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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPublic Comment Received from Patty CampbellTimeline of the Los Alamitos JFTB 1941: With WWII on the horizon, the Federal government condemned land for the Los Alamitos Naval Air Station from the Bixby Land Company. March 1960: With the advent of the jets, the runways at the Los Al Naval Air Station were not long enough, so the Federal government again began condemnation proceedings for land at both ends of the runways. Bixby again fought it. The government also acquired land from the Irvine Company for El Toro MCAS thru a series of land swaps that involved among other things, the land where Parkwood and where the Lampson office building was located, and a huge piece of land from a Nike base in Garden Grove on Western Ave. September 1961: Bixby signed a 25 year lease with the Federal Government for the land south west of the runways for an off -base crash zone; lease retro-active to March 1960. Note: The golf course was developed in the late 1960's. December 15,1966: A413 Skyhawk crashed down Yellowtail Drive in Rossmoor. The pilot took off on instruments and almost immediately went on visual flying rules. There was haze/fog at the end of the runway that did not show up on radar, which disoriented the pilot. Instead of pulling up, he went through the trees and down Yellowtail in Rossmoor. Fortunately there were no injuries to residents, but 6 homes were damaged. The pilot was not injured. 1970: Navy decides to vacate the Los Alamitos Naval Air Station 1973: Final EIR issued for Army take over of Los Alamitos Naval Air Station. 1975 to 1979: Congressman Mark Hannaford and a small group of Cypress residents blew the whistle on a proposed ownership change for the now Los Alamitos Armed Forces Reserve Center. An attempt was made to change the ownership of the base from the Federal government to the State of California. However, disposition of federal property required an act of Congress, and no such action had been taken, so the base stayed in federal ownership, and does so to this day. Revestment: in California law: a process: If you condemn land for a public use, you have to use it for that use or else the original owner can sue to get his land back. Bixby wanted the land back for the base. If they could get ownership transferred to the State of California and shut down the runways (the land was originally condemned for runways and land to support the runways), they could sue under the State's revestment law and get the land back. Over 1,300 acres of prime northwest Orange County land. The cost to Bixby would be whatever their legal fees were. Pretty good deal. 1983: Bixby let everyone know that they were not going to renew the lease when it expired in 1985, but instead develop their golf course property. 1991: Bixby proposed golf course homes at the end of the runway. The purpose was to compromise the runways and to force them to close. December 1995: the Seal Beach Planning Commission voted 3 to 2 against Bixby's proposed housing project. Spring 1996: Councilman Frank Laszlo termed out and his successor did not support housing at the end of the runway; Bixby postponed their plans days before it was to go to the city council as they knew they could not get it approved. 1997: Bixby proposed a shopping center on the northern part of the property and put in the Development Agreement that they would not pursue any further development on the golf course because of the military presence, which has now been violated with 1) the zoning changes in 2011 (didn't say where, just on Old Ranch) and 2) with the two proposed residential projects on the golf course; documents show no housing permitted on the site that became Ralphs. The Development Agreement also stated the only development permitted on the golf course would be recreational/golf and the DA was to expire December 2029. Bixby sold the golf course to Dr. Chu, sometime around 2007. He was well aware of the development agreement and its stipulations, but he tried many times, unsuccessfully, to get some development on the golf course. With the demands of the RINA numbers, he is taking advantage of that to pursuing development on the golf course. What he really wants is the hotel at the eastern end of the club house on the lake which accepts the storm water runoff from CPE. Noise contours have evolved over time: each time freeing up land on the western end of the golf course for development, and moving more and more over College Park East. If the present noise contours had been in place in the mid 1960's, half of CPE could not have been built. With the present noise contours, planes have to make a sharp left turn (bank) as soon as they are air borne. The cargo planes, cannot make that sharp turn and go right over the proposed housing site. And if they are loaded, they go low and slow. Noise Contours 1. Dated January 1962 2. Dated August 7, 1975 from the Airport Evirons Land Use Plan (AELUP) 3. Dated 1987, USGS, Los Alamitos noise study 4. Dated June 1, 1994, adopted by the ALUC avauviy f Ile WWD Ro" mvu s C, hi'ok rovfl-cLtj,-� B-17 IMPACT ZONES 1. r�u� re�u ir��eT 2 • rC0�14T� MOIL I �YNCT EXISTING NOISE CONTOURS �College, Rusk bask I�ouslhg orx6y�s pv6posej ' 0u611q FIGURE 6.2-1 �?97 kk�k M�se- car)- ouvs - .- —Jan. 26,1967 News -Enterprise...: Jmyz9,19at Pilo#;Error Responsible News -Enterprise 3729 Catalina Los Alamitos, CA 9W20 - - - -. pilot error-,, was re- Ingg rdles.,..But In -the next DearSirs: - ,sponslblel.forl-nce Doc. split second, the evokes - In sorting out some papers of my late 15. crash In �-Rossmour man said;. Moffett. a fast mother-in-law, I found the enclosed front page.: of an 'A913-Skytiawk '' jet ship hit a heavy haze con -- "News -Enterprise" article of the Rossmoor aircraft, which _.ripped dition, disorienting --the plane crash. The paper was dated 1/26/67,. the Into SIX homesbur mir-: pilot. --' crash occurred on 12/15/66. -- - aculously injured no One.. - The spokesman said at We have lived in Rossmoor since 1960 and I remember the afternoon of December 15 vividly. pccoidin to a 'Naval this instant Moffett should Navalship's havnose I was at on crashtnson was rats climbed..' Board of Inquiry, held In - - last 'Friday, Reserve. -steed,- business whenrthe occurreehool dd. There according to the Cap[. J.li. Mof- concern about a school bus beingin the area that hit but fortunatelyIt -Marine.- spokesman, Moffett. flew fett;' •� 31, Newha 11, - he- - p was was nt. The houses hit,, were within Hopkinson School boundaries and came disoriented In a rug straight and level.. into bank he :was a tree onthebase. - there was much fear for the children and their families. as leavin the Los Alamitos Naval From that Impact, the The area was immediately blocked off ' so lit' Air. Station on a training ship bounced into a row flight. -A spokesman said of trees'on Log Alamitos tie was known as to the extent of damage or in- the ..takeoff. "was cum- Boulevard and then into juries. . pllcated ' by unusual wea- the <homes in : the 3000 I remember the relief there were no serious injuries ju felt when we ]ear-; ordeaths:Fog ther which could not have 1 block of -Yellowtail Drive. banks banks still roll in, weather is still a been detected from the No disciplinary. action even in 1964. I shudder to think what could hap• at could lisp. round.: - - is pending or has been $ `� -' '` - `. g pen if multiple story office buildings were in- - He explained that Mof- taken against Moffett, according volved. It is something our Seal Beach and to the spokes- fett a Continental ' Air- somesoormnounty governments should .give lines commercial pilot man,howoevveer, he before We were very lucky the first time, let's pray in private life, ` took off a pilots' disposition on instruments and al- board todetermine there's not a second time. as Helen Sisemore whe- most immediately after -[her he can continue to Rossmoor'takeoff Wen[ un visualtly- fly for the military.