City Asks Base for 25 Acres to Build Park

TUSTIN —  City officials have asked for 25 acres of land at the Tustin Marine Corps Air Station that the city hopes to convert to a community park, City Manager William A. Huston said.

The Navy is currently screening requests from branches of the military and federal, state and local agencies under a federal law that requires portions of closed military bases to be set aside for public use.

Earlier this month, the City Council endorsed an application from the county, which requested more than 80 acres of land for a regional park. The proposed county and city parks would be next to each other, Huston said.

Since last year, a base closure task force has been drafting redevelopment plans for the base. The plans, expected to be completed in late summer or early fall, will help the Navy select which public-benefit proposals to approve.

In addition to public agencies, groups providing services to homeless people and Native American tribes have the right under federal law to request properties on the base.

City officials said that about 300 acres would be reserved for public uses, while a large portion would be sold to private developers in an effort to make the base an economic asset to the city.