Newport Beach cancels Banning Ranch agreement

What Happened: Newport Beach joined the California Coastal Commission in not supporting a large-scale development near the central Orange County coast, as the local City Council unanimously decided to revoke its Banning Ranch Approvals, Nov. 28.

The Coastal Commission twice blocked the Banning Ranch project, which proposed to bring housing, retail and a hotel to Newport Beach. Developers behind the Banning Ranch project had endorsements from Newport Beach’s City Council ahead of the commission’s deliberations last year and in early 2017.

Banning Ranch failed to gain Coastal Commission support due to the project’s Environmental Impact Report. A high court ruling in California deemed the report to be inadequate.

Council members approved the Banning Ranch project in 2012.

What’s On Tap: The future of the Banning Ranch property is unclear. Some news reports indicated the 401-acre stretch of land could be preserved as open space.