[CPEO-MEF] Park planners look to Denver

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California
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Park planners look to Denver
Irvine is watching Stapleton Airport reuse as it plans Great Park at El
Toro.
By JEFF ROWE
Wednesday, May 28, 2003

Irvine city officials are learning some lessons from Denver in
transforming the old El Toro Marine base into the Great Park.

They are watching closely how that city is converting Stapleton Airport
into homes, businesses, parks and schools.

Denver is about five years ahead of Irvine in the process of turning
blueprints into reality, but Tuesday night the Irvine City Council took
some steps in moving forward. The council unanimously approved the
environmental impact report, the general plan amendment, the zone change
and the application to annex the base at its meeting.

Mayor Larry Agran outlined milestones in the past years, such as the
passage of Measure W that ditched a plan for an airport at El Toro and
instead showed the voters' desire for the Great Park. He said families
would be able to play in the sports park in three years. "For all of us
who have been privileged to play a role in its creation, the Orange
County Great Park will be a source of pride and a testament to our
shared civic commitment," Agran said.

The Great Park plan outlines a combination of 3,400 homes, 4,000 acres
of open space, 28 acres for commercial use and 800 housing units for
seniors.

At 4,700 acres, Stapleton Airport was the same size as the former El
Toro military base, had just a tad more acreage under concrete (1,000)
and faced the same pollution concerns – decades of leaked fuels and
solvents. The airport closed in February 1995 when Denver International
Airport opened. How Denver is treating those problems offers some ideas
for how Irvine might deal with similar issues.

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