City suing Irvine over development

In the latest legal barb over the area around John Wayne Airport, Newport Beach and Tustin have filed another lawsuit against Irvine, alleging the city has not done enough to protect its neighbors from the environmental effect of a planned office and shopping center in the Irvine Business Complex.

Filed last week in Orange County Superior Court, the lawsuit claims Irvine didn’t follow state environmental and open meetings laws when its City Council made plans to changed the Irvine Business Complex from a commercial and industrial center into a mixed-use, residential community, said Tara Finnigan, public information officer for the city of Newport Beach.

Newport Beach and Tustin are asking the court to force Irvine to rescind its approval of the development.

The battle between Newport and Irvine boils down to issues with traffic and city parks, said Newport Beach Mayor Ed Selich.

“We don’t think Irvine has properly mitigated traffic impacts in the area and don’t feel they are providing enough parks in Irvine for all of the people who are going to move to that area,” Selich said. “Those Irvine residents are going to come over to Newport Beach to use our parks.”

Irvine Public Information Officer Craig Reem said he could not comment on the ongoing litigation.

The lawsuit is the fourth legal challenge Newport Beach and Tustin have filed against Irvine over development in the John Wayne Airport area.

Another suit filed in January in Orange County Superior Court challenges Irvine’s approval of more than 800,000, square feet of office restaurant and retail space at Jamboree Road and Michelson Drive. The Irvine City Council approved the project late last year.

The lawsuit is not the first to challenge urban development in Irvine.

An Orange County Superior Court judge ruled in favor of Newport Beach and Tustin last year in two lawsuits challenging two Irvine housing developments near John Wayne Airport.

In both suits, Newport and Tustin argued Irvine violated state law and approved building projects in the Irvine Business Complex near John Wayne Airport without doing the proper research on how it would affect the environment. The court agreed Irvine officials did not properly address what environmental effect the projects would have on Newport and Tustin.