Irvine Reportedly Close to Land Deal

After 2 1/2 years of study, Irvine officials and the Irvine Co. are on the verge of an unprecedented agreement that would preserve 2,000 to 5,000 acres of trails, marshlands, hills and canyons as open space, participants in the negotiations say.

The two sides are trying to find a way to trade additional development for open space in the 43-square-mile city of 90,000 residents.

The city wants the Irvine Co. to set aside the land in exchange for allowing higher density in residential and commercial projects proposed elsewhere in Irvine, such as the area east of Jeffrey Road between the Santa Ana and San Diego freeways.

With a deadline of Tuesday’s City Council meeting set by both sides, Councilman Ray Catalano says that negotiators are “very close” to shaking hands on an open-space pact.

Another round of talks is scheduled for Tuesday morning. City officials say the council will receive either an agreement requiring public hearings later or a progress report.

A final agreement could give Irvine--a city that already has numerous parks and greenbelts--one of the highest proportions of open space of any city in Orange County.

“The outcome of these negotiations clearly will have an impact on the city well into the next century and beyond,” says Catalano, a UC Irvine professor and urban planner who has been the city’s chief negotiator on the issue.

Michael LeBlanc, a senior director with the Irvine Co., agreed. “There’s no question that when this is over, Irvine again will have set a lasting example for others (cities) to shoot at,” he says.

Both sides concur on the significance of the open-space negotiations but say no deal has been struck yet. And despite Catalano’s optimistic assessment of the talks, it is possible that talks will have to continue after Tuesday’s deadline.

The 2 1/2-year effort began in October, 1985, when officials decided to amend Irvine’s General Plan. The council appointed city officials and residents to an open-space task force that reviewed all land-use in the city and produced several reports on traffic, recreational needs, future development and a preliminary environmental impact report--all parts of a 9-inch-thick, 2,100-page stack of documents being used in the negotiations.

The open-space agreement comes before the council at the same time that Irvine Mayor Larry Agran has placed on Tuesday’s council agenda the question of whether the city should adopt the controversial, countywide slow-growth initiative, for which he has helped gather signatures.

The Citizens’ Sensible Growth and Traffic Control Initiative would condition future growth on the ability of local roads and public facilities to handle increased traffic and workloads and would require developers to set aside more space for parks.

Agran has been under fire from county supervisors and developers for complaining about high growth rates elsewhere while his city has approved more commercial development than any other in the county.

Open space was a key issue in the 1986 city elections, and Agran, a slow-growth proponent, expects it to surface again in the June elections.

Agran, who many believe will run for reelection in June, says that in the absence of a final agreement with the Irvine Co., the council will unilaterally decide which land should be declared off-limits to development.

Hoping to capitalize on the expected heavy turnout for the council and presidential primary races, Agran wants the council to put any open-space agreement on the citywide ballot in June. Voter approval would legally protect the open-space plan from possible attempts by future councils to weaken it.

“Clearly, the residents of this city should have a voice in this critical issue,” Agran says.

Some Irvine officials believe it is in the city’s best interest to settle with the Irvine Co. rather than force a plan on the developer. The city has the power only to regulate land-use, not to take land from the company without paying for it. Irvine Co. officials say they will go to court if the city attempts to take their land by designating it open space without their consent.

The Irvine Co., however, has much to gain by forging an agreement on the issue, according to Catalano.

“Growth is a burning issue throughout Southern California,” Catalano says. “Irvine is no different, and the company is in a position to secure its right to develop its holdings while recognizing the importance and value of ensuring adequate open space in the city.

“This is the best deal that they’re going to get for many years to come. We’re not asking that the company give up its rights to develop--just relocate those rights.”

Talks between the two sides have centered on two proposals: one that would designate 13,000 acres--or 28% of Irvine--open space and another that would set aside 16,000 acres--or 33% of city property--for open space. The current General Plan calls for 11,062 acres--or 23%--of open space.

“The two plans are starting points, benchmarks if you will,” says senior City Planner Steve Haubert, who has coordinated the city’s long-range open-space guidelines.

The undeveloped tracts are between the Santa Ana and San Diego freeways east of Jeffrey Road to the Laguna Canyon Freeway. The company, according to LeBlanc, believes the area is prime real estate for development. It is flat and close to freeways, making it attractive to both residents and potential commercial users.

How much building is allowed in the area may determine whether the city gets what it wants, namely concessions to limit or eliminate planned development in several canyon and hillside areas. They include Lomas Ridge in the Santiago Hills north of Irvine Boulevard; Quail Hill near University Drive, south of the San Diego Freeway; Shady and Boomer canyons east of the UCI campus, and the San Joaquin Marsh next to Upper Newport Bay.

The Irvine Co. controls each of the undeveloped areas, and Agran and others say preserving them is critical to Irvine’s future. The 360-acre Quail Hill, for example, is home to as many as 3,000 Canada geese, which feed and rest there three months a year on their annual migration.

“Irvine is not only houses, parks and office buildings,” Agran says. “It is a place where people can get out into the open and see nature. We must struggle to protect it.”

Open space in Irvine is more than street medians or flood control channels, says Haubert, the city planner.

“This city has always considered that its ridgelines, marshes and agricultural lands were part of the open-space equation,” adds Haubert. “Residents should be able to look up and see an open hillside.”

Currently in Orange County, Newport Beach has the highest proportion of open space, about 14,400 acres. Open space in Irvine could go as high as 16,000 acres.

To improve the prospects of reaching an agreement, both sides decided not to include the land northwest of El Toro Marine Corps Air Station, along Jeffrey Road north of the Santa Ana Freeway, in settlement talks.