Lolita Harper
COSTA MESA -- City leaders said it is too soon to worry about the
possible southern migration of the Orange County Fairgrounds but added
that even the possibility poses numerous hypothetical questions.
Becky Bailey-Findley, general manager and chief executive of the
Orange County Fairgrounds, said fair officials requested 300 acres of the
closed El Toro Marine base for possible expansion or relocation of the
fair as part of Irvine's attempt to annex the 3,200-acre parcel.
Orange County supervisors voted Tuesday to support Irvine's plan to
acquire, annex and develop the closed El Toro Marine base -- a plan that
includes a large designation for the Orange County Fairgrounds.
Bailey-Findley said fair officials were prompted to apply for the land
to pursue an off-campus equestrian center, which is part of the
fairgrounds' 10-year master plan.
The existing site on Fair Drive is 160 acres. Fair officials are
asking for nearly double that amount of land at the closed base.
Bailey-Findley said officials picked the "nice round figure" because
there is so much land available.
"It's just a goal on our part to ask for that number and see if it
will be considered," Bailey-Findley said. "The idea of relocating
completely is very, very preliminary."
If the fair were to head south, it opens a variety of possibilities
for the state-owned land bordered by the Costa Mesa Freeway, Fair Drive,
Fairview Road and Arlington Drive.
City Manager Allan Roeder said the city would be interested in the
land, but only if it could be acquired for a nominal price.
"If they should relocate, then that property should be made available
to the city, not traded or sold off for some other commercial or economic
use," Roeder said.
Given the state's financial crisis, that option may be unlikely,
Roeder said.
"My sense is that [the state] would have to think long and hard about
that property simply being given to the city," Roeder said.
A slew of "ifs" peppered each of Roeder's statements about the
possible use of the land.
If Irvine succeeds in annexing and properly cleaning the closed base .
. .
If fair officials decide to move the entire site to South County . . .
If Costa Mesa could acquire the land at 88 Fair Drive from the state .
. .
If all those factors should fall into place, Roeder predicted the city
would use the land for more parks and field space.
"Obviously the first thing that leaps to mind is the city's need for
more parks and recreation," Roeder said.
