This much the Irvine City Council agrees on: There will be a veteran's cemetery within city limits, the first-ever for Orange County. But a fierce battle is brewing over where in the city it'll get built. Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva and veteran's groups wants it within the Great Park, site of the former El Toro Marine base. But developer Five Points — which has built thousands of houses nearby — opposes the idea, arguing it'll drive down house prices and that the Chinese nationals who have purchased many of the homes think a cemetery in their neighborhoods is bad feng shui. They've proposed building it on land they own near the 405 and 5 Freeways, and the Irvine City Council recently voted to explore that option while pushing for the Great Park site. Which side will win?
KCRW
