As reported by Sean Emery in “Irvine legal fees in development fight run $1.3 million” (available for reading in the February 6, 2010 edition of The Orange County Register), the City of Irvine has incurred about $1.3 million in various legal fights over the Irvine Business Complex “vision plan”—an urban revitalization project near the John Wayne Airport
made up of 43 million square feet of commercial space and 5,011 residential units. Although there have been some settlement with opponents, most of the battles involved City and Newport Beach, Tustin, and Allergan (although a total of 14 lawsuits have been filed in connection with this project). The fees are going to be roughly split between the City and the Irvine Business Complex developers based on provisions written into the developers’ original city approvals. (Actually, the developers will cover about $628,000, with the City picking up the remaining $674,000).