TUSTIN : Irvine Co. Gets OK to Build on 40-Acre Site

The city has agreed to let the Irvine Co. build as many as 533 homes and apartments on a 40-acre site in the east Tustin area that was originally designated for a high school.

A vote on the project had been scheduled for July but was delayed after residents protested the number of apartments, originally set at about 450.

In response, Irvine Co. officials agreed to lower the project’s density from “medium-high” to “medium and medium-low,” which means that fewer people will live there. No more than 350 of the dwelling units will be apartments, officials said.

“The people who turned out against this lost sight of the fact that the Irvine Co. had the right to develop this land,” Councilwoman Tracy Worley said at Monday’s council meeting, which drew three residents to speak in support of the plan and none against it. “We have a pretty good deal here.”

The company also will set aside 3.6 acres for a park and will contribute $200,000 for park improvements. Under the arrangement, the city will have the option to buy another 1.4 acres to expand the park to five acres.

The Irvine Co. also owns undeveloped parcels in the Tustin Ranch area--bounded roughly by the Santa Ana Freeway, Orange city limits, Jamboree Road and Browning Avenue--and has agreed to build no more than 8,058 homes there. That number is a 12% reduction from the previous plan, officials said.

In addition, the developer has agreed to build no more apartments in Tustin Ranch, according to the plan.