Irvine : City OKs Expansion of Spectrum Complex
The City Council has approved a 540-acre expansion of the Irvine Spectrum commercial and industrial complex, with stringent conditions designed to avert traffic problems.
The new area of the Irvine Co. development, approved Wednesday, will be southwest of where the Santa Ana and San Diego freeways merge.
“We’ve always been very tough to deal with,” council member Sally Anne Miller said. “Every nitpicky thing has been dictated to the developers--what they can and cannot do.”
To win the approval, Miller said, the Irvine Co. had to promise that new revenue from the expansion will exceed the city’s expenses, agree to the future construction of 284 low- and moderate-income housing units, pay for beautification of the San Joaquin Marsh and dedicate “well over 100 acres” of the 540 acres to the city for permanent open space.
Moreover, a phasing plan stipulates that construction will end if the city staff determines that existing roads cannot handle the extra traffic.
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