Attachment C
Pacific Life Initiation Request Letter
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PACIFICLIFE
Chris Hibler
AVP, Global Workplace Services
July 16, 2026
Community Development Department
SeimoneJurjis, City Manager
Jaime Murillo, Community DevelopmentDirector
City of Newport Beach
100 Civic Center Drive
Newport Beach, CA 92658
Re: 700 Newport Center Drive (APN: 442-262-01)
Request for Municipal Code Amendment (Reversion) Regarding Gross Floor Area Calculations
Dear Community Development Department,
Following our June 25". meeting and discussion, Pacific Life respectfully requests the City of Newport Beach reinstate, or otherwise incorporate, language within the Newport Beach Municipal Code that existed prior to 2010 regarding the calculation of Gross Floor Area (GFA) for purposes of evaluating Floor Area Ratio (FAR).
Pacific Life Profile and Background for Request
Pacific Life is a long-standing Newport Beach-headquartered company, with almost 2,000 employees across actuarial science, technology, operations, finance, accounting, and other strategic roles. Our financial strength and market-leading position in insurance contribute to our continued growth. We create ‘meaningful local impact through philanthropy, employee volunteerism and community partnerships across education and food security. Wealso champion ocean health and the conservation of marine mammals aligned with Newport Beach's coastal identity. Strong partnerships are a core value of Pacific Life; we engage with local institutions, universities, and civic organizations, while also supporting Newport Beach businesses through corporate travel, meetings, and major hosted events.
As we continue to grow,attract and develop morelocal talent, we continue to expand ourreal estate occupancyinto existing, adjacent buildings at 800, 840 and 880 Newport CenterDrive. The opportunity to optimize our parking resources with the creation of a parking structure while creating a new
PACIFIC LIFE
700 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, California 92660-6397 Tel: (949) 283-1139 | [email protected]
www.PacificLife.com
GH
PACIFICLIFE
employee-only café will allow us to further develop a true Newport Beach campus, enhancing the employee experience while allowing us to continue to attract and retain key talent in Newport Beach.
FARCalculations and the Municipal Code
Under the current Newport Beach Municipal Code, Title 20, Chapter 20.70 (Definitions), "Floor Area, Gross" includes most enclosed and accessible areas within a structure, while specifically excluding certain areas such as stairwells, elevator shafts abovethefirst level, outdoor dining areas, and parking structures associated with an allowed use.
Prior to 2010, however, Section 20.63.060(D) of the Newport Beach Municipal Code provided the Planning Director with discretion to exclude utility and mechanical equipment rooms—up to ten percent (10%) of the gross floor area—from FARcalculations when it could be clearly demonstrated that such areas did not contribute to the traffic generation potential of the property.
This former provision recognized an important planning principle: mechanical, electrical, telecommunications, and building-support spaces are necessary operational components of modern buildings but do not generate occupancy, increase demand for parking, or contribute to traffic generation. As building systems have becomeincreasingly sophisticated, the amount of space dedicated to these functions has grown substantially and, in many cases, exceeds ten percent of a building's gross floor area. Consequently, including these non-occupiable support spaces within FAR calculations can significantly reduce the functional and usable area available within a development without advancing the underlying objectives of FARlimitations.
The concept of excluding non-traffic-generating space from floor area calculations is not unique to Newport Beach. Manyjurisdictions provide similar exclusions or adjustments for mechanical, utility, and other building-support areas because they do notincrease occupancylevels or create additional transportation impacts.
Request for Amendment
For Pacific Life, reinstating this language would be consistent with entitlements previously granted for the property. In April 2007, the City's Planning Department approved PA2007-041 and concludedthat, pursuant to the Newport Beach Municipal Code at that time:
PACIFIC LIFE
700 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, California 92660-6397 Tel: (949) 219-XXXX | [email protected]
www.PacificLife.com
HW
PACIFICLIFE
"The Planning Director mayexcludeutility and mechanical equipment rooms,totaling up to 10-percent of the gross floor area, from the calculation of the floor area ratio whenitis clearly demonstrated that such areas do not contribute to the traffic generation potential of the property." Reinstatement of this provision would facilitate Pacific Life's planned improvements at 700 Newport CenterDrive, including the construction of a new parking garage and employee amenity buildingThese improvements would allow the property to remain within the approved maximum developmentlimit of 327,671 gross square feet while enhancing the campus with amenities designed exclusively to serve existing Pacific Life employees.
Importantly, the proposed amenity building is intended to provide on-site food service and employee support functions and would not be open to the public. Because the facility would serve only the existing employee population, it would not generate additionaltraffic, parking demand, or occupancy beyond whatis already accommodated on the campus.
Pacific Life respectfully requests the City's consideration of a municipal code amendmentthat would reinstate, or provide a comparable mechanism for recognizing,utility and mechanical equipment areas that do not contribute to traffic generation when calculating floor area ratio. We believe such an amendment would support sound planning principles while providing flexibility for property improvements that enhance employee experience without increasing development impacts.
Thank you for your consideration of this request. We would welcome the opportunity to discuss this matter further and provide any additional information that mayassist in your evaluation.
Sincerely,
Chris Hibler
AVP, Global Workplace Services
Pacific Life
(949) 283-1139
[email protected]
PACIFIC LIFE
700 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, California 92660-6397 Tel: (949) 219-XXXX | [email protected]
www.PacificLife.com