Irvine Co. Plan Would Strain Schools, Roads, Residents Say

The 12,350-home community the Irvine Co. wants to build near the retired El Toro Marine base would be in keeping with Irvine’s existing village theme, with parks, schools and shopping centers clustered near neighborhoods.

Irvine City Council members Tuesday got a first look at the plan, which outlines the developer’s vision for 3,600 acres of bean fields and raw land north of the city and next to the closed base.

In addition to residential villages, the plan calls for 7 million square feet of research, industrial and commercial development and a “spine” of open space that would stretch the length of the development along Jeffrey Road.

The project area, referred to by developers as the Northern Sphere, is owned by the Irvine Co. City officials have long planned to annex the land.

If they do, it would increase the city’s size by about a third and effectively complete the Irvine Co.’s development plans in the city.

Residents who attended the public hearing expressed concerns about traffic, the future of the nearby military base and the strain the new community would put on the city’s financially troubled school district.

Resident Fred Judd said he was worried that families moving into the new homes would be a burden on the Irvine Unified School District, which is cutting science and music programs, closing an elementary school and eliminating class-size reduction programs in some grades to reduce a projected $5.2-million shortfall in next year’s budget.

“It’s as if you’re operating a conveyor belt that’s pushing out widgets without giving any forethought as to what’s going to happen when those widgets come out,” Judd said.

Critics Say Traffic Will Affect Neighborhoods

While the Irvine Co. proposes widening stretches of Portola Parkway, Sand Canyon Road, Irvine Avenue and Portola Parkway, some residents said that road work won’t be enough.

“When traffic gets congested along those roads, the cars are going to move into our neighborhood streets,” said Richard Deskin, a north Irvine resident who served on a task force that reviewed the Irvine Co.’s plans.

Irvine Mayor Larry Agran said last week’s countywide vote on Measure W should ease the fear of future gridlock.

Measure W blocks the county’s plan for an airport at the Marine base and rezones it for parkland and other uses.

But the Navy, which still owns the base, has since indicated it might sell off the land, giving rise to suspicions the land might eventually give way to homes and commercial uses, not a giant urban park.

Agran believes otherwise, though.

“I think the decision on Measure W will likely make things much, much easier for everybody because, of course, a Great Park generates far, far less traffic than an international airport,” Agran said.

The City Council will discuss the project again April 9.