City leaders trying to make peace with Irvine

June Casagrande

Not long ago, Newport Beach and the city of Irvine were bitter

enemies.

Newport leaders saw the closed El Toro Marine Air Base as a “great

flight hope” for limiting John Wayne Airport expansion. Irvine,

bitterly opposed to creating a commercial airport at El Toro, fought

for and helped win a plan to convert the base into residential and

commercial development and open space. The two neighboring cities

couldn’t have hated each other more.

Those days are gone. El Toro will not be a commercial airport. And

if there’s a silver lining for Newport Beach, it’s that now they can

bury the hatchet with Irvine.

Newport Beach leaders now want to create a “Irvine/Newport Beach

Borders Committee” composed of representatives from both cities in a

move toward a new era of border relations.

“The idea is that we can have discussions with the Irvine mayor

and other council members on issues of mutual concern,” said Newport

Beach City Manager Homer Bludau, adding that he will put the item on

the council’s agenda for Tuesday.

The Scholle development, a 487,000-square-foot office an retail

complex being built just inside Irvine’s borders at 19000 Jamboree

Road, is a classic example of an issue that Newport leaders would

like to discuss with Irvine. Newport Beach officials say that more

should be done to buffer traffic from the project that flows into

Newport Beach streets.

Several other Irvine developments have also come on to Newport’s

radar as possible concerns, Bludau said, but the committee is about

more than just development.

Newport leaders also hope to discuss the work of its Sphere Issues

Committee, which is looking into whether the city can take over or

help manage John Wayne Airport, tidal zones, the Coyote Canyon

landfill and the Sheriff’s Harbor Patrol. Bludau said it’s also

possible that the two cities could work together to provide emergency

services.

Local airport activists, whose battles with Irvine left a bitter

taste in their mouths several years ago, took the news in stride.

Airport Working Group president Tom Naughton said he believed it was

a good idea for the cities to talk, especially about traffic. Former

pro-El Toro airport activist Russell Niewiarowski said the city

should approach the talks with caution.

“Based on our dealings with them before, I’d say that Newport

should probably be a little leery of dealing with them,” Niewiarowski

said.

Irvine Mayor Larry Agran, who Bludau said met with Newport leaders

recently, was out of the country on Tuesday and could not be reached

for comment. Irvine City Councilman Mike Ward said he would welcome

the opportunity to open a mutually beneficial dialogue with Newport

Beach.

“We’re always interested in talking to our neighbors,” said Ward,

adding that he had not yet been approached by officials regarding the

committee. “There has been a lot of contention between Newport Beach

and Irvine in recent years and it would be a good idea to sit down

and talk to them and realize we have a lot more in common than we

think we do.”

* JUNE CASAGRANDE covers Newport Beach and John Wayne Airport. She

may be reached at (949) 574-4232 or by e-mail at

[email protected].