(Prepared by County Counsel)

Ballot Language

Shall the initiative measure:  1) eliminating planned airport uses at the closed El Toro Marine Corps Air Station (“MCAS El Toro”) by repealing Measure A, and 2) amending the Orange County General Plan to authorize an urban regional park and a variety of agricultural, material recovery/recycling, recreational, cultural, educational, employment, public and housing land uses at MCAS El Toro, be adopted?

Impartial Analysis

This measure would amend the Orange County General Plan (“General Plan”) with respect to unincorporated land within the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station (“MCAS El Toro”), and repeal Measure A, which was adopted by the voters on November 8, 1994, designating much of MCAS El Toro for civil aviation and related uses.

Currently, approximately 2,170 acres of land within the approximately 4,700 acre MCAS El Toro site is planned for airport and related uses.  Approximately 1,560 acres is currently planned for airport compatible uses, including a regional park and two golf courses.  An approximate 970 acre site in the northeastern portion of MCAS El Toro is designated as Habitat Reserve.

The measure would amend the General Plan to prohibit the County’s use of MCAS El Toro for a civilian airport and to add two new categories of “Open Space” – “Nature Preserve” and “Education/Park Compatible” – applicable only to lands within MCAS El Toro.  This measure would designate unincorporated areas within MCAS El Toro for specified uses.
 

• The northeastern portion would be designated as “Nature Preserve” to permanently preserve natural habitat in accordance with the Central Coastal Natural Community Conservation Plan.  Only passive recreational uses would be permitted.

• The central and northwestern portions would be designated “Open Space Reserve”, including an urban regional park.  This could include various recreational and cultural uses.

• The southern and southwestern areas would be designated “Education/Park Compatible”.  This could include educational uses and supporting research and development, including infrastructure improvements, health care, child care and transportation facilities, and housing, to support educational uses.   Many of the recreational and cultural uses permitted in the “Open Space Reserve” would also be permitted in the “Education/Park Compatible” area.

In the “Open Space Reserve” and “Education/Park Compatible” areas, pending transition to park-compatible development, the measure would permit leasing of MCAS EL Toro facilities, agriculture, plant nurseries, material recovery/recycling facilities, recreation, housing and employment.

Currently, “Open Space Reserve” land is restricted to open space uses by the General Plan.  The measure provides that “open space compatible” uses would also be permissible.  “Open space compatible” uses in Open Space Reserve are not clearly defined.  “Compatible uses” in Open Space include materials recovery/recycling facilities and low-intensity, high technology, industrial, research and development, office and educational uses and childcare facilities.  It is unclear whether “open space compatible” uses are limited to only that Open Space Reserve located at MCAS El Toro.  As a result, those “open space compatible” uses described above may potentially be allowed in other areas in the County designated as “Open Space Reserve”, if such areas are not otherwise restricted in use.  There are currently approximately 120,100 acres of Open Space Reserve in unincorporated Orange County.

The measure makes conforming amendments to the other elements of the General Plan.

The measure provides that it is retroactive to April 30, 2001 and that it would invalidate any inconsistent activity, land use or project occurring after April 30, 2001.

The measure provides that it may be amended only by a vote of the people.