Airport proponents wary of new El Toro timeline

Paul Clinton

NEWPORT-MESA -- A new Navy timeline for the proposed El Toro airport

was cautiously welcomed in Newport Beach on Tuesday.

The Navy and Federal Aviation Administration plan to issue a completed

environmental review of Orange County’s airport proposal by Feb. 22 and

begin handing the base over on April 15.

What gives Newport Beach officials pause is what’s sandwiched in

between those two events -- an expected countywide referendum on a Great

Park for the base.

“I’m cautious,” said Newport Beach Councilman Tod Ridgeway. “It’s

great news to keep the momentum going, but there may be an initiative.”

South County airport opponents have collected the necessary signatures

to place their Great Park initiative on the ballot, but the measure has

been held up in court. A Superior Court judge ruled the ballot title and

summary were “affirmatively misleading.”

Polls have indicated the park has wide support in the county. If the

measure passes, the zoning at the base would be changed to open space,

nullifying plans to build an airport there.

Assistant Secretary of the Navy H.T. Johnson presented the new

timeline to Orange County supervisors during a Monday meeting.

The Navy plans to issue a “record of decision” on April 15, which

would essentially place the county in escrow with the Navy to work out

the final details of how the base would be handed over.

That process is expected to take at least a year, though it could drag

out until 2007, said Meg Waters, a spokeswoman for airport opponents.

The Great Park measure, if it passes, could throw a big wrench into

the county’s plan. But Waters said the county has already lost its

airport.

“They have lost big time,” Waters said. “What they wanted was the

[record of decision] by March 5. It’s clear that’s not going to happen.”