Housing Crunch? Loads of Base Homes Stand By

In a neighborhood that once teemed with El Toro military families, Orange County Supervisor Tom Wilson strolled down streets called Inchon Place and Iwo Jima Drive with row upon row of houses sitting empty.

“Can you imagine the number of people we can accommodate out here?” said Wilson, whose plan to convert thousands of units of base housing into rentable homes for the public and homeless families is facing an uphill struggle.

Wilson’s proposal to study base housing will be voted on at the board’s meeting Thursday.

In one tract alone there are more than 850 homes, many with two-car garages, patios and some four-bedroom, two-bath former officers’ homes in mint condition.

“Some of these homes are in such absolutely perfect condition that it would blow your mind,” said Jim Palmer, executive director of the Orange County Rescue Mission. “They have brand-new playgrounds attached to them. They all have appliances, carpeting and some have air-conditioning. This would be a shame if this plan doesn’t happen.”

Part of the proposal is to generate revenue by leasing to a developer who can rehabilitate, market and manage the properties. Additional housing also would be leased to nonprofit agencies to help alleviate the county’s affordable housing crisis by renting to the working poor and homeless.

According to a recent county assessment, there are 18,000 homeless people in the county at any given time and only 2,374 emergency shelter beds.

“Other than the Silicon Valley, Orange County is in the worst situation in the country for available and affordable housing,” said Lee Podolak, president of the Orange County Homeless Issues Task Force. “The county has an average rent of $1,100 to $1,200 a month for a two-bedroom with a [countywide] vacancy rate of only 2%.”

Palmer has assembled a consortium of nonprofits, including the Salvation Army and other shelter agencies. Each agency would take a chunk of 12 to 20 homes and provide programs not only for shelter but for counseling, job training and child development in the same neighborhood.

But the political battle over whether to build an airport at El Toro is clouding the plan.

The biggest obstacle for the county is how to allow people in but not permit them to vote for annexation to Irvine, which has proposed taking control of the base as a political maneuver to halt the proposed airport. Under state law, as few as 12 residents living in the unincorporated El Toro area could vote to have Irvine annex their neighborhood.

Wilson is walking a political tightrope because he needs the votes of the three pro-airport supervisors who are weighing the need for affordable housing against the need for an airport.

Housing advocates argue that El Toro is a temporary opportunity to generate revenue and use its housing assets until a reuse plan is approved by supervisors, which could take years. The base has 1,183 housing units and 4,380 barracks or dormitory units.

Both Chairman Chuck Smith and Supervisor Jim Silva were out of town on county business and could not be reached for comment.

But James Campbell, Smith’s aide, said the base’s housing tracts represent a “tremendous opportunity” for the county, although the first priority for the board is to finish negotiations for a base lease with the Navy.

“It would be irresponsible for this board not to pursue the opportunity those houses represent,” Campbell said.

As for the annexation dilemma, Campbell said Smith views the 12 votes as a “challenge, not a problem. And, we’ll deal with these challenges as they come along.”

Supervisor Cynthia P. Coad, who once lived on the base as a military wife, said she favors Wilson’s concept and is excited about providing a range of social services for new residents, more than “just a place to live.”

“I want to see all the necessary services like counseling, access to social services, even a community medical clinic and, of course, we’ll need transportation such as bus service out there,” Coad said.

But she added: “Of course the big question is the voting and annexation.”

Supervisor Todd Spitzer would not comment but has said in the past that he wants to set aside the annexation question and view the housing plan separately, allowing the board to get more clarification.

Irvine is a “very strong” advocate for the housing plan, said Irvine Mayor Christina L. Shea. “I don’t think we’re in disagreement.”

However, there could be a concern on the county’s part, she said, “if 12 residents move in and wind up voting for Irvine [annexation]. That’s to our benefit.”

Wilson said he and his staff are still clarifying the plan’s details. He said he intends to talk to Irvine officials and also the state Local Agency Formation Commission, which decides on annexations.

At its peak, the 4,700-acre air base was as busy as any small, California city with 10,000 Marines. But the Marines left a year ago, pulling out from housing tracts with hundreds of homes that now, like the adjacent playgrounds, stand eerily silent.

Wilson points to a housing model at San Francisco’s Treasure Island, site of a decommissioned Navy base that has placed 535 families in renovated housing. It’s estimated that the city’s seven-year contract with a development and management firm will yield $50 million in revenue.

“The revenue we generate stays on the island and pays for infrastructure, such as the roads, utilities, police, fire and city services,” said Annemarie Conroy, a former San Francisco supervisor now serving as executive director of the Treasure Island Development Authority Project.

Housing units are rented through nonprofits and there are also market-rate residences offered to the public, including those for city police officers, firefighters and teachers who need a break on rent because of the Bay Area’s housing crunch.

In addition, the island is home to a production studio, where portions of the TV show “Nash Bridges” are filmed. There also is a police academy, fire training school and job corps with 850 students.

Wilson is optimistic that supervisors will eventually approve a housing plan that can be a haven for those in need of a roof over their heads.

“If a decision on an airport was to be made tomorrow, then this might not be a good venture,” Wilson said. “But if the decision is going to take a long time, why not at least think of this as a reasonable proposal and work it out?”