1. History
    Controversy 

2. Description

3. Points of interest
    Attractions  Agriculture  Sports and recreation  Arts 

4. Construction and future projects

5. See also

6. References

7. External links

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.{{Citation needed|date=May 2017}}

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.{{citation needed|date=May 2017}}

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 {{Convert|688|acre|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.{{citation needed|date=May 2017}}

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|2014|January}}, 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 {{convert|500|ft|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 USL Championship
• 24 additional soccer fields
• 2 sand volleyball courts
• 4 basketball courts
• 25 tennis courts
• 2 softball and baseball fields

• Kids Rock
• Kids playground
• 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 {{Convert|53|acre|ha}} as part of phase one, which opened in 2017.^[13] Phase two expanded the complex to {{Convert|175|acre|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 {{Convert|280,000|sqfoot|m2|adj=on}} 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 {{Convert|248|acre|ha}} and {{As of|2018|08|lc=y}} 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 {{convert|26|acre|ha|adj=on}} 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|2018|03}}, {{convert|62|acre|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; {{convert|2.5|mi|km}} of a total {{convert|6|mi|km}} require restoration.^[13][22]

See also

• Irvine (Amtrak station) at the southwest corner of the parkland

References

External links

• Great Park Neighborhoods
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUCepedGuSY 3D GIS Interactive Model]
• Orange County Great Park Ambassadors Blog
• Orange County Great Park
• Orange Count Great Park Conservancy

• USS Lovering (DE-272)
• USS LSD-12
• USS LSD-13
• USS LSD-14
• USS LSD-15
• USS LSM-17
• USS LSM(R)-407
• USS LSM(R)-525
• USS LST-1098
• USS LST-1099
• USS LST-11
• USS LST-1100
• USS LST-1157
• USS LST-1159
• USS LST-1160
• USS LST-1161
• USS LST-1166
• USS LST-1167
• USS LST-1168
• USS LST-1171
• USS LST-1173
• USS LST-1175
• USS LST-1176
• USS LST-1177
• USS LST-1178