Irvine mayor wants talks despite lawsuit

With the threat of a lawsuit looming, Irvine Mayor Beth Krom said Wednesday that city officials will continue to try to talk out their differences with Newport Beach and Tustin over developments in the Irvine Business Complex.

The Newport Beach City Council decided Tuesday to file a suit to stop two residential developments planned for the Irvine Business Complex, the 2323 Main St. condo project and Avalon Jamboree Village. Tustin has agreed to join the suit.

Newport Beach officials have said Irvine did not fully study the possible effects of developments in the business complex, which they worry could overtax Newport’s roads, parks and infrastructure.

The 2323 Main St. project includes 445 condos, and Avalon Jamboree Village includes about 296 units.

Krom said she hasn’t received official notice of the suit, which Newport expected to file before a Friday deadline.

While she would prefer to resolve the issue outside the courts, she said, “the city of Irvine would be prepared to respond appropriately, whatever they [Newport and Tustin] choose to do.”

Tustin’s concerns are similar to Newport’s. Tustin Mayor Doug Davert said in a statement, “We respect Irvine’s right to local control, but we’re concerned that there will be ramifications to our city if the Irvine business center is developed as currently planned.”

In response to the charge that Irvine hasn’t adequately planned its developments, Krom said, “I feel confident in the work that we have done as a city.”

Krom said she had wanted to meet with policy makers from the other cities, but they weren’t interested, she said. She added that she regrets Newport and Tustin have decided sue, but “filing a lawsuit does not need to preclude further discussion.”