FOCUS : Tree-lined Streets Throughout. . .That’s Deerfield

I think that I shall never see a poem lovely as a tree . . . . Poems are made by fools like me, But only God can make a tree.

Joyce Kilmer’s famous poem, “Trees,” first appeared in the early 1900s. And although Irvine was not created until more than a half-century later, one might think he had actually strolled through the city’s Deerfield neighborhood on a spring day--then sat down and wrote the poem. Trees dominate the area, particularly lavender-blooming jacarandas, which line most of the streets in this sleepy neighborhood.

Deerfield is just off Culver Drive near Irvine Center Drive, between the Santa Ana and San Diego freeways. A pair of oversize signs etched with the word Deerfield and deers’ heads mark the district’s entrance on Culver Drive.

Deerfield, built in the mid-1970s, is a mixture of townhouses and single-family homes. The virtual elimination of through streets and long straightaways gives it an enclave feeling more common to private compounds. And the use of the zero-lot-line layout, a concept that places the house on its lot line and makes all surrounding space usable, gives Deerfield’s single-family homes a look not normally associated with developments.

Home appreciation is no stranger to Deerfield, either. Townhouses ranged from $38,000 to $69,000 when they went on the market in October, 1974. Today they fetch upward of $175,000. Single-family residences that opened in January, 1975, with prices from $55,000 to $70,000 now bring $300,000. At the center of the neighborhood is a 10-acre park, offering the amenities that most community parks have, such as tennis, racquetball and volleyball courts.

Don James, a student at Orange Coast College and community park leader, believes Deerfield has another asset that complements its arboreal charms. “The kids here are great; they are very well behaved,” he says. “This must be a direct reflection on their parents and how they’re being brought up. I enjoy working here.”

According to David Flint, president of the Deerfield Community Assn., the most prominent neighborhood issue during the last five years has been whether to build a new railroad overcrossing at Yale Avenue.

The existing overpass--a covered, quaint (at least by modern standards) affair--has for years served pedestrians crossing the Santa Fe tracks. And its narrow construction pretty much precludes any kind of wheeled traffic except bicycles.

A proposal to expand the bridge into a full-blown traffic crossing brought the matter to grief. Such a bridge would have made Yale an unbroken traffic artery running from the West Yale Loop, through Deerfield, and all the way to the northern city limits.

After a prolonged battle between residents and the City Council, and even a lawsuit filed by three residents, the neighborhood got what it wanted--sort of. In lieu of a multilane public traffic overcrossing, the bridge to be built will be limited to bicycles, walkers and emergency vehicles. Construction is under way, with completion expected this fall.

One thing Deerfield does not need, neighbors agree, is cross-town traffic fumes fouling the tree blossoms.

Population Total: (1988 est.) 2,839 1980-88 change: -9% Median Age: 34.3 Racial/ethnic mix: White (non-Latino), 84%; Latino, 5%; Black, 1%; Other, 10% By sex and age: MALES Median age: 35.0 years FEMALES Median age: 33.9 years Income Per capita: $20,152 Median household: $54,130 Average household: $50,870 Income Distribution: Less than $25,000: 12% $50,000-74,999: 40% $25,000-49,999: 31% More than $75,000: 17%