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Residents urge council to preserve Oak Creek open space, warn rezoning could become housing
Summary
Multiple public commenters during the March 10 meeting pressed the council to accept an easement and block proposed rezoning of Oak Creek; speakers said an Irvine Company proposal labeled a '50‑acre nature park' could lead to thousands of homes and urged council direction to planning commissioners.
Several Irvine residents used the non‑agendized public comment period on March 10 to press the city council to protect Oak Creek and other open space from potential redevelopment.
Joanne Slobodian asked the council to accept an easement and “fix the clerical error” to protect Oak Creek, saying the Irvine Company’s pending rezoning could convert open space into a “village of 3,100 homes” despite being described publicly as a 50‑acre nature park. “Accept the easement, protect Oak Creek, protect Irvine's open space,” she said.
John Albritton recalled the 1988 open‑space preservation initiative and accused the Irvine Company of promoting a misleading narrative that would shrink protected acreage. He urged the council to defend the city’s legacy of open‑space protection and called on officials to be explicit in directing planning commissioners.
Public commenter Alan Myerson criticized remarks by Councilmember William Goh at a recent Great Park meeting, saying he found them “offensive and racist.” Another commenter, Jason Garshfield, used his time to criticize daylight saving time policy and leveled sharp public statements about former mayor Farrah Khan’s social media posts.
The mayor closed public comment after the seven speakers and moved on to the city manager’s report and the State of the City program. No formal council action on Oak Creek or the Irvine Company rezoning was taken at this meeting; the mayor later noted that a council business item (2.1) had been removed from the published agenda.
What’s next: Citizens seeking official direction or protections for Oak Creek should monitor forthcoming planning commission hearings and council agenda items; no vote or formal instruction was recorded at this session.
