There is an old saying comparing governmental action to sausage making. Here in Irvine, it appears Farmer John is running the show.

In July the Irvine City Council attempted to find a way to satisfy the intensifying controversy over a proposal to build a new village of 3,100 homes and apartments on the Oak Creek Golf Course. The plan the Irvine Company offered features nearly $100 million in promised benefits, including dedication of 300 acres of open space above Orchard Hills.

The problem is that the golf course was identified in a 1988 city ballot measure approved by voters as one element of various areas to be preserved as permanent open space. In return for giving up development potential on those parcels, the Irvine Company received permission to intensify development in other areas

See Full Page