Save Newport Real News in Newport Beach
Last night, Diane Dixon held a Townhall Meeting at taxpayer expense which smelled much more like a campaign rally. She had non-government businesses headlining the government sponsored event, speaking about their grand opening. I have a strong feeling that Dixon has been using taxpayer money to campaign, and I intend to gather all of the evidence for that in the upcoming weeks.
Beyond that, though, it’s actually a long-time coming for the grand opening of the old city hall site. Yes, they are getting a deal on the land at about 1/12th of market rates and yes they are using Dixons Townhalls to advertise their private business on the taxpayer dime, but it’s hard to pass up cheap rent and free advertising– those problems lie solely with our government, as virtually any business would take free money if the government (or anyone else) offers it. After all, the duty of fiscal stewardship of taxpayer dollars falls squarely on our elected officials and nobody else.
So: What is “the Mayors Table”? It’s a restaurant. But the bar isn’t far away either, and will be featured as “Balboa’s first rooftop bar”. (Yes, I know: Depending on whether or not you’ve spent a 4th of July on the peninsula before in your 20s, this is debatable.) The bar will be designed like the worlds-largest-cabana, and is sure to offer unique views of the beach, bay, and ocean. The store “Crew” will also be a featured spot on the property, and is a boutique ice cream shop, ready to cool down the public in our hot summer months. The hotel is nearly complete, with an eye-popping 130 rooms and five two-bedroom, two-bathroom three-story cottages, each architected by a different designer, giving each one a very unique feel.
Being the hotel located closest to the world-famous Hoag Hospital, this is sure to have year-round booked rooms for visiting families celebrating the birth of new children or visiting for other reasons, but will also cater to Balboa’s famous “summer traffic groups”, giving them a unique variety of ways to book business.
As for their opening, I look forward to a visit. Pricing is unavailable at this time.
For the hotel amenities, they will have a saltwater pool flanked by cabanas, a full service spa and an outstanding 15,000 sqft of event space shared between indoor and outdoor areas.
This has been a long-running project which has cost an unimaginable amount of money, and I wish them the best. As long as they don’t try to lobby to obtain public assets at a below market cost, like buying up the now-departing firestation for overflow parking at below market rates. We’ll see, but for now, I’ll be a supporter… and I am definitely looking forward to some ice cream!
