Banning Ranch proposal suffers another defeat

NEWPORT BEACH — A war over the future of 401 acres of open space along the central Orange County coast is brewing, and the parties facing off against each other might not be who you’d expect. The California Coastal Commission could be going toe-to-toe against a large developer after the quasi-judicial state agency, for the second time in less than six months, delivered a blow to development plans for Newport Beach’s Banning Ranch. Commissioners specifically affirmed its September 2016 denial of the Banning Ranch proposal. Newport Banning Ranch LLC proposed to develop nearly 900 homes, hotel and hostel facilities, and more than 45,000 acres of retail space on portions of 401 acres just off Coast Highway on the Newport Beach-Huntington Beach border. Last year’s denial of the development proposal was considered a major victory for environmentalists and slow growth proponents, especially in light of the commission’s firing of its previous executive director, Dr. Charles Lester, in February 2016. The denial was based on the commission’s concerns of whether the Banning Ranch project complied with environmental laws protecting certain habitats and species, such as burrowing owls. Coastal Commission members and staff made it clear its Feb. 9 hearing was narrow in scope, focusing solely on the...