CURRENT NEWS ISSUES
Base Housing
Sunday, July 16, 2000
Housing Crunch? Loads of Base Homes Stand By
Supervisor Tom Wilson wants to create revenue,
provide shelter with vacant El Toro property.
By DAVID REYES, Times Staff Writer
In a neighborhood that once teemed with El Toro
military families, Orange County Supervisor Tom Wilson
strolled down streets called Inchon Place and Iwo Jima
Drive with row upon row of houses sitting empty.
"Can you imagine the number of people we can
accommodate out here?" said Wilson, whose plan to
convert thousands of units of base housing into rentable
homes for the public and homeless families is facing an
uphill struggle.
Wilson's proposal to study base housing will be voted
on at the board's meeting Thursday.
In one tract alone there are more than 850 homes,
many with two-car garages, patios and some
four-bedroom, two-bath former officers' homes in mint
condition.
"Some of these homes are in such absolutely perfect
condition that it would blow your mind," said Jim Palmer,
executive director of the Orange County Rescue Mission.
"They have brand-new playgrounds attached to them.
They all have appliances, carpeting and some have
air-conditioning. This would be a shame if this plan doesn't
happen."
Part of the proposal is to generate revenue by leasing to
a developer who can rehabilitate, market and manage the
properties. Additional housing also would be leased to
nonprofit agencies to help alleviate the county's affordable
housing crisis by renting to the working poor and
homeless.
According to a recent county assessment, there are
18,000 homeless people in the county at any given time
and only 2,374 emergency shelter beds.
"Other than the Silicon Valley, Orange County is in the
worst situation in the country for available and affordable
housing," said Lee Podolak, president of the Orange
County Homeless Issues Task Force. "The county has an
average rent of $1,100 to $1,200 a month for a
two-bedroom with a [countywide] vacancy rate of only
2%."
Palmer has assembled a consortium of nonprofits,
including the Salvation Army and other shelter agencies.
Each agency would take a chunk of 12 to 20 homes and
provide programs not only for shelter but for counseling,
job training and child development in the same
neighborhood.
But the political battle over whether to build an airport
at El Toro is clouding the plan.
The biggest obstacle for the county is how to allow
people in but not permit them to vote for annexation to
Irvine, which has proposed taking control of the base as a
political maneuver to halt the proposed airport. Under state
law, as few as 12 residents living in the unincorporated El
Toro area could vote to have Irvine annex their
neighborhood.
Wilson is walking a political tightrope because he needs
the votes of the three pro-airport supervisors who are
weighing the need for affordable housing against the need
for an airport.
Housing advocates argue that El Toro is a temporary
opportunity to generate revenue and use its housing assets
until a reuse plan is approved by supervisors, which could
take years. The base has 1,183 housing units and 4,380
barracks or dormitory units.
Both Chairman Chuck Smith and Supervisor Jim Silva
were out of town on county business and could not be
reached for comment.
But James Campbell, Smith's aide, said the base's
housing tracts represent a "tremendous opportunity" for
the county, although the first priority for the board is to
finish negotiations for a base lease with the Navy.
"It would be irresponsible for this board not to pursue
the opportunity those houses represent," Campbell said.
As for the annexation dilemma, Campbell said Smith
views the 12 votes as a "challenge, not a problem. And,
we'll deal with these challenges as they come along."
Supervisor Cynthia P. Coad, who once lived on the
base as a military wife, said she favors Wilson's concept
and is excited about providing a range of social services
for new residents, more than "just a place to live."
"I want to see all the necessary services like
counseling, access to social services, even a community
medical clinic and, of course, we'll need transportation
such as bus service out there," Coad said.
But she added: "Of course the big question is the voting
and annexation."
Supervisor Todd Spitzer would not comment but has
said in the past that he wants to set aside the annexation
question and view the housing plan separately, allowing the
board to get more clarification.
Irvine is a "very strong" advocate for the housing plan,
said Irvine Mayor Christina L. Shea. "I don't think we're in
disagreement."
However, there could be a concern on the county's
part, she said, "if 12 residents move in and wind up voting
for Irvine [annexation]. That's to our benefit."
Wilson said he and his staff are still clarifying the plan's
details. He said he intends to talk to Irvine officials and also
the state Local Agency Formation Commission, which
decides on annexations.
At its peak, the 4,700-acre air base was as busy as any
small, California city with 10,000 Marines. But the Marines
left a year ago, pulling out from housing tracts with
hundreds of homes that now, like the adjacent
playgrounds, stand eerily silent.
Wilson points to a housing model at San Francisco's
Treasure Island, site of a decommissioned Navy base that
has placed 535 families in renovated housing. It's estimated
that the city's seven-year contract with a development and
management firm will yield $50 million in revenue.
"The revenue we generate stays on the island and pays
for infrastructure, such as the roads, utilities, police, fire
and city services," said Annemarie Conroy, a former San
Francisco supervisor now serving as executive director of
the Treasure Island Development Authority Project.
Housing units are rented through nonprofits and there
are also market-rate residences offered to the public,
including those for city police officers, firefighters and
teachers who need a break on rent because of the Bay
Area's housing crunch.
In addition, the island is home to a production studio,
where portions of the TV show "Nash Bridges" are filmed.
There also is a police academy, fire training school and job
corps with 850 students.
Wilson is optimistic that supervisors will eventually
approve a housing plan that can be a haven for those in
need of a roof over their heads.
"If a decision on an airport was to be made tomorrow,
then this might not be a good venture," Wilson said. "But if
the decision is going to take a long time, why not at least
think of this as a reasonable proposal and work it out?"