Published: July 14, 2010
Updated: 11:24 a.m.

Irvine OKs 6,000 homes in city's urban core

By SEAN EMERY
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

IRVINE – City leaders have backed a new vision for Irvine's urban core, paving the way for thousands of new housing units and agreeing to fund millions of dollars worth of roadway improvements to end a legal battle with Tustin over the impacts of the planned development.

The Irvine City Council on Tuesday night voted 4 to 0 to adopt an Irvine Business Complex "vision plan" expected to bring new housing to the city's most job-rich district through new mixed-use developments within a more than 2,000-acre swath of aging industrial and office space near John Wayne Airport.

The city has also announced it will pay Tustin between $4.5 million and $6.5 million for the extension of Tustin Ranch Road from Walnut Avenue to Warner Avenue to offset the effects of the new development on the neighboring city.

With the recent backing of the county Airport Land Use Commission, the vision plan clears the way for at least 6,000 new housing units and another 6 million square feet of office, industrial and retail space.

In a city known primarily for the Irvine Co.'s intricately planned residential "villages," Irvine's long-running efforts to craft a development roadmap for the hundreds of property owners in the industrial-focused Irvine Business Complex has had to overcome a variety of roadblocks, including lawsuits by neighboring Newport Beach and Tustin, concern from some long-running businesses and last-minute opposition by the county's Airport Land Use Commission.

Irvine had already paid Newport Beach $3.6 million to offset the affects of the housing development, so that city could pay for street improvements on and around Jamboree Road.

By giving Tustin and Newport millions of dollars for traffic improvements, agreeing to buffers around several industrial businesses and limiting the height of residential developments closer to the airport, Irvine leaders say they have finally overcome opposition to the plan.

"It has been a long journey more than five years in the making, but tonight it has finally come to fruition," Irvine Mayor Sukhee Kang said.
Nearly a dozen Irvine Business Complex developers, residents and city and county business representatives spoke out in favor of the vision plan and applauded its approval.

"There is great demand for what has already been built, and I believe there will be a demand for what is built in the future," said Tim Strader Jr. of Starpointe Ventures about the prospects for the Irvine Business Complex.

The Irvine Business Complex plan

The Irvine Business Complex is already the largest business area in Orange County, city officials say, with nearly 90,000 employees, and about 4,500 businesses. City leaders in recent years have already approved 6,500 residential units that are either already built or under construction, including high profile mixed-used projects such as Park Place, Camden and Main Street Village.

By adopting the vision plan, the council increased the number of housing units ultimately allowed in the Irvine Business Complex from a little more than 9,000 to 15,000 units. State bonuses for providing affordable housing in the developments could potentially add up to 2,000 additional units.

The Irvine Business Complex is expected to take at least 20 year's to fully develop, Irvine Community Development Director Doug Williford said.
"I think we are on the verge of the final building surge in this city that will be underway in short order," Irvine Councilman Larry Agran said. "What is happening is very, very big. We tend to take IBC for granted, when in fact I think it is probably if not the largest, one of the largest engines of economic development in all of Southern California."

Councilwoman Christina Shea, an outspoken critic of the Irvine business complex plan, was not present for Tuesday's council vote. Shea, along with her appointed planning commissioner Greg Smith, have argued that the increased development could overwhelm city facilities.

Legal Settlement

Kang on Tuesday said the settlement money for Tustin is expected to come from developer fees Irvine had previously allocated toward the future widening of Red Hill Avenue.

The roadway improvements are meant to provide a direct connection from the I-5 Freeway to the Tustin Legacy Project at the former Marine Corps station and the businesses within the Irving Business Complex, Irvine and Tustin officials said.

"Tustin Ranch Road's completion will allow Tustinites, Irvinites and Orange countians to get back some of the time they waste waiting in traffic," Tustin Mayor Jerry Amante said in a written statement.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7939 or semery@ocregister.com

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