The
existing John Wayne Airport settlement agreement runs until 2016,
although former Newport Beach Mayor Tom Edwards told the Irvine council
that county leaders had signaled an interest in re-negotiating the
settlement during 2011.
"There is going to be demand from the
business standpoint, and you have to balance that," Edwards said. "But
environmental quality for Orange County is extremely important."
Irvine
Mayor Sukhee Kang said Newport Beach's invitation for Irvine to join
the Corridor Cities Coalition is one of several ways he and Newport
Mayor Keith Curry are trying to improve communication between the
neighboring communities.
Along with the long-running airport
battle, which ended with county voters in 2002 backing plans for the
Great Park, the two cities previously traded barbs, lawsuits and legal
threats over development along their shared border.
"I am so
happy that Newport Beach is willing to work with the city of Irvine,"
Councilman Steven Choi said on Tuesday. "At times they were not."
"I
know, I've been there," Edwards responded.
The council vote
comes a month after Irvine Councilman Larry Agran offered an apparent
olive branch to airport backers by speaking at a meeting of the Airport
Working Group. The working group, which monitors John Wayne Airport to
ensure that it follows regulations on use and noise levels, served as
one of Irvine's principal opponents during the El Toro debate.
Agran's
keynote speech focused on the common ground both sides have found in
public transportation projects - such as the Irvine-backed iShuttle and
the recently unveiled FlyAway bus service between Orange County and LAX -
although he touched on the past controversy by noting that even though a
lot of money was spent on the El Toro campaign he didn't fee that any
of the attacks were personal.
Contact the writer: 714-796-7939 or
semery@ocregister.com
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