The Benefits of Big Ideas

MAJOR THEMES

Improve the quality-of-life in Mariners’ Mile to the level of expectation found
throughout Newport Beach. This enhancement is intended to foster civic pride
and a special lifestyle experience for the citizens of Newport Beach first. A unique
stretch of Coast Highway along the bay where Newport Beach can work, play,
and live.

Create a village on the inland side from Riverside to the Ardell site; There
are multiple opportunity sites – Ardell, McCune, Fluter, and City parking lot. The
village center is not intended to be a linear ‘Main Street’ area, such as Corona del
Mar’s section of Coast Highway, but a place with a core and defined edges.

Expand direct visual and physical public access to the waterfront to enhance
the Mariners’ Mile identity; Improve connections both through Mariners’ Mile and
to Mariners’ Mile from Lido Village and residential areas;

The intent of these three (3) big ideas is to improve traffic flow and walkability
without widening Coast Highway. Because this is neither Corona del Mar nor the
2-mile Newport Center stretch between Mariners’ Mile and Corona del Mar – it is
a third condition.

RECOMMENDATION

Newport Beach can improve traffic flow along Mariners’ Mile and create a
walkable, urban village without expanding the highway or removing on-street
parking.

Improve the Highway – By reconfiguring Coast Highway by adding well-designed,
customized traffic calming features with 2 lanes of travel in each direction,
we reduce traffic and parking conflicts, improve traffic flow and capacity, and
improve the pedestrian and bicycle experience.

Create a Village – By adjusting parking, land uses, and urban form, we can create
a pedestrian-scaled urban village with its own maritime identity that includes
maritime businesses, retail, restaurants, housing, offices, and sufficient parking.
The village concept celebrates the maritime heritage of Mariners’ Mile and the
waterfront location with gateway features, identifying signage, 4 new points of
public access to the water and a boardwalk along the water’s edge connecting to
Lido Village.

To transform Mariners’ Mile into a more attractive section of Newport Beach we recommend enabling and building a new mixed use village core, which is intended to bring a sense of place for locals to this important historic area. A mixed-use, walkable village core adds the following benefits:

Create Opportunities for Housing has the following benefits: Builds in retail customers that compliment the upper neighborhood visitors and shoppers; fills a need for a high-quality small lot and small unit home for professionals, single-parents, empty-nesters, and young couples wanting to establish a family in the area.

Improve Parking through a Park Once Program has the following benefits: Builds new parking for customers, visitors, shoppers, employees, and locals whose long, linear lots need parking ratio relief. The public parking area east of Tustin Avenue at the bottom of the bluff sits opportunistically below the upper bluff public park and theater. A substantial parking structure located at the site would be a catalytic opportunity with a well-managed and funded Parking Management Plan. While a local quasi-business-improvement district has proved difficult to maintain, we believe a new public parking structure will catalyze new redevelopment investment, attract more visitors, bring a new source of revenue to fund improvements, and stimulate the economy.

Improve Access To, Through and Within Mariners’ Mile through an Access Management Plan has the following benefits: Connects the parking areas for visitors, and allows local visitors to cross Coast Highway safely; Allows for industry needs of ingress/egress of boats into bay; and allows the upper neighborhood residents easier access to the waterfront.

Provide a Harbor-Front Boardwalk has the following benefits: Continue to complete the harbor front walkway that makes its circuitous way from lot to lot and building to building along the bay. Manage rules that allow for bay front dining and open bar areas to protect property values in Lido; Use the parking program to encourage the completion of the public boardwalk with parking reduction incentives.