IRVINE
Fearing the loss of open space near Quail Hill, Irvine residents asked City Council members Tuesday to halt attempts to expand Strawberry Farms Golf Course.
The controversy began when Strawberry Farms owner Doug DeCinces began circulating a petition called the Irvine Recreation Initiative Ordinance. The measure would add nine holes to a nearby golf course and change the zoning of 84 adjacent acres from preserved open space to recreational use.
Under the proposal, the Irvine Co. would deed the land to the city with the understanding that DeCinces could lease it to develop nine holes on half the land and leave the remaining acreage as natural grasslands.
Many Irvine residents are incensed because the Irvine Co. had already promised the land to the city under the city’s 1988 Open Space Agreement.
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