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Politics & Government

New Lido Village Design Guidelines Proposed

A curved dock, outdoor living rooms and a footbridge are included in the presentation.

Those who attended Thursday's citizens advisory panel meeting got a sneak peek into how the new Lido Village might look.

The meeting was held at the Newport Beach Central Library and was designed to assist in the neighborhood revitalization process. Although plans have yet to be presented to the City Council, a 57-page draft was presented by project consultant Todd Larner of William Hezmalhalch Architects Inc. to showcase the design guidelines for the Lido Village/City Hall project.

Included in the proposal:

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  • Creating people places—or outdoor living rooms—for pedestrians throughout the village.
  • Incorporate mixed-use, residential and civic land uses within the City Hall site. 
  • Redeveloping Lido Plaza with new anchor tenant building locations  and consolidation of smaller-format shops. 
  • Providing green space or open spaces within the City Hall site,  featuring fountains and plaza for events and public gatherings. 
  • Increasing residential units within the Lido Triangle area and other waterfront sites. 

"This is a way for the city to have a framework in place so everyone knows what the rules are going to be which will create what the look and feel will be," Larner said. 

The proposed architectural style is "Newport Eclectic." Current buildings that share this style are the Port Theater, Lido Theatre, Newport Harbor High School, Balboa Pavilion, A'maree's and the Cannery restaurant. A blend of no more than two styles together is proposed for the new village project (e.g., maritime and modern, Spanish and cannery, art deco and modern and cannery and modern). 

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"We don't want everything to look the same, but to have different elements," said council member liaison Rush Hill. "Santana Row in San Jose is one of the nicest development projects I'd ever seen. Very eclectic. All different styles, yet the landscaping and pedestrian walkways pull it all together."

The plan also features sustainable concepts, including:

  • Reducing pollution of waterways, controlling and treating runoff, and maintaining mature trees and native vegetation. 
  • Encourage walking and biking by connecting pathways to recreation areas, neighborhood services and gathering spaces. 
  • Improve indoor air quality and improve energy efficiency within buildings. 

Other ideas tossed around were a curved dock outside Lido Village that is modeled after those in the south of France and a new pedestrian footbridge that connects Coast Highway to Lido Village along Newport Boulevard.

The next meeting is scheduled for Sept. 1 at 4 p.m. 

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