Sunset Ridge Park is located at the Northwest corner of Superior Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway in the City of Newport Beach. Acquired from Caltrans in 2006, the property was purchased by the City for the purpose of providing a public active park (youth soccer fields, youth baseball field, playground, public viewing areas and pedestrian paths) to the community.
Due to its proximity to an adjacent large-scale private development project and due to the identification of the threatened California Gnatcatcher located on said adjacent private property, the Sunset Ridge Park project faced tremendous opposition by local environmental conservation groups. Indeed, the California Coastal Commission staff recommended denial of the project despite the fact that parks are a priority use in the Coastal Act.
Nevertheless, Schmitz & Associates successfully represented the City’s interests and on August 9, 2012, project was approved by a vote of 8-4 by the California Coastal Commission. Construction of this beautiful park is set to commence in the coming months.