Resort planning with foresight

Pelican Hill Golf Club will be able to all-but roll out of bed and

hop in a cart. By then, a planned luxury resort with 40 guest

bungalows, 128 time share units and a spa will be built and ready for

business.

And they shouldn’t have to worry about leaving a mark on the land.

The Irvine Co., which is developing the resort, and environmental

group Orange County CoastKeeper have developed a water-reclamation

plan that traps rainwater, pumps it to storage reservoirs and uses it

in the irrigation system for the existing courses.

Sat Tamaribuchi, the Irvine Co.’s vice president of environmental

affairs, is intimately involved with the innovative plan. He answered

a few of the Daily Pilot’s questions about the project.

What has prompted the Irvine Co. to establish relationships with

groups like CoastKeepeer on projects like the Pelican Hill resort? Is

this new? How far back does it go?

We have a long history of reaching out to a variety of

environmental groups. As a 110-year-old company with a long-term

outlook and commitment, we are in the business of creating special

places for people to live, work and play. We want to build

sustainable communities, and that requires healthy, constructive

relationships with a wide array of community groups.

You might remember that in 1996, after three years of work with

environmental groups and others, we helped establish a 37,000-acre

wildlife reserve in Orange County under the Natural Community

Conservation Planning program. The Irvine Co. committed nearly 21,000

acres to this successful effort to create the Nature Reserve of

Orange County. This is a good example of constructive things that can

happen when different voices are invited to the table.

Is it true that The Irvine Co. sought out CoastKeeper’s advice on

the Pelican Hill resort? Is this kind of relationship significant to

the company?

Absolutely. We sought CoastKeeper’s advice because it has a great

deal of expertise in water quality issues. CoastKeeper is able to

assess our plans in a constructive fashion and collaborate on

improvements. Seeking out that sort of peer review, for lack of a

better term, makes our projects better.

Does the relationship set a precedent within the industry? Are you

at the forefront of this type of cooperation?

Other companies do a good job of reaching out to community groups,

but I think we do it better than most, partly because we have been at

it a long time. Over the years, it has become ingrained in the

company culture. We recognize that if we want our communities be

successful 10, 20 or 30 years from now, we can’t act in isolation.

Have your relationships with outside groups changed the way the

Irvine Co. approaches development, compared to even three years ago?

We have certainly learned from all of the groups we have

interacted with. And as we have learned more about environmental

issues, we have adapted our approach in order to be ever more

conscious of developing in harmony with the natural environment.

It’s important to point out that over the course of any given

development project, there are literally dozens of regulators,

government entities and interest groups at the table. Speaking just

about environmental groups, we have worked with the Sea and Sage

Audubon Society, Endangered Habitats League, Laguna Canyon

Foundation, Friends of Newport Coast, The Environmental Defense Fund,

The Trust for Public Land, The Nature Conservancy and many others. On

the regulatory side, we regularly deal with the U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service, Regional Water Quality Control Board, California

Coastal Commission, California Department of Fish and Game, U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The

list goes on and on.

CoastKeeper has suggested that the Irvine Co. is motivated to work

with environmentalists not only because of business interests, but

out of a desire to shape the company’s legacy. Do you agree?

I would agree in this sense: We hope that our lasting legacy is a

reputation for having been a thoughtful steward of The Irvine Ranch

land.

We want to create communities that will stand the test of time and

be attractive to the people who live here. But we also want to be

remembered well for the significant efforts we have made to preserve

sensitive open space, habitat and park lands that enhance the quality

of life for Ranch residents. At the end of the build-out of the

Ranch, more than half of its 93,000 acres will be preserved and not

developed. This amounts to more than 50,000 acres, which will be

properly managed and protected. The story of that preservation and

resource protection is as important to us as the story of our

award-winning communities.

What does the Irvine Co. envision the Newport coastline looking

like in 10 or 20 years?

At the end of the day, 79% of Newport Coast, which covers about

9,300 acres, will be permanently protected as open space or

designated for recreational uses. This land is precious and the story

of its preservation is remarkable.

The portion of Newport Coast that has been developed is also very

special, with distinctive architecture, attractive landscaping and a

world-class golf club. At this point, almost all of the development

activity is complete. We are working on the last residential

neighborhoods and a resort to accompany the Pelican Hill Golf Club.

The fact that the vast majority of Newport Coast will remain

untouched is something we are very proud of. We recognize that

Newport Coast is a special place and we intend to keep it that way.

Your job seems interesting. What do you do? From the outside, it

appears you are in the position of reconciling the company’s business

priorities with environmental concerns. How challenging is that?

My job is to look down the road and anticipate emerging

environmental issues. This allows us to prepare solutions before we

ever encounter a problem. I am in regular contact with a wide array

of regulators and interest groups, which gives me a good sense of the

environmental issues that are of the greatest concern. I also spend

time reviewing new regulations.

The Irvine Co. has a strong environmental ethic, so my job is not

as difficult as it might look from the outside. The people I work

with understand the importance of addressing environmental issues in

a thorough, thoughtful way. Since we are guided by the same set of

principles, I have found that the views I represent are not only

respected, they are welcome.