Last chance to comment on El Toro report
Jasmine Lee
Residents who want to respond to the county’s environmental report on the
proposed El Toro airport have only one day left to comment.
The 39-volume report, released late December, is an analysis of the
potential impacts of building the $2.9-billion airport on the 4,700-acre
closed El Toro military base. The study concludes that an airport would
not disrupt the environment.
While anti-airport forces have criticized the report as a “white wash,”
Newport Beach and Costa Mesa residents have been concerned with a
different aspect of the El Toro study.
Within the document’s thousands of pages are two alternatives that would
expand John Wayne Airport if a second county airport is not built. The
backup plans, labeled alternatives F and G, could mean that the area
around John Wayne would be demolished in order to make room for another
runway and a second terminal.
The possibility of such a drastic expansion has been called “draconian”
by the Newport Beach-based Airport Working Group, which is lobbying for
an El Toro airport.
The group and other El Toro supporters have urged residents to write
responses to the county’s environmental report opposing the alternatives
to expand John Wayne.
The county’s El Toro Master Development Program office has already
received responses from residents, but could face a flood of letters just
before the Tuesday deadline. However, the county office is closed today
in observance of Presidents Day.
“We’re expecting quite a few responses to come in just prior to the
deadline,” said John Christensen, a county spokesman.
County officials will review and respond to the public comments. The
environmental report itself will go before the County Board of
Supervisors this summer for approval.
All public comments must be received by 5 p.m. on Tuesday at the county’s
El Toro Master Development Program office, on the second floor of 10
Civic Center Plaza in Santa Ana. The comments should be address to the
attention of Bryan Speegle.
For more information, call the office at (714) 834-3000.
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