Take a beautiful piece of California coastline. Imagine the views from the waterfront hotel rooms or – wait, did you imagine a park? That’s what faced a community in Southern California. This particular stretch of beach exists within the boundaries of the City of Newport Beach and may be the nicest stretch of beach in Newport Harbor.
In the early 2000s, a developer wanted to turn the beach into a waterfront hotel. Members of the community mobilized and formed Protect Our Parks (POP). After successfully preventing the site from becoming a hotel, POP along with other citizen groups garnered the support of the City Council to establish a Steering Committee to further develop and refine the plan to create a beautiful waterfront park. The goal was to have this site remain open to the public.
Rabben/Herman Design Office (R/Hdo) of Newport Beach was the landscape architecture and design firm that POP engaged in this process. POP hoped that R/Hdo would be able to create a proposal for a portion of the park that was occupied by mobile homes.
The new design was sure to improve both the view and access to the bay. The concept created by R/Hdo was referred to as the “Window to the Bay,” where they created an opening that was over 1,100 linear feet of waterfront providing a view of the bay from the main roadway.
The Selux Notch LED Bollard, as well as the Saturn Cutoff, chosen as part of the lighting design for Marina Park because of the products’ ability to withstand the environmental conditions present along the waterfront. These fixtures are designed for and best featured in applications including but not limited to pathways, local roadways, parking lots, and general lighting.
Marina Park covers a total area of 10.5 acres and took 10 years to come to fruition. The park boasts a 23-slip visitor marina, including facilities for sailing instruction, new and improved restrooms for visitors, the Lighthouse Café, a nautical themed children’s playground with picnic tables, and a community center offering a variety of classes.
Today, Marina Park is a “new” park filled with activities that are available to the public and enjoyed by children, families, singles, and senior citizens.
