Plan to add 2 eateries to Mariner’s Mile nixed

Paul Clinton

Owners of a commercial building have pulled the plug on a plan to

replace the former Aysia 101 restaurant with two family-style dining

eateries.

Waterfront Newport Beach LLC no longer plans to bring in a Tony

Roma’s or an Irish-themed Bennigan’s to the three-story,

52,000-square-foot building at 2901 W. Coast Highway.

“We’ve had to withdraw our permit,” said Robert Lounsbury, a

Waterfront member. “There is no plan at this time.”

Instead, the company has leased a large chunk of the space to a

video game developer.

On Saturday, a division of Atari Entertainment finished moving

into space in the building, becoming the leading tenant. Shiny

Entertainment, which developed the video game “Enter the Matrix,” has

leased 13,000 square feet, Lounsbury said.

In February, the group announced that it had signed leases for a

Tony Roma’s and Bennigan’s for the property. They were scheduled to

open in June.

But after the group secured Newport Beach Planning Commission

approval for the dual use of the building’s top two floors, a city

inspection revealed the building was not up to code.

“There are potential major structural problems,” Chief Building

Instructor Steve Hook said. “We’re definitely going to force the

issue before the building is allowed to corrode to the point of

structural failure.”

Saltwater from the harbor has leaked into the building’s

three-story subterranean parking garage and has rusted the steel

foundation, Hook said.

Building owners have agreed to return, in two months, with

recommendations for repairs.

The saltwater woes weren’t the reason the company pulled the new

restaurants off the table, Lounsbury said. It was because the

building didn’t offer enough parking.

City officials, however, aren’t giving up hope that the

restaurants may be put in at some point.

“We would love to see them implement their project,” Newport Beach

Planning Director Patricia Temple said.

Earlier this year, Waterfront Newport Beach also bought in Newport

Office Center to sublease additional space for executive suites and

other office support uses.