Published: June 16, 2010
Updated: 11:08 a.m.

1,244 homes planned near airport

By JEFF OVERLEY
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

NEWPORT BEACH – A proposed high-rise project in the Jamboree Road corridor near John Wayne Airport has nearly doubled in size, city officials report, the latest layer in the area's rapid urbanization.

The so-called Uptown Newport Village community would sit on 25 acres owned by semiconductor company Conexant, which plans to sell the land to a developer.

Conexant's plan called for 698 apartments and condos, but that number has now swelled to 1,244 units, according to a project study released this month. For the full project to be allowed, 15 percent of the units must be sold as affordable housing, officials say.

Two large commercial buildings would be demolished to make way for the new neighborhood, which would feature structures ranging from 30 feet to 150 feet in height. Shops, parks and a "pedestrian-friendly village format" would also be included, the report says.

Adjacent land is being eyed for development by the Koll Co., which wants to add 260 units. Just up the street, Irvine has added thousands more homes and apartments on and around Jamboree in the Irvine Business Complex.

Extensive litigation over the Irvine Business Complex ended last year with a multimillion-dollar settlement in Newport Beach's favor, with the proceeds going toward road improvements on Jamboree and nearby streets.

Uptown Newport Village, which sits between MacArthur Boulevard and Birch Street, would break ground in 2013, the report says.
Contact the writer: 714-796-7952 or joverley@ocregister.com

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