IRVINE : Council Delays Span for Shopping Centers

A divided City Council this week voted to keep two shopping centers divided for the time being. It granted an Irvine Co. request to postpone construction of a footbridge across the San Diego Creek linking the Crossroads and Westpark Plaza shopping areas.

Irvine Co. officials and major retailers successfully argued that the bridge could increase their cost of doing business and compound parking problems.

Council members voted 3 to 2 to grant a zoning change to the Irvine Co., delaying construction of the bridge until a transit station is built at the site for the planned countywide monorail system. Rick Evans, president of the Irvine Co.’s Retail Properties Group, agreed to post a 15-year, $200,000 bond for construction of the bridge, to be adjusted annually for inflation.

Construction of the bridge was a zoning requirement for the Irvine Co.’s development of Westpark Village. Councilwomen Christina L. Shea and Paula Werner voted against delaying construction of the bridge, arguing that it would benefit most nearby residents. They also voiced concerns about the precedent set by changing the zoning requirement.

The city hired the Costa Mesa engineering firm of Linscott, Law & Greenspan to survey the 69 retailers in both shopping centers to measure support for the bridge. Of the 66 businesses responding to the survey, 83% supported construction of the bridge, believing it would boost business.