Crystal Cove group prepares for battle with Irvine Co.

Greg Risling

A grass-roots group committed to preserving Crystal Cove State Park --

and stopping a nearby development proposed by the Irvine Co. -- won a

minor victory last week when staff for the California Coastal Commission

recommended the housing project be rejected.

But the bigger battle in the drawn-out war between land developers and

the environment is still ahead for the Alliance to Rescue Crystal Cove.

Mary Blake, who helped form the alliance, said Tuesday she hopes for a

large turnout at a Jan. 12 Coastal Commission meeting in Santa Monica,

where the state board will vote on the staff recommendation.

“We need to let the state and the governor know how badly we care about

this area,” she said. “We are very upset about this project and we would

like to see people attend this meeting.”

The Irvine Co. wants to build 635 homes, an upscale shopping center and

recreational facilities on land above the state park, which is just south

of Corona del Mar.

Earlier this year, environmentalists protested the development as it was

planned because runoff -- contaminated with fertilizers, oils and other

pollutants -- would have flowed through the state beach and into the

ocean. The developer revised its proposal to include diverting summer

runoff into a sewer system and creating catch basins.

The basin proposed for Muddy Canyon Creek is what concerned Coastal

Commission staffers, because the stream is considered an environmentally

sensitive area, which can’t be disturbed by development.

“We can’t help but be encouraged by the staff report,” Blake said. “But

we just don’t know what will happen at this upcoming hearing. We are

going in there with the attitude that we are headed for a real battle.”

Irvine Co. officials could not be reached for comment this week.

The alliance was launched in September by a small group of beach-goers

who didn’t want to see Crystal Cove ruined by the growth of the

surrounding area.

Although Irvine Co. officials have been criticized about the project,

environmentalists realize they are entrenched in a grueling battle -- one

that may last for years.

“It’s like peeling the layers off of an onion,” Blake said. “The more you

peel, the more complicated it gets. You feel like it will never end.”BOX:

o7 The California Costal Commission will hold a meeting from Jan. 11-14

at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel in Santa Monica. A public hearing and

possible vote on the development permit is slated for 9 a.m. Jan. 12.

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