The Newport Beach Planning Commission approved the pump station project in late January. That decision was unsuccessfully appealed to the City Council on Tuesday night.
The Newport Beach City Council and the Newport Beach Public Library Foundation signed a memorandum in December 2021, stating that the two entities would share the cost of Witte Hall. But the lowest bid to build the project came in more than $3 million above projections.
Barricades were initially installed in November 2021 and removed in June by the city, but no action has since been taken to address ongoing concerns about traffic.
Residents on the 200 block of Fernleaf Avenue complain of traffic congestion and submitted a petition to turn it into a one-way street. The City Council has agreed to a trial closure of one direction.