The Irvine Co.’s Silence on El Toro

* Re Dana Parsons’ July 4 column, “Hey Irvine Co., How About That Airport?”

Your writer is quite right to wonder why the Irvine Co. has been uncharacteristically “silent” on the most important land-use planning in the modern history of Orange County--the reuse of the El Toro Marine base. In such “silence” there is only acquiescence.

Company officials Gary Hunt and Larry Thomas insist that additional information and the thoughtful analysis of alternatives are needed before the company can figure out if an international airport is good or bad for the master-planned community of Irvine. Parsons isn’t buying this nonsense and neither should anyone else.

Despite longstanding objections to “ballot-box planning,” the Irvine Co. made no effort to defeat the pro-airport Measure A in 1994. Yet defeating that initiative, bank-rolled by fellow developer and Newport Beach neighbor George Argyros, would have preserved “the opportunity for thoughtful analysis, rational comparison of options and consensus-building”--an opportunity which Hunt now laments as lost.

If the Irvine Co. really wanted to preserve the integrity of the planning process for the El Toro Marine base, it should have helped defeat Measure A. Here, the company’s decisive inaction helped lock the county into a highly politicized process to turn the Marine base into an international airport.

The Irvine Co. may well support the proposed airport. However, Irvine politics makes it risky for the company to publicly say so, and thus far the company’s considerable clout hasn’t been awarded to get the airport off the ground. The Irvine Co. has too many major development projects awaiting approval from the city of Irvine to risk alienating Irvine’s anti-airport decision-makers and residents. So silent acquiescence is the company’s strategy. Irvine residents won’t turn against the company as another pro-airport developer and meanwhile, the county continues to plan for an airport.

Damn, these guys are smart. Or is the public just too trusting?

MARK P. PETRACCA

Irvine

* Parsons and Irvine Mayor Christina Shea have something in common. They both appear ignorant of the fact that the Irvine Co. has interests in other cities besides Irvine. Isn’t it a bit myopic of them to feel Irvine should be treated more favorably than Newport Beach? The Irvine Co. has major interests in both places and it would be rather stupid of them to pick sides in the El Toro airport battle.

Actually, it is insulting to many that Parsons has used his professional privileges to deliberately aggravate the airport controversy.

JOSEPH BROWN

Santa Ana

* Parsons asks why the Irvine Co. is noncommittal about the conversion of the El Toro airport. The Irvine Co. claims to still be gathering information.

The information the citizens of Orange County need to know can be found in the lease of the John Wayne Airport property held by the Irvine Co. and Donald Bren. The lease states that when John Wayne Airport ceases to function as an airport, all the ground and tenant improvements, such as the terminal and parking structures, will revert at zero cost to the Irvine Co. The acreage alone will be used to build millions of square feet of high-rise office buildings. Closing of John Wayne will enrich the Irvine Co. by billions of dollars.

Isn’t the plan to operate both John Wayne and El Toro? No, after a yes vote by three out of five Orange County supervisors for conversion of El Toro, the planners will acknowledge the fatal flaw of antiquated and inadequate runway design. New paralleled runways 1,500 feet apart, with a northwest departure route, will be required for safe, efficient operation, sealing the fate of John Wayne because of conflicting traffic patterns.

As the Irvine Co. becomes much richer by closure of John Wayne, the residents of Irvine, Tustin, Anaheim, Anaheim Hills, Yorba Linda and Fullerton will become aware of the Irvine Co. position on the El Toro Airport. Newport Beach will gain quiet, the Irvine Co. will be enriched, and the majority of citizens of Orange County will pay the price with a lower quality of life.

JACK RIGGS

Trabuco Canyon

* The city of Irvine is the fourth-fastest growing California city with close to a 50% increase in population within the past eight years (“South O.C. Cities Post Big Growth in Population,” July 1).

That might help explain a recent survey at John Wayne Airport reporting Irvine residents use the airport more than any other city. Irvine has allowed that population explosion to occur, and even has current plans for several other large housing projects, yet they are the most vocal about opposing the much-needed El Toro airport.

Apparently, they want to enjoy all the benefits of a thriving city, such as the near $20-million reserve they have accumulated in taxes, but are unwilling to share in any of the resultant responsibilities. Shame on them!

E. BANUELOS

Orange