Open space is the centerpiece of Irvine's Master Plan and it must not change.

"It is a core principal of Irvine that we protect our open space, and we're here today to do that.  And I wanted to thank my colleagues for bringing forth this issue -- and particularly the right time with the General Plan update -- that there could be no question now that the devotion of our City is to the protection of open space.  And so, I thank you for that."
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​--Irvine City Councilmember Melissa Fox, public comments made at the August 28, 2018 Council meeting
​Slashing more of Irvine’s open space by allowing new development on the Rancho San Joaquin golf course will harm our communities in these ways:
  1. Ruin enjoyment of our property, tank our property value, and set a dangerous precedent for the rest of Irvine. The golf course has been an open space amenity for over 50 years and likely was one of the reasons hundreds of Irvine residents purchased homes in nearby Villages.  If development is allowed on the golf course, what’s to stop developers from building on other open spaces in Irvine?

  2. Development on the golf course will increase traffic on our already clogged streets, especially on Culver, Harvard, Michelson and University, which already suffer from bumper-to-bumper congestion.  Thirty-two hundred students added to the mix in the areas of University, Harvard, and Culver will greatly exacerbate the situation, adding to the congestion, creating more and longer traffic delays, and negatively impacting public safety.

  3. The developer wants to shrink the championship golf course to an “executive” short-course which will alienate golfers and ultimately prove a losing business proposition.  If the executive golf course fails as a result, homeowners can anticipate even more development on the remaining golf course parcel and the complete loss of the open space that currently abuts the existing residential properties.

  4. Development on the golf course will adversely affect the many migrating birds and animals that inhabit the golf course and use it as part of a contiguous wildlife corridor.  It will also bring unprecedented noise and light pollution to the surrounding Irvine villages.
"We are making it, hopefully, very clear tonight...that we are not going to be looking at any entitlements, any approval entitlements.  And so, if someone wants to invest that kind of money [into the golf course] with the understanding that we will not be moving off the dime in regard to your protection of your property, that's their choice.  But our choice tonight is -- my choice tonight -- along with the Mayor, is to give you confidence that we will not be approving any kind of additional entitlements on that property.

​...I believe that putting forward in a resolution that reaffirm our commitment to -- in the strongest way -- to let you know that we're behind you 100%.."

​--Irvine Mayor Pro Tem Christina Shea, public comments at the August 28, 2018 City Council meeting