Irvine Rejects Plan for El Toro

The city of Irvine on Friday scuttled an innovative proposal by the county to use military housing at the former El Toro Marine base for much-needed low-cost housing.

More than 1,100 units, including an 850-home tract, have sat vacant since the Marines pulled out of the base two years ago. The housing has essentially been held hostage in the stalemate between the county and Irvine over a proposed commercial airport at the base.

The airport plan, being pushed by county leaders and regional transportation officials to accommodate future passenger demand, is staunchly opposed by neighboring Irvine and other South County communities.

A disappointed county Supervisor Tom Wilson, who with fellow Supervisor Chuck Smith favors opening the base for housing, said he met with Irvine Mayor Larry Agran and Councilman Chris Mears at the base Friday with hopes of reaching an informal agreement.

According to Wilson, the meeting concluded with Agran saying, “I can’t help you out on this.” Irvine officials said they were reluctant to go along with the plan because it could jeopardize their hopes of annexing the base, despite Wilson’s assurances that it would not.

Mears said the plan was unacceptable to the City Council because the Board of Supervisors has the authority--with its pro-airport majority to open the base for housing anyway.

“The county is looking for some way, without trumping themselves with regard to our annexation, and I don’t think that’s agreeable to our City Council,” Mears said after the meeting.

County supervisors have been trying for more than a year to open the base for housing, albeit temporarily, until a final decision is reached on whether to build an airport. According to housing advocates, the base presents a golden opportunity in a county where two-bedroom apartments rent for about $1,200 and the vacancy rate is lower than 2%.

But Irvine has submitted an application to annex the 4,700-acre former base to stop the county’s commercial airport plans for El Toro. That also has the effect of preventing any housing plan from succeeding.