Economy, Safety Concerns Raised in Airport Debate

One side touted an El Toro commercial airport as key to the future economic health of Orange County.

The other side countered that transforming El Toro Marine Corps Air Station into an airport serving millions of passengers a year could bring with it noise, traffic, pollution and safety problems.

For two hours Wednesday, supporters and opponents debated whether the county should approve the building of an international airport at the El Toro base, due for closure by 1999.

An estimated 275 people attended the forum at the Red Lion Hotel, sponsored by The Times Orange County Edition.

They heard two teams spar over the adequacy of John Wayne Airport, future transportation demands and whether a new airport would attract residents and employees--or drive them away. “Orange County has a ‘boutique airport’--let’s face it--at John Wayne,” said Bruce Nestande, a former county supervisor and assemblyman who led a three-person panel that argued in favor of an El Toro airport. He said the county has growing passenger and cargo transportation needs and questioned where else a new airport could be built.

But former Irvine Mayor Larry Agran, leading the opposition team, criticized current studies on a host of fronts, from costs to safety. He predicted that the price tag of an El Toro airport would outstrip current estimates and described the plan as an effort to “shoehorn” an international airport into the Saddleback Valley.

“Think about the safety concerns,” he urged the crowd.

Garden Grove Councilman Mark Leyes and Newport Beach Mayor John W. Hedges, a pilot, spoke about the assets an El Toro airport would provide, while businesswoman Laurie Casey and pilot Todd Thornton joined Agran in questioning current plans.

The debate came on the eve of today’s Orange County Planning Commission review of the adequacy of a controversial draft environmental impact report on how the 4,700-acre base should be used after the Marines leave.