Newport Beach-based Makar Properties LLC’s plans for turning the Wyndham Orange County in Costa Mesa into a boutique hotel and condominium tower were delayed for a few months by an airport commission ruling on Thursday night.
John Wayne Airport’s Land Use Commission voted that Makar’s high-rise plans,which include a 23-story tower with up to 120 homes,were “inconsistent” with the area near the airport.
The decision isn’t likely to kill the developer’s plans, which weren’t expected to begin until 2010 at the earliest.
The Land Use Commission made a similar ruling on five other high-rise plans near South Coast Plaza late last year, but was overridden by Costa Mesa’s City Council.
The council can overturn the Land Use Commission’s latest decision with a four-fifths vote, after a 45-day review period. Until then, any development approvals are on hold.
Makar bought the Wyndham last year for a reported $42 million. Its renovations would include cutting the hotel’s rooms to 200 and adding a spa and restaurant along with the tower.
The hotel would close during construction of the tower.
