Project '99 Newsletter, October 1997
A Note from Larry Agran Chair of Project ’99
Dear Neighbor, Heedless of the cost to taxpayers, the Orange County Supervisors continue to pursue their “vision” for the future of El Toro. Their “vision” consists of an unimaginative, one-dimensional proposal to convert the El Toro Marine Corps Base to a massive international airport.
If County officials manage to get their way, the converted military base will be dominated by a single land use — a commercial airport that is absolutely incompatible with other more desirable land uses. Who would want to build a college or a library or a high-tech industrial park next to an international airport?
Fortunately, as citizens, we now have a chance to create our own vision for El Toro — our own land-use plan that would open up the 4700-acre Marine Corps Base to a multi-dimensional mixture of many attractive non-aviation uses.
On Sunday, October 19th, Project ’99 will be conducting a planning workshop — a workshop designed to encourage citizen participation in creating an exciting non-aviation reuse plan for El Toro. (See adjacent article.) Please feel welcome to join us in this historic endeavor.
FIRST EL TORO PLANNING WORKSHOP TO BE HELD OCTOBER 19th
On Sunday, October 19th, citizens opposed to the County’s proposed El Toro International Airport will get a chance to “accentuate the positive.” Instead of discussing the economic and environmental calamity that El Toro International Airport would bring, scores of Orange County citizens will participate in Project ’99’s hands-on workshop to create an exciting non-aviation reuse plan for the Marine Corps Base at El Toro.
Project ’99’s research and community education efforts have always stressed the importance of defeating a bad idea — El Toro International Airport — by developing a better idea. The “better idea”? Create a non-aviation reuse plan that is environmentally and economically sound — a plan that includes a mixture of productive, non-aviation reuses that will benefit the entire County after the Marine Corps leaves El Toro, in 1999. College campuses and learning centers . . . a high-tech research and industrial park . . . an arts and entertainment complex . . . a large central park that includes a major library and museums . . . and a pedestrian-friendly downtown that is connected to a major “railport” at the Irvine/El Toro border.
These are just some of the land-use concepts that citizens will be discussing at the workshop — concepts that elicited a strong, favorable response to Project ’99’s Spring Survey of supporters. The October 19th workshop is really two workshops. A morning workshop will take place from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The same material will be repeated in an afternoon workshop, from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Both the morning and afternoon workshops will be held at Rancho San Joaquin Senior Center, 3 Sandburg Way, in Irvine. The workshops will include break-out sessions where citizens can contribute their ideas in smaller groups. Drawing on the workshops and grassroots citizen participation, in the months ahead Project ’99 will publish a planning document entitled: A Real Choice for a Better Future: A Citizen Task Force Report on the Non-Aviation Reuse of the Marine Corps Base at El Toro.
In September, the El Toro Reuse Planning Authority (ETRPA) — the public agency comprised of South County cities — invited Project ’99 to bring as many talented citizens as possible into a non-aviation reuse planning process. The Project ’99 management team accepted ETRPA’s invitation and immediately scheduled the October 19th workshop.
BULLETIN BOARD
Litigation Update: October promises to be an important month on the litigation front . The hearing date for the lawsuit challenging the legality of the County’s El Toro Airport Environmental Impact Report (EIR) is set for October 14th in Superior Court in San Diego. The judge’s tentative opinion is expected to be released on Friday, October 10th. Richard Jacobs, the attorney representing the South County cities in the case, stated that the cities have a strong claim, but he is not predicting an outcome.
If the County wins the suit, it is almost certain that South County cities and Taxpayers for Responsible Planning (plaintiffs in the consolidated lawsuit) will appeal. If the County loses, the Orange County Supervisors will have a choice: Appeal the decision, or go back and re-do the EIR in order to meet the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act.
Project ’99’s Compact Disc: Project ’99’s compact disc has proved to be a quick hit . Entitled Under the Flight Path: A Preview of El Toro International Airport, the 72-minute CD features the actual sounds of commercial airliners taking off and landing at John Wayne Airport and LAX. According to Dave Kirkey, who produced the CD for Project ’99, instead of relying on County officials who promise a “quiet” airport at El Toro, “you can use this new CD to conduct your own in-home noise tests.”
Following widespread news coverage about the CD — on radio and in the newspapers — orders surged. But we still have a limited number of CDs available for Project ’99 supporters. If you’d like your own copy of Under the Flight Path, use the enclosed reply form to request a copy.
Project ’99 Monthly Briefing: Our next briefing will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday, October 31st at the UCI University Club (Berkeley Road at Los Trancos). This briefing will be a “mini-workshop” — inviting citizens and the press alike to review Project ’99’s progress in creating a non-aviation reuse plan for El Toro. The briefing is open to the public. It is followed by a buffet luncheon ($10 per person), providing an opportunity to informally exchange ideas. Please call us at 559-5423 if you are interested in attending the October briefing — space is limited.
Project ’99 is a special project of the Tides Center, a duly registered public charity. Donations to Project ’99/Tides Center are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.
Project ’99 Newsletter Director of Communications, Karen Byers Director of Media, Alan Ellstrand
Project ’99 • PO Box 252 • Irvine CA 92650 • Phone (714) 559-5423