Debating the Soundness and Merits of Irvine’s Development and Planning

As I become more involved in the debate and issues of Irvine’s Village 38 and Northwood 5, I’ve come to realize that the officials my tax dollars pay for are really working for a higher calling in this city. The planning commissioners espouse property rights, and most certainly the Irvine Co.’s property rights, but what about my property rights?

When I purchased my Northwood Irvine home near the Hicks Canyon wash, I was told by the realtor that in a few years the orange trees would be gone and in their place would be homes like mine, and as they continued to build toward the foothills, estate-size lots would be created. As we now know, that is not how Northwood 5 has turned out. It now appears that half of the 2,850 homes will be of the high-density type.

We continue to hear from special-interest groups: “Continue the General Plan, stick to the plan, build out the city as it was envisioned in 1971.” The city attorney stated during the discussion that the General Plan comes up for review every five years and is amended if warranted. How many times has the Northwood 5 plan been changed since its conception?

When the General Plan was conceived in 1970, the issues of air quality, traffic congestion and overcrowding were nonexistent. Today, over 20 years later, these are very pertinent issues. We cannot stick our heads in the sand and hope that these problems will go away, continuing to do business as usual and telling anyone who will listen that property rights supersede air quality and every other right that a normal human being requires.

FRED SCHWARTZ

Irvine