Irvine : Reversal Sought on Theme-Park Ruling

Lion Country Safari will ask the City Council on Tuesday to reverse a city Development Department decision that park owners say jeopardizes their plans to build a water-theme park.

In July, city planners told Lion Country officials that they must apply for a conditional use permit--and undergo further studies that could take months--before starting construction on The Splash, a water-oriented attraction that would be built on the grounds of the former wildlife park.

Lion Country operators say that the original use permit, granted 12 years ago, allows for the park’s conversion after a simple design review. The Development Department, however, ruled that the changes, which include adding slides and pools, would be sweeping enough to require a new permit.

Larry Hogle, director of community development, said the conditional use permit process would enable Irvine to examine several areas of concern with the proposed use, including the impact on Irvine Center Drive traffic and the proximity of the park to possible crash zones for military aircraft based at the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station.

To obtain a new use permit, he said, Lion Country would have to submit site and landscape plans, detail plans for buildings and structures, including proposed heights, and an environmental application for Planning Commission approval.

Lion Country officials could not be reached for comment. However, a notice of appeal filed by attorneys for the park last month stated that “without early determination of the permitted uses for the property . . . (the) applicant will be forced to abandon the project.”

In their statement to the council, Lion Country officials said they hoped to open the park by early next summer.