Irvine May Try Annexing Base to Stop Airport

IRVINE —  The city is considering a proposal to annex the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station in an attempt to derail the county’s plans to build a commercial airport at the 4,700-acre site.

The land is now unincorporated county territory controlled by the Board of Supervisors. By annexing the land into Irvine, city officials said, authority to plan future developments at the base would shift from the county to the City Council, which opposes an airport.

“I think we have a good shot,” said Councilman Greg Smith. “This is probably the only military base closing in which the city most impacted is not directly involved in the process.”

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The county, however, is expected to oppose the annexation.

Board of Supervisors Chairman William G. Steiner noted that new county planning guidelines expressly reject annexations designed to thwart “regional” projects such as airports and landfills.

The City Council will decide next week whether to move forward with the annexation attempt. If the council votes to submit an annexation application, the matter would eventually be decided by the Local Agency Formation Commission.

The city has talked about annexing all or part of the base for several years. But officials said they are now eager to move forward after a San Diego judge rejected parts of the county’s environmental impact report for the airport.

“This is the time to strike,” said Mayor Christina L. Shea. “From a strategic standpoint, it’s another avenue the city of Irvine is taking to derail plans for an international airport in our backyard.”