TUSTIN : Balloon Festival Parking Shifted

Concerns about disturbing the habitat of the California gnatcatcher prompted the City Council on Tuesday to authorize a new parking area for the Smith’s Festival of Ballooning at Tustin Ranch later this month. The small songbird is listed as a threatened species.

When a permit was granted in August for the hot-air balloon festival, one of the designated parking lots was on Irvine Co. property next to Tustin Ranch Road and Pioneer Way. Festival organizer John Korff said he was recently informed by the Irvine Co. that the parking lot is in an environmentally sensitive area inhabited by gnatcatchers.

To solve the problem, Korff requested that VIP/exhibitor parking be allowed near Tustin Ranch and Jamboree roads. This site was originally proposed as a larger parking area for the general public, but the plan was rejected by the city License and Permit Board because neighbors were worried about noise, traffic and litter.

The balloon festival is scheduled for Sept. 23-25 on a triangular-shaped, 30-acre site bounded by Tustin Ranch Road, Jamboree Road and Portola Parkway.

Korff said about 100 hot-air balloons will float over Tustin in the early morning and late afternoon each day. There will also be nighttime balloon “glows,” in which tethered balloons are illuminated from within by bursts of flame.

The family-oriented festival will feature children’s activities, fund-raising opportunities for local charities, arts and crafts, and performances by the Beach Boys, Randy Travis, America, the Turtles and various “oldies” bands.