IRVINE : City to Act to Ensure Voice in Base Reuse

The City Council tonight is expected to form a citywide committee to look at ideas for the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station once it closes.

The council is also likely to request that Irvine be given a role on the county’s El Toro Advisory Council, which will look at ways of redeveloping the base. The goal of both moves is to make sure that the city has a voice in shaping the future of the base and that a wide variety of development options are considered.

Irvine borders the base on two sides and could be seriously affected by whatever is built there, city officials said. Some residents fear that certain uses of the land could worsen traffic, pollution and noise problems.

The city’s proposed El Toro Use Committee would be designed to elicit the public’s views on base conversion. City staff has suggested that the committee be made up of at least one council member, representatives from several key city commissions, residents who live near the base and local business leaders.

The council is also set to decide whether to ask for a “weighted or super-majority vote” on the county’s El Toro council. City officials argue that since Irvine is the municipality that will be most affected by the base’s future use, it should have a strong voice in the decision-making process.