High-Tech Plans for El Toro Reuse

The Times is to be commended for trying to encourage Orange County to engage in rational, constructive dialogue regarding possible uses for the valuable land of the Marine Corps Air Station at El Toro (“Planning Decision on El Toro Is Encouraging,” Orange County Perspective, Oct. 12).

One potential use is for a research park similar to the one near Durham and Raleigh, N.C. Administered by a private, nonprofit organization, it involves the joint efforts of three universities. It has contributed greatly to the economic health of the whole geographic area. The research park has over 36,000 people employed directly in it, and it has led to the employment of over 80,000 people in nearby industries and activities.

A research park involving several of our fine local universities and our extensive community college system would be a tremendous job generator and a real asset for all of Orange County.

There are several research facilities located in other parts of our country, and they are generally credited with aiding the economic health of their region.

Stanford University and Silicon Valley, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the area around Boston, and the University of Texas and Austin are three examples. None of these research facilities, however, includes much attention to the training of technical workers for employment in the fields they are developing.

Recent Wall Street Journal articles have cited a lack of qualified technical employees as hampering the full development of many industries currently. We would in Orange County have an opportunity for a joint effort in this respect, if facilities could be made available on the El Toro land, close to the Spectrum and other business locations and also close to many homes.

How much better than work for cargo handlers for a cargo airport moving goods from the Pacific Rim to markets in the United States.

RUTH A. SELDEN

Laguna Hills

* At last it looks as though there will be some serious planning for the use of El Toro. An education center, public park and sports or entertainment center are often mentioned alternatives. A high-tech, Silicon Valley type of development doesn’t seem to get the proper emphasis.

High-tech would produce long-term employment for people who would live in the Orange County area; other alternatives would not. It would then produce long-term tax income for the county with its higher salaried people, more expensive homes, more local spending, etc.

It would not cause the noise, pollution, congestion and loss in property values associated with an airport. It would help pay for the original reason for closing El Toro: to use the money from the sale of the very valuable property to pay for the huge expense of moving and closing the base.

The county wouldn’t be burdened with another expensive bond measure to add to the load it is already carrying for John Wayne Airport while it is trying to work its way out of bankruptcy. It would avoid the big outlay that airport infrastructure will require plus the costs of revised runways. The original conversion estimate can be multiplied from three to five times.

The Silicon Valley area industry is very vulnerable at this point. They need room for expansion and El Toro would be a perfect location. Properly designed, people could virtually walk or bicycle to work in an industrial-residential complex. Instead of our supervisors spending $300,000 on a campaign to sell the public on their bad decision to convert to an airport, far less could be productively spent on a sales campaign to lure some of the Silicon Valley operations to locate here.

BARNEY DEASY

Laguna Hills

* The county supervisors have given South County permission to develop airport alternatives for El Toro.

I can understand that decision based on the remote case of a fatal flaw being found in planning a commercial airport. However, as ideas come forth, I hope the importance of that land being used for an airport will not diminish.

We must keep in mind our county air traffic demands are expected to double. Can the pathetically small John Wayne Airport handle the expected growth? No.

John Wayne Airport is only 470 acres, compared with El Toro’s 18,450 acres, including a no-home buffer zone.

Can John Wayne expand? Not very easily. It does not have a buffer zone and is bound by a freeway to the north and to the south. It has businesses and homes so close that theoretically residents could witness a pilot waving good-bye during the steep upward climb over their homes.

You could place over 10 airports the size of John Wayne on the El Toro base. Is there any other place in the county to build an airport? Unfortunately, studies prove there is none.

Alternate use suggestions may prove interesting, but unlike an airport, they can be built in other locations. The El Toro land is our final hope for a quality airport that can meet the growing needs of our county.

JOHN O’NEIL

Newport Beach

* For months now the El Toro airport controversy has been headline news as well as fodder for thousands of editorials and letters to every newspaper, magazine and journal in Orange County. Our golden orange has become sour grapes.

How about a simple solution? Take every flight flown by every commercial carrier that currently and in the future will serve Orange County and divide them evenly between both airports.

MICHAEL A. GLUECK

Newport Beach