Orange Council OKs Irvine Co. Project

Unmoved by hours of neighbors’ impassioned pleas to delay a decision, the City Council early Wednesday morning approved the Irvine Co.’s plans to build 1,746 dwellings on 494 acres of rolling hills in East Orange.

The 4-0 vote with Councilman Mark Murphy abstaining came just after 1 a.m. after nearly two hours of comments from supporters and critics.

Despite the heated opposition, council members applauded the Irvine Co.’s willingness to make compromises for neighbors and its pledge to give $3 million to the city for parkland and $17.8 million to the Orange Unified School District for a school construction loan.

Work on the Santiago Hills Phase II development could begin as early as July. The Irvine Co. must still get approval for detailed tract maps, grading and runoff management plans.

“This is an important step in the process,” said Irvine Co. spokesman Rich Elbaum. “We’re pleased to be at a point where we have a project that works for the city and the community. Now, we’re going to continue to [have] discussions with [them] as we take the next step.”

After the decision, Irvine Co. officials shook hands; residents who had fought the development left with their heads hung low.

“I’m not surprised,” said Orange Park Acres resident Laura Thomas, leaving the meeting with hardly a word. “The Irvine Co. did such a smooth job.” For the last few months, controversy has engulfed the project as neighbors claimed it would clog roads with more traffic, destroy sensitive wetlands and detract from the area’s semi-rural character.

Council members raised similar concerns but vowed to oversee the project’s construction with a “fine-tooth comb from now on,” as Councilman Michael Alvarez put it.

The Santiago Hills site is a triangular wedge roughly bounded by Jamboree Road, Irvine Regional Park and the Eastern Transportation Corridor.

It stands as a gateway to wilderness parks and space only sparingly marked by signs of civilization--strings of power lines, the occasional street light.

The Phase II development is the first step in a plan to bring more than 12,000 homes to the base of the Santa Ana Mountains. Situated between an equestrian community and the county’s oldest grove of live oaks, the project was first included in a general plan adopted by the city in 1989.

During the six-hour public hearing, many neighbors begged the council to postpone a decision until more environmental studies could be completed. Murphy said he supported a 45-day delay.

“I’m not against the project, but I feel there are more problems that need to be addressed,” he said. “I can’t support it tonight.”