Irvine City Council approves planning document to build 60,000 homes, drawing mixed reviews

During a recent city council meeting, Irvine’s Council voted 4-1 to approve a General Plan for 2045, which includes the construction of nearly 58,000 housing units over the next two decades. This significant resolution has sparked mixed reactions and conflicts with decisions made by the Airport Land Use Commission, indicating potential changes in the future.

This decision aligns with California’s mandates requiring local municipalities to address housing shortages. According to state guidelines, Irvine must develop at least 23,610 housing units, including 10,000 designated for low- and very-low-income families. Developers argue that constructing such a large number of low-income units necessitates building additional market-rate housing to remain profitable, resulting in a total of 57,656 units needed.

City Manager introduced the plan detailing that the majority of these housing units will be concentrated in three areas: the Irvine Business Center (IBC) with plans for 15,000 units, the Irvine Spectrum commercial area targeting 26,607 units, and the Great Park area aiming for 5,252 units.

The City Manager highlighted two key considerations in this planning: first, these three areas are well-served by public transportation and are already high-density commercial zones; second, the plan aims to protect the traditional single-family home communities in Irvine, ensuring the privacy and spaciousness of those neighborhoods.

However, the approval of this housing plan means contravening a previous decision by the Airport Land Use Commission. Prior to the city council meeting, the commission voted unanimously against Irvine’s construction proposal, citing concerns that placing 15,000 housing units near the airport would exacerbate traffic and environmental issues while subjecting residents to significant noise pollution from John Wayne Airport, which falls under the commission’s jurisdiction.

Councilmember Tammy Kim expressed support for the plan, describing it as a blueprint that outlines the direction for future housing development. She emphasized that if Irvine does not adopt such a framework, developers might exploit regulatory loopholes to build without oversight. Additionally, Kim pointed out the rising housing prices have left many low-income families, including important city employees like police officers, struggling to afford housing.

On the other hand, Vice Mayor Larry Agran voted against the plan. He argued that with only six months remaining before the state’s deadline, Irvine should take this time to explore more effective solutions to the housing crisis rather than rushing through this substantial construction initiative. Agran raised concerns about the practicality of adding 57,000 housing units, suggesting that each household would contribute one or two cars to an already congested road system, which the city is ill-equipped to handle. Acknowledging issues related to air quality and traffic, he proposed alternative affordable housing solutions, such as negotiating with local developers to allocate 5,000 of the 35,000 rental units currently on the market as affordable rentals.

Agran urged fellow council members to honor Irvine’s long-standing principles of thoughtful planning, and to respect the established process of urban development, advocating for a more strategic approach moving forward.