7-story project proposes 49 homes near Fashion Island

A proposal for a seven-story, 49-unit residential complex near Fashion Island will get its first look from the Newport Beach Planning Commission during a study session Thursday.

Newport Center Villas, planned for a 1.3-acre parcel bound by Newport Center Drive to the north and Anacapa Drive to the east, would include 10 townhomes on the first two levels, 35 condominiums on levels 3 through 6 and four penthouses on level 7. Three levels of subterranean parking also are planned.

The site is currently occupied by a car wash and a gas station.

Developer Newport Anacapa Associates LLC will present information about the project during the study session. Planning commissioners are expected to vote on it Oct. 22.

For the project to move forward, the city would have to approve a zoning code amendment and a general plan amendment to change the land use from regional commercial office to multiple-unit residential. The developer also is asking that the city increase the building height limit on the land from 32 feet to 83 feet 6 inches, according to city documents.

If the project is approved by the Planning Commission and the City Council, construction would last about 18 months, documents state.

An environmental report does not list any “potentially significant impacts” associated with the development.

Thursday’s Planning Commission meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Newport Beach Civic Center, 100 Civic Center Drive.