IRVINE

To the relief of some environmentalists, Irvine voters will not find a ballot initiative proposing to expand Strawberry Farms Golf Course into neighboring open space on the March ballot.

But the measure may appear in a future election, organizers said.

The deadline to file the petition for the controversial Irvine Recreation Initiative Ordinance came and went Monday. On that day, Strawberry Farms manager Doug DeCinces informed Irvine’s city clerk that the drive to put the measure on the ballot had been dropped.

DeCinces, a former major league baseball player, had been the prime force behind the measure. Voters would have decided whether to change the zoning for 84 acres of protected open space to recreational use so Strawberry Farms could add nine holes to the existing 18-hole course near University and Michelson drives.