Great Park Balloon, Great Park Operations Building and more!

This Tuesday, September 24, the Great Park Board and City Council will be meeting. Here are some notable items:

Great Park Board Agenda

http://irvine.granicus.com/GeneratedAgendaViewer.php?view_id=74&event_id=1503

The Great Park Balloon lives another month!  The Board will be voting to approve the extension of the balloon operations for an additional 30 days. The cost to extend the balloon operations for an additional 30 days is $33,175.00. City staff is currently in discussions with a potential private operator that will fund, operate, and maintain the Great Park balloon.

The Great Park Operations Building is doubling in size and brings a heftier price tag. The Board will be voting on a contract amendment to increase the contract value by $1,289,003, from $636,000 to $1,925,003. The original design contract was adjusted for additional site design and building programs based on a space needs assessment. Staff believes this new proposal addresses a shortage of available public community rooms in the Great Park and Great Park Neighborhoods. The new design also provides support facilities for Public Safety’s bicycle and mounted units, a special events operation center, locker, changing facilities, and technology ready infrastructure for event management.

City Council Agenda:

http://irvine.granicus.com/GeneratedAgendaViewer.php?view_id=68&event_id=1501

Notable Agenda Item: Item 3.8  Notice of review for tract maps in Portola Springs and Great Park Neighborhoods. 

There is no action to be taken by the City Council Tuesday night on this item.  It’s a routine notice (receive and file) that two tract maps (Portola Springs & Great Park Neighborhoods) are in the City review process.  The applicants for the two proposed developments are The Irvine Company (94 detached single-family homes) and FivePoint (fitness facility and private roadway).

The staff report for the FivePoint proposal says the original design for the property was a neighborhood food hall – an open market concept in one of the military hangars. Now it is proposed to be a three-story health club and a four-story parking structure instead. The approval of both tract maps is a multi-step process. The maps are scheduled to go before the Planning Commission (10/3) for review and approval based on consistency with the City’s General Plan, subdivision ordinance and zoning code.