In Tustin, WWII-era warehouses store blimps. Their future hangs in the air

In Orange County, what do you do with 85 acres of contaminated land that includes two giant World War II-era warehouses for storing blimps, known as hangars? Folks in Tustin are trying to figure that out.

A former Marine Corps air station, known as Reuse Parcel 18, has been sitting vacant for decades. The county had hoped to turn it into a park centered around the region’s military history, with at least one of the two hangars as the centerpiece. But county leaders have been unable or unmotivated to secure an economically viable plan to develop the park, according to a 2020 Orange County grand jury report.

Tired of inaction, Tustin City Council members voted earlier this month to end their agreement with the county, and figure out what to do with the land themselves.