IRVINE : City Delays Action on Buffalo Ranch

A Transportation Corridor Agencies plan to remove two structures on the old Buffalo Ranch received a cool reception this week from the City Council, which delayed a vote on the proposal for 30 days.

Council members urged TCA officials to meet with residents who seek to preserve the one-time public attraction, where people came in the 1950s to watch buffalo and other animals roam.

The debate over Buffalo Ranch began last year when the TCA initially proposed removing several structures on the property to make room for an extension of Ford Road eastward from MacArthur Boulevard.

Residents mobilized to oppose the plan, and the council last summer called on the TCA to craft a road alignment that preserves as much of the ranch as possible.

The TCA has since developed two designs for the Ford Road extension. The first alternative would require the removal of one structure and an Indian archeological site believed to contain artifacts.

Under the second alternative, two of 15 ranch structures--a shed and an office--would have to be moved, but the archeological site would be spared.

The TCA seeks the second alternative, saying it would provide a straighter and potentially safer roadway. Agency officials also argued that moving the two buildings would not compromise the historical integrity of the site because the structures were moved to their current location in the 1960s.

But residents who oppose altering the structures fear the move would jeopardize the ranch’s chances of being placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

They demanded that a decision on the road alignment be postponed until late next year when it is known whether the ranch will be added to the register. TCA officials oppose that idea and hope to begin work on the road in January.

Preservationist Judy Libeck said the ranch is a pleasant reminder of the past for residents “bombarded by stucco and glass.” In the 1950s, visitors flocked to the ranch to see the many buffalo and livestock on the land.

Libeck and other residents expressed dismay that the TCA would again attempt to move the structures after the council’s decision last year. “We’ve been here before,” she said.

And some council members agreed.

“I think we owe it to the people . . . to allow them the time to work together,” said Councilwoman Paula Werner. “I feel I am placed in a difficult position to be asked to overturn a mitigation measure.”

The council asked for more information on the historical ramifications if the two buildings are removed. They also suggested that more alternative road alignments be designed.