Plan Description - City of Tustin

Chapter 1 • Introduction
MCAS Tustin was commissioned in 1942 as a U.S. Naval Lighter Than
Air Base. The base was used to support observation blimps and personnel
which protected the Southern California coast during World War II. The
base was decommissioned by the Navy in 1949 and reactivated by the
Marine Corps in 1951. The Station was the main west coast helicopter
base for training and operations of Marine Corps medium and heavy lift
capable helicopters.
Military land uses on the base included airfield operations, agricultural
uses, aircraft maintenance, supply/storage facilities, housing and
community support facilities, administration, and other operations/training
facilities (Figure 1-3). The largest land use, a total of 530 acres, was
agriculture with farming areas located on the north, east, and south edges
of the airfield operations area. These farming areas were leased by the
military to private farming operations.
The base contained approximately 250 structures and facilities, most of
which were built from the 1940s through the early 1950s. The structures
covered approximately 3 percent of the base, and totalled approximately
2,183,956 square feet. The military’s structures were of predominately
wood frame or concrete block construction. The Marine Corps maintained
a comprehensive program of repair and upkeep, and most of the buildings
ere kept in fair to good condition. Military facilities and land uses at the
base are described in greater detail in the “Final EIS/EIR for the Disposal
and Reuse of MCAS Tustin” (certified on January 16, 2001).
The Project area also contained 1,537 attached family housing units and
966 barracks units which supported military housing needs for both
MCAS Tustin and MCAS El Toro. Most of the family housing (1,263
units) were located on the eastern edge of the base between Peters Canyon
Channel and Harvard Avenue. The remaining cluster of military housing
units were located in the northwest portion of the site adjacent to Edinger
Avenue. Community support facilities included child care centers,
recreational facilities, a chapel, and clubs.
A general lack of information for many of the military’s non-residential
buildings on the base made it difficult to determine their absolute
suitability for reuse or the estimated costs for bringing the buildings into
compliance with applicable codes and regulations. However, there has
been an initial assessment of the possible redevelopment feasibility of
larger buildings on the site. These buildings were rated as "good", "fair",
or "poor" for either interim use or permanent market oriented reuses.
City of Tustin
Page 1-6
MCAS Tustin Specific Plan/Reuse Plan