Cox lauds El Toro land transfer

Rep. Christopher Cox is calling the scheduled completion of the El

Toro land purchase “the most successful [military] base closure in

history.”

The Lennar Corporation signed the development agreement between

Heritage Fields LLC and the city of Irvine on Tuesday, transferring

ownership of 1,316 acres, which will become the Orange County Great

Park, to the city of Irvine. Heritage Fields also made a payment of

$33.3 million, the first installment of $200 million development fees

to fund the Great Park.

The Land Transfer Ceremony marks the end of the U.S. Navy’s

ownership of the property, and the beginning of the proposed Great

Park project.

Cox says he had championed the idea of a public auction at El Toro

for more than a decade, citing the recommendation of the 1993 Base

Closure Commission which closed El Toro that the property be sold to

benefit federal taxpayers.

“The Pentagon will receive two-thirds of a billion dollars in this

transaction. At the same time, the people of our community will be

able to enjoy over 3,000 acres as parks, open space and wilderness.

Furthermore, an additional $400 million will be paid to the city of

Irvine to transform the former military base into parkland,” Cox

said.

“All of these benefits are possible because the Internet auction

of only 14% of the property earmarked for commercial and residential

development yielded $1.4 million per acre. Navy officials H.T.

Johnson and Wayne Arny deserve enormous credit for this unprecedented

success,” he said.

For more information, go to https://www.ocgp.org.

Blood drive scheduled

The city’s Marine Safety Department, in conjunction with the

American Red Cross, will hold its annual blood drive from 11 a.m. to

5 p.m. on Thursday. The bloodmobile will be located at Main Beach on

Coast Highway and Ocean Avenue. Signups are online at

https://www.givelife.org (use sponsor code: lblifeguards) or by

contacting lifeguard headquarters at (949) 494-6571 to schedule an appointment.

Reduced parking fees draw more customers

The City Council lowered the Act V season parking pass from $35 to

$20 this season. As a result, the sales of the passes have increased

from 61 passes sold in 2004 to 88 sold so far this year. City

officials anticipate these sales will continue over the next two

weeks.

Holiday trash removal bags 8 tons of garbage

Crews removed 120 cubic yards, or roughly 8 tons, of trash from

Heisler Park and Main Beach over the Fourth of July weekend, city

officials report.

Bus lane, traffic light grants approved

Orange County Transportation Authority has formally approved two

more grants for Laguna Beach. The first grant of about $200,000 will

help create a bus turnout lane on Broadway. The second grant of

$220,000 will be coupled with a previous grant of $100,000 to pay for

all the costs of a pedestrian traffic light on Laguna Canyon Road in

front of the Festival of Arts.

Construction permit fees net more cash, city says

In the first six months of the year, there were fewer building

permits issued by the city, but those projects totaled a 30% increase

in construction costs -- and in permit fees to the city -- over the

same period in 2004, according to the Community Development

Department.

There were 818 permits issued through June 2005, compared with 830

issued through June 2004. The estimated cost of construction for the

2005 permits was $37,862,400, compared with $29,063,812 in 2004.

However, for the month of June alone, there were 150 building

permits issued, five more than in June of last year.

City permit fees are based on the valuation of the construction

and range from one-half of a percent to 1.2%.