and educational programs, according to the center’s director.

The former hospital site is currently listed in the city’s housing element as a location where commercial property owners could propose residential development. The city is under a state mandate to zone for at least 4,845 new homes, a requirement outlined in the housing element approved by the state in 2022.

Read the Full Article: https://www.ocregister.com/2025/04/16/newport-beach-council-majority-not-on-board-with-tweaking-housing-element-for-enc/