‘Great Park’ Plan Gets New Life

A San Diego appeals court on Friday breathed new life into the effort to build an urban park at the former El Toro Marine Corps base, staying a lower court ruling that effectively killed efforts to place the issue on the March ballot.

The preliminary ruling means that the 128,000 signatures gathered to place the “Great Park” plan on the ballot can be submitted to the county registrar for certification. But the court has yet to decide whether those signatures are valid, so the fate of the park petition probably won’t be known until September.

The action comes two weeks after Orange County Superior Court Judge James Gray ruled that the ballot title and summary on the petitions were misleading and therefore the signatures should be thrown out.

Friday’s decision by the 4th District Court of Appeal won applause in the southern county, where officials see the park as a way of sidetracking efforts by the Board of Supervisors to build a commercial airport at the closed base.

“Thank God for the appellate court,” said Susan Withrow, mayor pro tem of Mission Viejo, who is on the board of a coalition of nine anti-airport cities in the southern part of the county. “I believe the appellate judges are sending a message: They appreciate a direct democracy.”

Withrow and others said they will immediately submit the signatures to the county. The measure needs 71,206 valid signatures to be placed on the March ballot.

The initiative would require the county to scrap the airport plan and instead create a massive park and nature preserve at the 4,700-acre base. The Great Park would include universities and museums, as well as commercial development.

Airport supporters remain optimistic. “The court clearly wants to hear the case,” said Fredric Woocher, a pro-airport attorney.