‘Lean, Green’ Plan for El Toro Unveiled

County planners on Thursday said their decision to replace heavy commercial development around the proposed El Toro airport with about 2,000 acres of open space came at the suggestion of top private developers and should reduce the project’s impact on the surrounding area.

Advertising the new concept as “Lean and Green,” county planners said they were told by leading Orange County developers and real estate professionals that the planned commercial centers were not needed and would only compete with private developments elsewhere in the county.

“The county will focus on what it does best--that is build airports, roads and maintain parks,” said Thomas Mathews, the county’s director of planning and development. “I think the landowners and the major developers are going to give a sigh of relief when they see this plan.”

County planners eliminated the proposed International Trade Complex, Town Center and Hillside Technology Park, all key aspects of the original plan, touted as the “Gateway to the 21st Century.” The county spent $3.9 million to map out the proposed office towers, hotels and entertainment centers, which were designed to take maximum advantage of the economic growth new airports often generate.

Airport critics immediately blasted the new design, which they said would push the intense commercial development--and the traffic congestion that comes with it--from the base to vacant land in nearby Irvine and Lake Forest.

“This is going to be devastating to the city of Irvine,” said Councilman Dave Christensen, an El Toro opponent. “There is no question that this type plan will push everything into our city.”

The decision to dump the commercial developments came after several focus groups made up of local developers and real estate experts raised concerns, said Michael Meyer, managing partner at E & Y Kenneth Leventhal Real Estate Group and a participant in one of the sessions.

“Some of the concepts seemed to be more what the planners thought the community would want to hear rather than what would actually work,” he said. “Some of the concepts that the planners had set forth were challenged by the real estate professionals as not necessarily being realistic and practical land planning concepts.”

Meyer said the focus groups also questioned whether the plan allocated enough space for aviation-related facilities such as car-rental lots, parking structures and cargo facilities.

“Some of [the development plans] might have been wishful thinking because there are practical realities to the amount of space that is needed for all the airport uses,” he added.

The Irvine Co., largest landowner around the base, did not participate in the focus groups. It has not made a decision whether to support or oppose the airport plan, said company vice president Larry Thomas.

Courtney Wiercioch, head of the airport planning team, said a large commercial district at El Toro looks dubious given growth elsewhere in the county, including the expansion of the Irvine Spectrum and Disneyland’s new theme park in Anaheim.

The change was also designed to make the airport plan more palatable to residents, who in community meetings expressed concerns about traffic generated by the commercial development.

The additional open space will include golf courses and ball fields as well as equestrian and hiking trails. The county will pay for the upkeep of the parks and open space.

Planners estimate that by reducing development, the average number of daily car trips would drop to about 160,000 by 2020, compared 276,000 under the old plan.

Airport opponents have proposed their own development for the base that calls for parks, a stadium, a museum, homes and office space. Their plan would generate 324,000 daily trips by 2020.

The changes got a warm response from airport backers, who said El Toro would still be a magnet for economic activity.

“The growth and development around the airport will still occur,” said Peggy Ducey, Newport Beach’s assistant city manager. “From our standpoint, the economics are still there and the cornerstone--which is the airport--is still there. “

But airport foes questioned the value of the proposed parkland given that airplanes will be roaring above.

“Nobody with an ounce of sense is going to believe that open space around an airport is attractive,” said Larry Agran, head of the anti-airport group Project 99. “The idea of open space around an international airport is ludicrous.”