Plans for a new pier restaurant go to the Newport City Council on Tuesday
Plans that would bring a new restaurant to the Newport Pier are scheduled to go to the Newport Beach City Council for review Tuesday.
In March, the council approved an agreement for James Ulcickas and Richard Staunton, owners of the Bluewater Grill on the Lido Peninsula, to develop a conceptual design for a new restaurant at the end of the city-owned pier.
Since then, Los Angeles-based Kelly Architects has designed a new facility that would replace the vacant, 1940s-era restaurant building on the pier.
The project would involve demolishing the deteriorating 4,000-square-foot building — last occupied by Newport Pier Grill and Sushi — and building a slightly larger one in its place.
The replacement is proposed to be 4,500 square feet and have two stories, indoor and outdoor seating, a roof deck and a takeout window.
City officials say the existing building, though it was expanded and renovated in the late 1980s, is “beyond its useful life and its removal and replacement is the best economic option. Additionally, the restaurant demolition will allow for renovation of the pier directly beneath the building.”
For the restaurant to be built, the council will need to allow city staff to submit a development application to the California Coastal Commission. The commission’s permitting process could take nine months to a year, staff said.
In other business, city officials are proposing to dissolve the Tidelands Management Committee and merge its duties with the Harbor Commission to reduce duplication and better manage costs.
The 10-member committee hasn’t met since May, according to city records. Its goals include making recommendations to the council on tidelands-related capital projects.
Tuesday’s City Council meeting begins at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 100 Civic Center Drive.
Twitter: @BradleyZint
