Tustin Base Icons at Risk

As homes slowly rise on the closed Tustin Marine base, a pair of massive, iconic hangars that have defined the landscape for more than half a century may be flirting with demolition.

The Orange County Board of Supervisors rejected two proposals this week to save the World War II-era blimp hangar it manages, a structure 17 stories high that covers an area the size of six football fields.

The second such hangar is managed by Tustin, and city officials have said their building is far more weather-beaten and a worse candidate for preservation than the county’s building.

County and Tustin officials said they were working together and said they hoped at least a part of one of the deteriorated buildings could be saved.

“It is a real hard nut to crack to take those structures and make them work economically,” said Tustin City Manager William A. Huston.

The semicylindrical structures were part of the package when the Navy donated the 1,600-acre base for redevelopment in the late 1990s. Private developers are expected to foot the cost of repairing the buildings: $20 million to $25 million for Tustin’s hangar; $15 million to $20 million for the county’s. But the repair bill is proving a major hurdle to developing the buildings.

On Tuesday, a local veterans group proposed turning the county’s hangar into a military museum, with life-size models depicting historic battles. County officials found the venture by United Veteran Organizations of Orange County “sincere, but [financially] unrealistic,” according to a staff report.

Another plan, by Downey-based developer Industry Realty Group, envisioned an indoor entertainment complex with ice rinks, sports courts, a climbing mountain, restaurants, shops and a smaller space for a military museum. Consultants for the county found the $151-million project commercially viable, but said it would require public subsidies that county officials have said they can’t afford.

The project also would be incompatible with Tustin’s current plan, which calls for a public park on that land. The Board of Supervisors rejected the two proposals on 3-to-2 votes.

The decisions angered dozens of veterans and their supporters who attended the meeting.

“We are in disbelief,” said Gerry Rubin, project manager for the museum proposal, who disagreed that its financial plan was unrealistic. “I don’t think the county was interested in accepting any bids.”

Supervisor Bill Campbell said it was hard to disappoint the veterans, but that the decision may eventually give the county more flexibility to try to save part of its hangar. “As a landmark, the exterior is the important thing,” he said.

Under its agreement with the Navy, the county is required to give priority to projects that would preserve the building. If none can be found, the county would be free to pursue projects that would require demolition of part or all of the building.

If the Navy determines that a good-faith effort to preserve the hangar wasn’t made, the county could decline to accept the property. In that case, Tustin, which is redeveloping the former base into a community of 4,600 homes, 740 acres of commercial space and more than 100 acres of parks, could end up with both hangars.

That’s not an appealing prospect for the city, said Huston. “Our first priority is to work with the county,” he said.

Tustin has its hands full with its own hangar. Under a similar agreement with the Navy, the city also must review development proposals that preserve the structure.

Last week, the city received four proposals, including a giant food court and an indoor motocross practice facility. Lance Brown, president of Enter-Arc Inc., said his motocross plan was backed by $40 million from motorcycle companies and other investors.

The hangars “are like cathedrals,” Brown said. “It is absolutely marvelous space.”

The Tustin City Council, which would like to put an office park where its hangar sits, is expected to review the ideas -- and their financial viability -- in the coming months.