Newport Coast going to the dogs?

June Casagrande

NEWPORT COAST -- A private dog park and a $7-million community center

have both come one step closer to reality for residents of this recently

annexed area.

Members of the Newport Coast Advisory Committee have picked the former

Las Coyotes landfill as their first choice as a location for a private

dog park -- even though the idea is still in the dream stage.

“There is a large segment of the community that is very interested in

having a private dog park and we are diligently looking for space that

would accommodate that,” said Dan Wampole, a member of the Parks and Open

Space Subcommittee looking into dog park alternatives.

Residents lost the closest thing they had to a dog park in January

when an unofficial off-leash area at the park at San Joaquin Hills Road

near Newport Ridge Drive became officially off limits to dogs. Since

then, Coast residents have considered the question of how to create a dog

park now that they’re part of a city where leash laws effectively

prohibit all dog parks.

One way would be to change the ordinance. Another, and the one Coast

residents are leaning toward, is to create a private park owned and

managed by homeowners associations that is open only to Newport Coast

residents.

“That would be our No. 1 choice if a dog park were to happen,” Wampole

said of the area bordered on the southeast by Newport Coast Drive, on the

north by the Corona del Mar Freeway, and on the west by the community of

Newport Ridge. “It’s away from homes, so we don’t have a noise problem

disturbing anybody. We believe we’d be able to set up a fenced area to

keep everybody safe.”

The committee members will discuss the issue at a meeting tonight

where another prominent issue will be the question of whether to build a

community center.

As part of the city’s annexation agreement with Coast residents, $7

million has been set aside to build a community center if and only if the

residents want one. Otherwise, the money would be added to the

$18-million assessment district rebates residents will receive in

increments over the next 15 years.

Now, said committee member Al Willinger, it’s beginning to look like a

community center could come to be.

“We believe that it will have substantial support from the community,”

Willinger said.

The proposed 22,000-square-foot facility might contain an indoor

gymnasium with facilities for basketball and other sports, community

meeting space and other amenities. A branch library could also be part of

the center.

“We feel community center will weigh in heavily to get children and

adults involved in productive pursuits,” Willinger said.

* June Casagrande covers Newport Beach. She may be reached at (949)

574-4232 or by e-mail at o7 june.casagrande@latimes.comf7 .

FYI

WHAT: Newport Coast Advisory Committee meeting

WHEN: 5:30 to 7 p.m. today; pre-meeting discussion of on assessment

district finance issues and an appointment to the city’s Aviation

Committee begin at 4:30 p.m.

WHERE: Coastal Canyon Clubhouse, Ridge Park Road past Newport Coast

Elementary.

PHONE: For more information, call the city manager’s office at (949)

644-3000.