Lawsuit Hopes to Stop Expansion at Irvine Spectrum

ORANGE COUNTY, CA-An environmental group has filed a lawsuit aimed at overturning the Irvine City Council’s recent move that clears the way for a 10.2-million-sf expansion of the sprawling Irvine Spectrum office complex.

The lawsuit was filed by Newport Beach-based Defend the Bay. The suit alleges that the environmental studies performed by Irvine city officials failed to properly evaluate the proposed expansion’s impact on water quality, traffic, air quality and public services.

The suit also says the city failed to consider the impact such a massive expansion would have on the local energy market at a time when Orange County has already been subjected to sporadic blackouts. “This project shouldn’t be built at all,” says Bob Caustin, Defend the Bay’s director.