U.S. Wants Lake Forest, Irvine in El Toro Plan : Land use: Pentagon pressure may force O.C. supervisors to delay dismantling the lame-duck unit.

The Pentagon is pressuring Orange County to include Irvine and Lake Forest in developing El Toro Marine Corps Air Station before the military will recognize the Board of Supervisors as the new planning agency for the base, officials said Tuesday.

The Defense Department’s demand that the two cities have a part in the planning process means that county officials may have to delay plans to dismantle the lame-duck Orange County Reuse Planning Authority by Jan. 31, said Dan Miller, executive director of the agency.

“The key issue is still what to do with Irvine and Lake Forest,” Miller said. “The military wants assurances that the communities affected (by the base’s closure) have a role in the planning.”

If the Board of Supervisors cannot come up with an acceptable plan that includes Irvine’s and Lake Forest’s participation, the Defense Department could go ahead and draft a reuse plan of its own for the base.

However, a Pentagon spokeswoman said the military hopes Orange County can come up with a plan of its own, and local officials said the possibility of the Defense Department assuming planning responsibility for El Toro is remote.

Still, Miller warned that the Navy Department is working on a strict time schedule to close the facility by 1999, and “they’ve made it clear they can’t wait around too long for the locals to get together.”

Miller said it may be necessary to postpone the dismantling of the Reuse Planning Authority because “we run the risk of not having a new entity that is recognized by the Pentagon in place by Jan. 31.”

The supervisors voted last month to exclude Irvine and Lake Forest from direct participation in the development of the Marine Corps base by dismantling the planning authority--composed of the five supervisors plus three representatives from Irvine and one from Lake Forest--at the end of January.

The supervisors acted after voters adopted Measure A in November, which requires the county to build a commercial airport at El Toro when the Marines leave. The initiative does not require the dismantling of the planning authority, but calls for a 13-member El Toro Airport Citizens Advisory Commission to plan for an airport.

Officials from both cities fought to remain a part of the planning process but were turned down by the supervisors. The board action killed a hard-won compromise hammered out last year between the county and the two cities, which demanded participation in plans to develop the base.

The five supervisors were reluctant from the outset to share planning power with Irvine and Lake Forest because, they argued, the base is located in an unincorporated area. However, they agreed to form the El Toro Reuse Planning Authority with the two cities after receiving offers of federal funding for planning the base’s redevelopment.

Helene() O’Connor, spokeswoman for the Pentagon’s Office of Economic Adjustment, which is overseeing the closure of El Toro, said Navy officials hope the supervisors can come up with an acceptable solution.

“We’re looking for local leadership to work this out and decide what will constitute the new planning authority for El Toro,” O’Connor said. “They alone are going to have to work it out.”

At stake is about $1.5 million in federal funds for the planning process, which cannot be released until the Pentagon sanctions a new planning agency.

Newly seated Supervisor Marian Bergeson, whose district includes Irvine and Lake Forest, said Tuesday that she favors giving both cities a role in planning for the 4,700-acre base and expressed support for the current planning agency.

“It’s necessary for all of the players to have input so decisions (affecting the base) can be thoroughly discussed,” Bergeson said. “The impact on all communities should be considered. The El Toro Reuse Planning Authority assures the input of all cities in South County.”

In the past weeks, Irvine officials have lobbied Navy Capt. Dave Larson, the Pentagon official directing the closure of El Toro, to pressure the Board of Supervisors to include Irvine and Lake Forest in the planning process, said Peter Hersh, Irvine manager of policy programs.

“Larson said the Pentagon will recognize a plan that is inclusive of Irvine and Lake Forest,” Hersh said. “He said this will have to be worked out at the local level and will give us time to work out these issues.”

But if the county and two cities cannot agree on a plan, “the Navy has the authority to close the base and do a reuse plan themselves,” Hersh added.

“Larson has made it clear that it’s key to him that Irvine and Lake Forest have a substantial role in the advisory commission,” Miller said. “He wants to see how all that plays out. He wants assurances that the affected communities will have a role.”

It is not known whether including Irvine and Lake Forest on the advisory commission will satisfy Larson and other Pentagon officials, Miller said.

“We don’t know whether this will comply with their criteria that the cities have a role in the planning process,” Miller said. “They’re unwilling to comment on this yet because they want to see this sticky problem resolved at local level.”

Hersh said that Irvine officials are hopeful that the Defense Department will work with Orange County and the two cities to incorporate provisions of Measure A “in a manner that will work for all of us.”

“We’re trying to put together a restructure plan that will satisfy Measure A and still include us in the planning process,” Hersh said. “We’ve been talking to Larson and he’s indicated a desire to go forward with such a planning structure.”

Added Miller: “We have to make some critical decisions this month. We have to decide what’s going to happen to the (El Toro Reuse Planning Authority). Do we extend it or run the risk of dismantling it without having a new agency in place that has been approved by the Pentagon? We have to work this out by the end of the month.”