CORONA DEL MAR : Irvine Co. May Alter Heliport Plan

The Irvine Co. has agreed to meet with opponents of its planned heliport in the Newport Coast development and consider modifications of the controversial proposal.

Hundreds of residents have protested the heliport this month by calling the Irvine Co. and by signing petitions claiming that the facility would be “dangerous and noisy.”

Opponents expressed fears over how high the helicopters would fly over their homes and how safe the proposed 150 helicopter trips per month would be.

“I hope to keep our community free of pollution and noise and hope that the Irvine Co. won’t disappoint us,” Corona Highlands resident Jean Robertson said.

Larry Thomas, vice president of corporate communications, said a new proposal could be made after the Irvine Co. hears what the residents have to say.

The goal, Thomas said, is “a plan that better serves the community.”

One proposal would have included a maximum of 20 flights per day over Crystal Cove State Beach and the nearby Pelican Hill Golf Course.

The flights were designed to serve hotel guests, golfers and Newport Coast residents heading to Southern California airports or other destinations.

Helicopters were to approach the heliport, on a future hotel site half a mile from any existing home, from over the ocean, according to the Irvine Co.