IRVINE : Builder Begins Report on 400-Home Project

A consultant has begun preparing an environmental impact report for the proposed Shady Canyon development, which the Irvine Co. wants to build on hillside land near Turtle Rock.

The company’s plan calls for the construction of about 400 homes in a “rural” setting, complete with a golf course and tree-lined streets without sidewalks.

The City Council received its first formal report on the development at last week’s meeting, which attracted opponents and supporters.

Some Turtle Rock residents praised the project, noting that the Irvine Co. was allowed under the general plan to seek far more than the 400 homes proposed for Shady Canyon.

They also said the project effectively kills a controversial plan to extend Sand Canyon Avenue into the area. Many Turtle Rock residents opposed the Sand Canyon extension for fear that it would increase traffic in the San Joaquin Hills area.

“This takes a major highway off the maps,” said Barbara Wiener, a Turtle Rock resident. “I think this proposal is an answer to (Turtle Rock residents’) dreams.”

Others criticized the proposal and demanded that the lush hillside area at the end of Bonita Canyon Road be preserved as open space.

“Irvine does not have much (open space). The city has a responsibility to preserve it,” one resident said.

Added George Gallagher, head of an Irvine slow-growth group: “This is unlike any other part of Irvine. It’s totally unique.”

The environmental impact report on the project is scheduled to be completed later this year. The Planning Commission and City Council are likely to take up the issue in early 1995.