City’s Vision For Development At The Great Park

The public should get some much needed clarity around the vision for the Great Park property at the GP Board meeting on Tuesday, September 24th. The Irvine City Council, acting as the Great Park Board, has an item on the agenda to:

  • Discuss how the planning process is proceeding on the development of the Great Park
  • Recommend a series of public meetings.
1.4 GP Memo

 

This action is necessary because community members routinely ask the Board during public comment to provide information and public deliberation on the planning and design of the Great Park and Cultural Terrace.

The Cultural Terrace is part of the Great Park Master Plan. Conceptual plans for what attractions are going in the Cultural Terrace have not been shared with the public, but we know there continues to be City led discussions with museums and other venues.

It’s been several years since the public, as the major stakeholder, has received a comprehensive report on the Great Park Master Plan and Design Package. This could be the start of more disclosure and community involvement.

Cultural Terrace

In May of 2018 the City Council awarded a contract to HR&A Advisors, to work with the City to build a comprehensive implementation plan for the Cultural Terrace including tenant planning services. This international firm brings over 40 years of experience in development implementation, including large-scale cultural, civic and open space master plans, all over the world. However, the contract was terminated by the City, and the work was brought in-house. The City Manager’s office is now responsible for overseeing the Cultural Terrace master plan and the continued development and operation of the Great Park.

Questions for the GP Board:

  • What opportunities identified from the multi-year public outreach workshops and stakeholder meetings are still in play for the Great Park?
  • How is the City spending the money from FivePoint (up to $2 million) earmarked towards the development of a planning study for the Cultural Terrace?
  • How much money has the City spent on design enhancements in the Sports Complex and other areas?

The Great Park Board meeting is Tuesday (9/24) at 2pm in the City Council chamber. Click to view the agenda and see the new web based feature called e-comment. The public can submit a comment on this agenda item up until two hours before the meeting that will be delivered directly to the City Council/GP Board members.