Orange County Great Park

Orange County Great Park
View of the airfield in 1993
The El Toro airfield in 1993
Type Regional park
Location Irvine, California
Coordinates 33°40′N 117°44′W / 33.67°N 117.73°W / 33.67; -117.73Coordinates: 33°40′N 117°44′W / 33.67°N 117.73°W / 33.67; -117.73
Area 27.5 acres (11.1 ha) (eventually 1,347 acres (545 ha))
Created July 14, 2007 (July 14, 2007)
Operated by Orange County Great Park Corporation, city of Irvine
Status Open, under development and delays
Public transit access Irvine Transportation Center
Website ocgp.org
The balloon ride was the first attraction to open at the Orange County Great Park

The Orange County Great Park is a public park located in Irvine, California with a focus on sports, agriculture, and the arts. It is a non-aviation reuse of the decommissioned Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) El Toro. The Orange County park will comprise just 28.8% of the total area that once made up the air base. The project was approved by the voters of Orange County in 2002 at $1.1 billion.

History

Initial proposals after the retirement of the Marine Corps Air Station included an international airport, housing, and the Great Park. In 2001, Orange County voters passed "Measure W," authorizing the former air station's use as a central park/nature preserve and multi-use development. The measure was passed, which led to the designation of the land as the Orange County Great Park.

The original plan for the infrastructure of the Great Park was virtually identical to Newport Center, with five roads connecting into a central loop road separating the park into "blocks". The design was later modified to include a large section of runway and conform more to the layout of the original base, as a reminder of its history. Most prominent in the park plans is the restoration of Agua Chinon Creek, which had been channeled underground ever since the base was built in the 1940s.

A contest was held for the design of the park; the winning design was created by a team of landscape architects led by Ken Smith.[1]

In the midst of the 2008 US housing crisis, developer Lennar struggled to fulfill its part of the bargain, including delayed construction of planned housing and of a "community facilities district."[2]

Irvine City Council passed a vote in July 2014 for a plan that included removal of the canyon from the Great Park plan. FivePoint Communities was also given approval for 4,606 more homes near the park in exchange for $200 million to develop 688 acres (278 ha) of the park which will include golf courses, a sports park, and nature trails.[3]

Controversy

The closing of MCAS El Toro ignited a political firestorm over the eventual fate of the facility. With its existing infrastructure, some favored converting the base into an international airport. Those favoring the new airport tended to come from northern Orange County, desiring the convenience of a closer airport; and from areas in Newport Beach that are within the arrival and departure noise zones surrounding John Wayne Airport, hoping to close that airport in favor of the new one at El Toro. Those against the airport proposal were largely residents of the cities in the immediate vicinity of El Toro, such as Irvine, Lake Forest, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, Dana Point, and Mission Viejo, where residents were alarmed at the idea of the aircraft noise. This even though the base operated with loud jets and other aircraft on a daily basis since its inception in 1943. The cities opposed to the airport created a joint powers authority, the El Toro Reuse Planning Authority (ETRPA) to oppose the project. They were joined in the effort by grass-roots organizations that collected record numbers of signatures on petitions to place anti-airport initiatives on the ballot and raised funds for the election campaigns. The volunteer-run El Toro Info Site was the Internet voice of the movement[4] and one of the first political blogs.

After a lengthy debate that lasted for over a dozen years, Orange County voters rejected the commercial airport plan and designated the land for park-compatible uses. In March 2000, opponents of the airport were able to qualify for the ballot "Measure F," which required that any new construction of jails, landfills or airports would require a 2/3 majority vote. A resounding 67.3% of voters passed Measure F, effectively killing the potential airport project. In 2001, Orange County voters passed "Measure W," authorizing the former air station's use as a central park/nature preserve and multi-use development. The measure passed with 58% of the vote due to the lack of any other viable alternatives for the former site since the airport concept was effectively killed a year earlier. The re-use of the air station was voted on by the residents of Orange County four times.[5]

The park has also become a political football in Irvine city politics, with historical proponents of the airport and opponents of the park criticizing the implementation. The current City Council commissioned a forensic audit to find mismanagement of public dollars at the park.[6] Among the findings was a $12,000 payment to a consultant for changing one word in a groundwater report and the city paying consultants twice for the same work. As of January 2014, the city council was considering whether to issue subpoenas to compel people to testify about the project's handling.[7]

Before the base was decommissioned in 1999 it was composed of 4,682 acres. The current plan as of 2018 is for a 688-acre park. The remaining 3,994 acres or 85% went to developers and additional city infrastructure. This is a far cry from what was originally proposed under Measure F.

Description

Orange County Great Park was designed by a team of landscape architects led by architect Ken Smith.[1] Smith's plan was chosen from those submitted as part of an international contest for the park's design.[8]

The park is owned by the City of Irvine and run by the non-profit Orange County Great Park Corporation; the corporation is governed by current city council members.[9]

Points of interest

The Orange County Great Park has a variety of attractions and activities centering around the fitness, agriculture, and the arts. The Great Park also has venues for special events including a restored hangar and a terraced lawn.[10]

Attractions

The Great Park Balloon is the park's signature attraction. On July 14, 2007, the balloon ride—designed by Aerophile SA—was the first attraction to open in the park. It transports visitors to a height of 500 feet (150 m) for a panoramic view of the county and the construction of the park.[11] The balloon's gondola can fit 25-30 people; large enough to bring up a class of students.[12]

  • The Great Park Carousel

Agriculture

  • Certified Farmers Market
  • The Farm+Food Lab

Sports and recreation

  • 5,000-seat Championship Soccer Stadium - Home to Orange County SC of the United Soccer League.
  • 15 additional soccer fields
  • 2 sand volleyball courts
  • Kids Rock
  • North Lawn
  • South Lawn Sports & Fitness Complex
  • Reflecting Ponds and Viewing Pier

Arts

  • Hangar 244 - Permanent Heritage and Aviation Exhibition
  • Palm Court Arts Complex
  • Walkable Historical Timeline

Construction and future projects

The sports complex construction took place over multiple phases. A soccer stadium, volleyball courts, tennis courts, and a playground were constructed over 53 acres (21 ha) as part of phase one, which opened in 2017.[13] Phase two expanded the complex to 175 acres (71 ha) and included a baseball stadium; turf fields for soccer, football, rugby, or lacrosse; basketball courts; and additional baseball, softball, and soccer fields.[14] The project was completed with the grand opening of the baseball and softball facilities in September 2018.[13] An 18-hole golf course remains to be constructed.

The park's ice facility had a ground breaking ceremony hosted by the NHL's Anaheim Ducks in February 2017. The 280,000-square-foot (26,000 m2) facility will include four ice sheets to support a variety of professional, youth, and adult programs including figure skating, hockey, curling, and broomball. It is to open in December 2018.[15][16]

The Cultural Terrace section in the southeast part of the park covers 248 acres (100 ha) and as of August 2018 is still in the planning stages. The City of Irvine is considering including an amphitheater, museums, and a library,[17] and in June 2017 approved an exclusive negotiating agreement with Wild Rivers, a water park that operated further south in Irvine for 25 years before closing in 2011 when its lease expired. The 26-acre (11 ha) water park is projected to open in summer 2019.[18][19] Some residents are urging the inclusion of a botanical garden.[20][21] As of March 2018, 62 acres (25 ha) of the Cultural Terrace section are leased to a company that operates a green waste and recycling plant there.[19]

A wildlife corridor between chaparral areas near Laguna Beach and the Cleveland National Forest in the Santa Ana Mountains is scheduled to open in mid-2019; 2.5 miles (4.0 km) of a total 6 miles (9.7 km) require restoration.[13][22]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Great Park Observation Balloon Preview Park Wins Honor Award from American Society of Landscape Architects". PR Newswire. New York. 28 May 2009. Retrieved 8 May 2017. (Subscription required (help)).
  2. ↑ "Los Angeles Times: U.S. housing crisis stifles Great Park". 12 April 2008.
  3. ↑ Pierceall, Kimberly (18 July 2014). "Irvine Great Park plan gets planners' OK". Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  4. ↑ "The El Toro Info Site". Archived from the original on 3 February 2005. Retrieved 2006-07-18.
  5. ↑ Martinez, Brian (5 March 2012). "Voters killed El Toro airport 10 years ago today". The Orange County Register.
  6. ↑ "Great Park Auditor Details Massive Waste and Abuse". Voice of OC. January 15, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Audit of Great Park Spending Highlights Consultants' Windfall". Voice of OC. January 13, 2014.
  8. ↑ Pierceall, Kimberly (14 March 2013). "Ken Smith talks of his vision for the Great Park". Orange County Register. Retrieved 2017-05-08.
  9. ↑ "Orange County Great Park". City of Irvine. 11 March 2016. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  10. ↑ "Visitors Info". Orange County Great Park. City of Irvine, California. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
  11. ↑ "Los Angeles Times: O.C.'s Great Park takes off".
  12. ↑ Merkel, Jayne (March 2007). "Urban American Landscape". Architectural Design. 77 (2): 36–47. doi:10.1002/ad.422. ISSN 1554-2769.
  13. 1 2 3 Brazil, Ben (September 19, 2018). "Orange County Great Park gets one step closer to completion with opening of $200-million sports complex". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  14. ↑ Tsutsumida, Damian (5 October 2016). "Sports complex in OC's Great Park to open early 2017, developers say". Southern California Public Radio. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  15. ↑ Shimura, Tomoya (February 17, 2017). "Irvine's Great Park, Anaheim Ducks host 'icebreaking' of mega ice rink complex". Orange County Register. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
  16. ↑ Zupke, Curtis (August 10, 2018). "New 280,000 square-foot ice arena in Irvine will have four practice rinks for Ducks, figure skaters". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  17. ↑ Shimura, Tomoya (2 February 2017). "Great Park amenities: Amphitheater? Water park? Irvine residents say what they want". Orange County Register. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  18. ↑ Ponsi, Lou (28 June 2017). "A water park by Wild Rivers is a step closer for Irvine's Great Park". Orange County Register. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  19. 1 2 Shimura, Tomoya (March 30, 2018). "Iconic Wild Rivers water park eyes return to Irvine in 2019". Orange County Register. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  20. ↑ Shimura, Tomoya (October 24, 2017). "Irvine ponders development of Cultural Terrace — the last big piece of Orange County Great Park". Orange County Register. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  21. ↑ Pignataro, Anthony (August 16, 2018). "The Orange County Great Park Is Huge, Perfectly Manicured and Beautiful. So Where's the Actual Park?". OC Weekly. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  22. ↑ Brazil, Ben (March 15, 2018). "Wildlife corridor linking O.C.'s coast and Santa Ana mountains gets started at ground-breaking ceremony". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
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