NEWPORT BEACH : Annexing Area Near Airport to Be Studied

The City Council will finally consider the annexation of Santa Ana Heights at a study session in City Hall today after 25 years of on-and-off discussions between residents and the city.

The issue surfaced in 1967 when the first jets began flying over the area, and again when John Wayne Airport was built, according to city officials. Residents on the south side of the airport had requested that the city annex the area to help them battle airport noise and also to make street and safety improvements.

“People have been clamoring to be annexed for the last 20 years,” said Deputy City Manager Ken Delino. “The City Council was never able to pin down all the costs, and now it will finally consider it.”

A 27-page report, which compiles six years of research, outlines costs and revenue the 193-acre land would generate. The report recommends that the city annex Santa Ana Heights, which is under county jurisdiction.

The city would receive an estimated $439,588 to $621,658 in property taxes, sales taxes, traffic fines and other fees if the area were annexed.

According to 1990 Census statistics, 1,158 people making an average annual income of $45,000 live in Santa Ana Heights.

City officials said they would levy additional fees to provide a new fire station, make street repairs, service street lights and sewers and add more police, firefighters and maintenance workers.

Five years ago, Newport Beach annexed the part of Santa Ana Heights now called Bayview, where the Marriott Suites hotel and nearby homes are located.

Councilman John C. Cox Jr. said he believes that the city will move to annex the rest of the area too. “The residents over there have wanted it for a long, long time. The issue always was: What’s it going to cost? We have always been supportive as long as it’s economically feasible,” he said.

Though most airport issues have been settled, Cox said, Santa Ana Heights residents want a city government to help fight for them in the future. Also, he said, “they want to have Newport Beach addresses.”