Walking away from eight years and $54 million worth of planning, Orange County supervisors voted Tuesday to hand the closed El Toro Marine base to the city of Irvine, which wants to turn much of it into parkland.
"It's a significant decision," said Supervisor Todd Spitzer, who pushed for county approval of Irvine's plan. "It was a slim vote, but we said unequivocally that not only is El Toro dead [as an airport] but the Board of Supervisors believes that too."
Armed with the county's support, Irvine officials said they will meet Thursday in Washington to discuss the base's future with the U.S. Navy, which still owns it.
"This puts wind in our sails for the trip back to D.C.," Irvine Councilman Chris Mears said.
Navy officials announced last month their intent to decide by April 23 whether to sell El Toro and use the proceeds to bolster the military budget. They could sell all or part of the 4,700-acre base--regardless of Irvine's plan to annex the property.
Chairwoman Cynthia P. Coad, long a supporter of building an airport at El Toro, cast the deciding votes for Irvine to take control of the base land. She did so after pressing for--and being promised--about $2 million from state park bond funds to develop parks in north Orange County.
"This is my emotional issue," Coad said of the park money. "The citizens in North County will say, 'This is great, we're going to work together [on the need for more northern parks]. We're going to be hoping Irvine is successful.' "
Coad also was promised as much as $800,000 in property tax money from base development to be used for a park trust fund for north Orange County, where parks are scarce. Irvine officials said they intend to divert new property taxes into a redevelopment fund but promised to fulfill Coad's demand for tax money for parks.
"Our intent is to honor this," Mears said.
Meanwhile, a delegation of elected officials from Los Angeles and Orange counties arrived Tuesday in Washington to urge federal officials to postpone the Navy's sale decision.
A handful of local leaders met with Federal Aviation Administration officials to lobby for the development of an airport at El Toro to handle Southern California's future air travel needs, said El Segundo Mayor Mike Gordon, who advocates El Toro to relieve pressure to expand Los Angeles International Airport.
