Cargo Planes a Concern for Western Digital

Western Digital Corp. Chief Executive Charles Haggerty was about to sign a contract to buy land for a new headquarters “campus” at the Irvine Spectrum when he paused, Irvine Co. investment division czar Richard Sim recalls.

Haggerty was worried about the quality of life for his 800 headquarters employees, most of whom live within a few miles of the area.

The problem was the pending proposal to convert the nearby Marine airfield at El Toro to a commercial cargo port, raising the prospect of planes continually buzzing the homes as well as the parklike corporate setting where engineers will design Western Digital’s computer data storage products.

“Before he signed that contract he looked at me and said, ‘You know, Dick, I’m concerned,’ ” Sim said.

“I said, ‘We’re concerned too.’ And that seemed to satisfy him, because he went ahead with the contract.”

Irvine Co. officials have remained neutral in the debate over the future of El Toro, but have said much more analysis should be done before a final decision is made.

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E. Scott Reckard covers real estate for The Times. He can be reached at (714) 966-7407 and at scott.reckard@latimes.com