IRVINE

Last year, the Irvine Co. and Turtle Rock residents struggled over how many homes should line the streets of Turtle Ridge, Irvine’s next village.

But with the Planning Commission’s approval last week of the first Turtle Ridge tract map, which calls for 545 single-family detached homes in a gated neighborhood, the same residents were praising the company’s effort to keep its promise and involve the community before the village is built.

“I want to express my great appreciation to the Irvine Co. for providing this detailed tract map,” said John C. Greene, vice president of Irvine Residents for Responsible Development, an activist group that adamantly opposed the initial designs.

Though the company had planned to build a mix of 2,500 luxury homes, gated mansions and apartments in Turtle Ridge, the agreement with the grass-roots group limited the number of homes to 2,155.

The tract map that planning commissioners approved July 20 focused only on the gated community, with maps for other areas to follow.