Luxury condo project to go back for more review

The Aerie, a nine-unit luxury condo project on Carnation Avenue in Corona del Mar, will go back to the Newport Beach planning commission for more review, the City Council decided this week.

Discussion of the project Tuesday became a debate on development versus protection of Corona del Mar’s coastal bluffs, with the council ultimately opting to keep the project from stretching so far down the bluff toward the ocean. The Aerie would have private decks and pools for each unit and an elevator to take cars to underground levels.

The condos would replace a 60-year-old apartment building that now stands empty. While the new building would have three stories above street level, developer Richard Julian said he tried to preserve the ocean views of the public and neighbors. But some argued the project is simply too massive for the area and would set a precedent for more development on the bluffs.

The council sent it back to the planning commission to be reworked.

— Alicia Robinson