The October 28 Newport Beach City Council meeting was packed with community members, most there to voice their opinions on the proposed Snug Harbor Surf Park that would be constructed on a section of the Newport Beach Golf Course.
According to a Staff Report, Back Bay Barrells, LLC wants to redevelop the central portion of the privately owned and operated Newport Beach Golf Course. The existing driving range, putting green, pro shop, restaurant and bar, and three holes of golf would be removed and replaced with a new surf-focused outdoor commercial recreation use dubbed Snug Harbor.
The Staff Report notes that the site would be improved with approximately five acres of surfing lagoon surrounded by viewing platforms, seating, pools, a spa, restrooms, landscaping, and 351 surface parking spaces. The proposed hours of operation for the surf park are from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.
The project includes the construction of a new three-story amenity clubhouse building and a two-story athlete accommodation building with 20 rooms. As golf operations are proposed to continue, existing access would be maintained to the NBGC holes identified as the “front six” and the “back nine.”
In order to authorize the project, the City Council would have to adopt four resolutions:
1) Approve a General Plan Amendment.
2) Approve the site development review, conditional use permit and modification permit.
3) Certify the Environmental Impact Report.
4) Override the August 7, 2025, Orange County Airport Land Use Commission (ALUC) determination that the project is inconsistent with the 2008 John Wayne Airport Environs Land Use Plan.
Approval of the project and the adoption of the resolution to override the ALUC requires a two-thirds majority vote of the City Council.
When the agenda item came up, Joselyn Perez, Senior Planner for the City of Newport Beach, showed a power point presentation that explained in detail the scope of the project.
Perez explained that the golf course is located in the Santa Ana Heights neighborhood and zoned for open space and recreation. The surrounding property is also in Santa Ana heights and includes residential and commercial land uses.
“The project site is the central portion of the Newport Beach Golf Course,” explained Perez. “The golf course is divided into three different sections: the northern portion, which is primarily located within the county of Orange, the central portion and the southern portion. The central portion is currently developed with the driving range, three holes of golf, a restaurant and pro shop in the parking area. The Newport Beach Golf Course is privately owned and operated. It is not a municipal course, and it currently operates pursuant to a use permit that was approved in the 1970s.”
if the project was approved that evening, Perez noted that the northern and southern portions will continue to operate as a golf course pursuant to that use permit.
“The proposed project is to redevelop the central portion with two, 5.1 million gallon surf lagoons surrounded by viewing areas, lighting, landscaping, pools, the development of an amenity clubhouse building, which will be approximately 50,000 square feet in area, three stories and 50 feet tall, that will provide a variety of uses, including a restaurant and bar, retail, surf Academy and viewing areas for the public,” said Perez. “The basement will provide golf cart storage to facilitate the future use of golf on the northern and southern portion, as well as store surfboards and other equipment necessary to facilitate the surf lagoon.”
The project includes 351 parking spaces covered by solar panels.
An important element of the project is the environmental impact report. Perez noted that while many projects qualify for an exemption, this project required a full environmental impact report to identify if there are any impacts to the environment, and if so, can they be mitigated or avoided.
The draft EIR studied over 15 different categories related to the environment.
“We found no impact to three different categories,” said Perez. “Most impacts were less than significant just on their own. However, there were four areas that had the potential for an impact, but that’s been mitigated to less than significant through the implementation of mitigation measures. There are no significant and unavoidable impacts as part of this project.”
After the draft EIR, the city prepared a final EIR, which included a response to every comment received on the draft EIR.
After Perez finished her presentation, representatives from the Snug Harbor Surf Project spoke about the project, then members from the Save Newport Beach Golf Course organization voiced their displeasure with the project.
“This land may be privately owned, but for decades it’s been a public treasure, a true neighborhood beacon,” Benny Hallock, the volunteer chairman of Save the Newport Beach Golf Course, told the City Council. “Veterans find peace here. Seniors stay active. Families can afford to play together, and local schools use it to teach and compete. Over 130,000 rounds of golf and 90,000 buckets of range balls are played here every year. That’s a real community impact.”
Hallock added that he brought a stack of paperwork that included a petition signed by thousands of people who were against the project.
When Newport Beach Mayor Joe Stapleton opened the floor to public comment, a long line of community members approached the podium. Some spoke in favor of the project; many were opposed for various reasons.
After about 90 minutes of public comment, members of the City Council weighed in with their thoughts on the project. They had myriad questions for staff, but they all agreed this was a project they intended to vote for.
Mayor Stapleton told the audience “Thank you for being here. We hear you. We see you. We have 1800 emails, two hours of public comments, 47 people speaking. This is the pride of Newport Beach. I think Newport Beach is full of vibrant communities, vibrant villages, a lot of natural beauty, but it’s you guys, the people, that really contribute to the success and the vibrance of our city.”
Stapleton acknowledged that the surf project is a complex project, so it’s a project they need to get right. He said that city staff has been going through the project and answering all the questions to make sure they had accurate information.
“That is really important to me for two things. One is to really protect property rights for property owners here in the community in Newport Beach. Secondly, I ran on a campaign promise to keep Newport. Newport, and I believe those aren’t mutually exclusive. I think we can do that at the same time. I think we can defend real property rights when you have individuals that are willing to invest responsibly in our community, I also think we can protect the charm, the scale, the coastal character of what really makes us Newport Beach and why we are such a unique city.”
When Stapleton called for a vote, the result was six in favor of the Snug Harbor surf project, with councilmember Noah Blom recusing himself due to a conflict.
