Letters
The Irvine Company
I recently become aware of the city of Irvine’s Northern Sphere Area Project, which would impact 3,500 acres of land located on the northern edge of the city at the base of the Santiago Hills. The project would encompass the Tomato Springs camp site of the 1776 Gaspar de Portola expedition, the Portola expedition trial, and some 20 important archaeological sites located at or near the Tomato Springs area.
I made a presentation to the California Cultural Resources Preservation Alliance on July 1, and as a result thereof, the alliance formed the Save-Tomato-Springs Committee.
Because the EIR has been certified and the statutory period to contest the same may have expired, it might be that little can be done except to encourage public awareness of this issue. I would hope that awareness might lead to a public rejection of the destruction of the last irreplaceable remnants of our prehistory and history in the Lomas de Santiago Hills.
I would also like to thank you and congratulate you for the outstanding public services provided by the Orange County Business Journal.
Robert A. Loll
Floratos, Loll & Devine
Irvine
I read with great amusement The Irvine Company’s tacit admission of the seriousness of Orange County’s ground transportation gridlock problem, and its “stack ’em” solution to the problem.
The Santa Ana Canyon “Y” is by far the worst gridlock area in the county, followed by the El Toro “Y.” Both of these areas can be attributed to none other than The Irvine Company in its greed to build-out its 90,000-acre Irvine Ranch property.
What’s the next alternative to spring from The Company? A double-decker second county airport atop John Wayne Airport?
It’s time The Company take responsibility for the nightmare traffic problems its inflicted on all of us residents and freeze its remaining future developments until the current transportation problems have been adequately addressed.
Russell Niewiarowski
Santa Ana Heights
Airports, Cont’d
In his July 8 letter, Michael Smith states that John Wayne “is capable of handling twice its current number of passengers (without physical expansion and without nighttime operations.)” Where does he get his information?
We flew just recently and had to wait on the tarmac 20 minutes to get to a gate. There are times the taxi stand is not able to take the load, car rental people have inadequate space, and even with the new parking structures, parking is a problem. If there were twice the passengers it would be a disaster.
Charles H. Boniols
Newport Beach
