HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Res 4971 2002-01-14
RESOLUTION NUMBER #971
A RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEAL
BEACH OPPOSING TilE ORANGE COUNTY CENTRAL PARK AND
NATURE PRESERVE
WHEREAS, the Orange County Board of Supervisors, on Octobcr 23,2001, completed the EI
Toro reuse planning process by certifyihg EIR 573; and I
WHEREAS, the" Orange County Central Park and Nature Preserve, if passed, will change the
land use zoning for EI Toro and specifically preclude a commercial aviation reuse
ofEI Toro; and
WHEREAS, the proponents of the "Orange County Central Park and Nature Preserve" propose
a "Great Park" to be built on the 4,700 acre EI Toro site instead; and
WHEREAS, South' Orange County already has 78,000 acres of parkland while North Orange
County has only 8,000 acres of parkland; and
WHEREAS, BBC Research & Consulting (BBe) has prepared a fiscal impact analysis ofthc
"Great Park"; and
WHEREAS, the BBC analysis was peer reviewed by the Orange County Taxpayers
Association (OCTax) and former California Auditor General, Kurt Sjoberg; and
WHEREAS, OCTax and the former California Auditor General concur in BBC's findings; and
WHEREAS, the City ofIrvine claims the "Great Park" costs to be approximately $200 million;
and
WHEREAS, the BBC study conservatively estimated total accumulated capital cost of creating I
the "Great Park" to be $2.1 billion in current dollars; and
, WHEREAS, the BBC study concluded that development of the "Great Park" would require
substantial tax increases within the jurisdiction that chooses to develop it; and
WHEREAS, the BBC study shows that the interim leasing plan proposed by park proponents
would require more than 60 years of accumulated operating revenue before any
park construction could begin; and
WHEREAS, the BBC study shows that if park construction were to be debt funded, the annual
debt service would amount to $185 million; and
WHEREAS, the BBC study shows that the "Great Park" as proposed would require between
$42 million and $60 million annually for gross operating costs and $245 million
per year in combined operating costs and debt service; and
WHEREAS, the BBC study estimates that the impact of the total alIDual cost would be new or
increased taxes equivalent to a 10% property tax increase if spread across all
Orange County taxpayers; and
WHEREAS, the citizens of Orange County would lose the opportunity for 68,000 jobs, .$7 I
billion in economic activity and $450 million in annual state and local
government tax revenues from a profitable commercial airport operation at EI
Toro; and
WHEREAS, numerous toxic contamination sitcs at EI Toro require substantial clean-up to
meet cnvironmental standards for a park; and
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Resolution Number ~~/
WHEREAS, the "City ofIrvine's Solvents Study" concluded that close and continued exposure
to soil which is excavated on Base represents a higher than acceptable health risk;
and
WHEREAS, the "City ofIrvine's Solvents Study" conclnded that the community could be
exposed to harmful levels of hazardous materials without even knowinl!; it; and
WHEREAS,
the "City ofIrvine's Solvent Study" estimates that the cost to remediate the
anticipated soil contmnination will add between "1135 million and $350 million"
to the overall clcanup cost; and
WHEREAS, the Final Report "Environmental Risks Associated with thc Great Park Proposal"
concludes that ihe existing paving at the Base acts as a cap lor the contaminated
soil, and limits the distribution of contaminated soil and human contact with the
contaminated soil, and the Great Park will remove much of the paving on the
base; and
WHEREAS, the Final Report "Environmental Risks Associated with the Great Park Proposal"
concludes that the soil in the area of the Great Park is contaminated allll prescnts a
health risk, and that this health risk will increase if the excavated areas are used
for activities'where people have contact with the contaminated soil, and
WHEREAS, the Department of Navy Environmental Policy Memorandum 95-02 states that
"Communities should be encouraged to develop reuse plans that cousidcr reusing
the land in the same manner (industrial. commercial,. residential) as it is being
used at the time of closure. This will result in cost elTective and timely clean-ups
ultimately providing opportunity for quicker economic revitalization of the
property;" and
WHEREAS, the feasibility of conveying El Toro to the County of Orange for a "Great Park" as
a Public Benefit Conveyance (PBC) by the Department of the Navy is highly
doubtful.
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RI~SOLVED that the City Council of the City of Seal Beach
opposes the "Orange County Central Park and Nature Preserve" which would change the land
use zoning lor EI Toro.
NOES:
PASS~PPROVE
;. - day of
.
AYES: Council
and ADOPTED by the City Council of the City ofSenl Beach on this
2, by the ollowing vote:
Councilmemb
ABSENT:
Councilmembers
ATTEST:
Ioal
Resolution Number JIf1/
STATE OF CALIFORNIA)
COUNTY or ORANGE ) SS
CITY OF SEAL BEACH )
I, Joanne M. Yeo, City Clerk of Seal Beach, California, 0 hereby certify that the foregoing
resolution is the original copy of Resolution Number n file in the ofticc of the City
Clerk, passed, approved, and adopte1J>).; the City Counci ofth City orSeal Beach, at a regular
meetin' thcreofheld 011 the M day of ,2002.
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