Irvine Wants El Toro Retail, Sports Facility

IRVINE —  City Council members voted Tuesday night to pursue a plan that would bring a professional sports complex and retail shopping development to 440 acres of city land within what is now the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station.

The 4-1 vote came despite warnings by city planners that if a commercial airport is built on the base after it closes in 1999, noise and safety regulations could make Irvine’s plan difficult if not impossible.

Council members rejected alternatives that called for the construction of research and development facilities, which would be allowed near a commercial airport.

The vote reflected council members’ continuing opposition to a commercial airport at the base.

“It’s just a shame that we got into an argument over whether it should be an airport or not be an airport, rather than looking at what is the highest and best use for this land,” Councilman Barry Hammond said. “I’m personally not willing to throw in the towel and say we lost the battle.”

Councilwoman Christina Shea cast the only no vote, saying although she also favors the plan, she believes the council’s action was premature.

“The bottom line is, we have to work within certain parameters,” she said. “We have to be assured that we’re not going to be spending lots of money on a plan that eventually will have to be downsized . . . because we can’t do it within an airport scenario.”

The City Council action comes just one week before the county is expected to issue its proposal for development of the 4,700-acre base.

The council had unanimously endorsed Measure S, the failed March ballot initiate that would have prohibited a commercial airport there. But council members say the county will have a hard time planning for an airport without the city’s cooperation.

“The county can’t do anything without our 440 acres,” Hammond said. “Either one of us can do all the planning we want, but without cooperation neither of us will be able to implement those plans.”

Six South County cities are now considering whether to appeal a February Superior Court ruling that dismissed their lawsuit to overturn Measure A, the 1994 county ballot initiative that called for a commercial airport. Irvine council members on Tuesday night announced they unanimously support an appeal.

Some Irvine officials see the 440 acres of city land as a bargaining chip to try to win concessions from the county on base-planning issues. Councilwoman Paula Werner said the undeveloped property could also bring the city a huge boost in revenues.

“We don’t often get to deal with this large of a segment of land,” Werner said. “We have an opportunity to do something unique.”

Council members Tuesday night reviewed various plans that include a sports stadium and convention center, a university campus, a research and development park, a recreation center and office buildings. The plan they settled on also includes a hotel and convention center.

Irvine is trying to generate interest in the property from developers.

Hammond, who has joked about putting a 50-story child care center at the end of the Marine base runway in order to block construction of a commercial airport, said the county inevitably will have to deal with the city.

“Measure A does not cover our 440 acres,” Hammond said, “and our 440 acres will impact what the county does.”