Great Park Board and City Council Meeting Upcoming Items

  • February 17, 2022, 11:56 am America/Los_Angeles

The Great Park Board and Irvine City Council will be meeting this Tuesday, February 22, 2022. Here are some noteworthy items.

Great Park Board Meeting

Great Park Development Progress Report

The Great Park Board meeting agenda has two business items. The first, as usual, is the monthly Great Park Development Progress Report. This month’s Report is only four pages long (6 pages including cover sheets) and does not provide any details on any of the numerous projects pending in the Great Park other than the Botanical Garden. Here is this month’s Development Report:

2022.02 GP Development Report

 

The public has not received a comprehensive progress update since September 28, 2021. The September 2021 Great Park Development Report below was 35 pages and provided updates on the numerous projects being decided in the Great Park. For more information see the Irvine Watchdog’s article.

SEptember

 

Background

Five Point Communities Management, Inc. is the development manager for Heritage Fields El Toro, LLC, the owner of the private development adjacent to the Orange County Great Park, commonly known as Great Park Neighborhoods.

Years ago, our city’s private-public partner and developer of the Great Park, Five Point (Heritage Fields El Toro), had a representative attend the Great Park Board meetings in person to field questions and provide monthly updates. Our city’s partner Five Point has not attended Great Park Board meetings in years.

Additionally, the Great Park Board meetings were on a different day than the City Council meetings. This provided the public an opportunity to review items approved by the Great Park Board before the City Council’s final approval. Now, the Great Park Board meetings are at 2pm and the City Council meetings are at 4pm on the same day, which expedites the approval process.

The five Irvine City Councilmembers make up the Great Park Board. Before 2013, the Great Park Board consisted of nine directors, four independent members plus the five Irvine Councilmembers. However, certain decisions made by the Great Park Board require City Council final approval.

The decision made by the Great Park Board on this item will automatically be finalized under the Consent Calendar for the 4pm City Council meeting unless the item is “pulled” from the Consent Calendar. Consent Calendar items are meant for routine, non-controversial items.

Proposed Projects for Great Park

At last month’s Board meeting, public comments were made asking if Five Point could begin attending the meetings again to answer questions and provide progress updates. A public comment also suggested that a page be created on our city’s website providing the public a comprehensive list of all the pending projects in the Great Park and their status. There are many items of great public interest including Wild Rivers, Library & Cultural Center, Pretend City, Amphitheatre, and the Aviation Museum. The city does not currently have an ongoing list of pending projects provided to the public.

Here are additional plans that were provided back in August 2020. The public has not received updates on many of these projects since.

And here are additional projects presented in April 2021 that the public has not received updates on since.

 

$900,000 Budget Adjustment for the Construction of the Great Park Sports Maintenance Facility

The second agenda item 2.2 seeks a budget adjustment in the amount of $900,000, from Orange County Great Park Settlement Agreement Fund, Fund 181, to the Maintenance Facility Account for the construction of the Great Park Sports Park Maintenance Facility.

According to the staff report, Heritage Fields El Toro (also known as Five Point) is contributing $1,500,000 toward the project. The City of Irvine’s allocation for this Maintenance Facility is $3,675,000. This requested budget adjustment would increase the City’s allocation by $900,000 making Irvine’s total contribution to the project $4,575,000.

Should the additional funds needed for this project come from the City of Irvine or should the developer be responsible for the costs? 

ACTION:

1) Recommend that the City Council approve a budget adjustment in the amount of $900,000, from Orange County Great Park Settlement Agreement Fund, Fund 181, to the Maintenance Facility Account for the construction of the Great Park Sports Park Maintenance Facility.

2) Recommend that the City Council authorize the Mayor to execute an Amendment to the Letter Agreement with Heritage Fields El Toro, LLC (HFET) for construction of the Great Park Sports Park Maintenance Facility.

City Council Meeting

Here are notable items from the City Council agenda.

Consent Calendar Items: 

1.6  GREAT PARK SPORTS PARK MAINTENANCE FACILITY BUDGET ADJUSTMENT AND LETTER AGREEMENT AMENDMENT WITH HERITAGE FIELDS EL TORO, LLC

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

1) Approve a budget adjustment in the amount of $900,000, from Orange County Great Park Settlement Agreement Fund, Fund 181, to the Maintenance Facility Account for the construction of the Great Park Sports Park Maintenance Facility.

2) Authorize the Mayor to Execute an Amendment to the Letter Agreement with Heritage Fields El Toro, LLC (HFET) for construction of the Great Park Sports Park Maintenance Facility.

(Unless otherwise directed by a member of the City Council, the vote on this matter will reflect the prior action of each Councilmember when he or she sat and voted as a member of the Board of Directors of the Great Park Corporation. However, if a Councilmember is not present at the City Council meeting, his or her vote will be reflected as absent.)

Council Business Items

3.2  Middle Income Housing Proposal for Toscana Apartments

Toscana Apartments is located at 35 Via Lucca in the Irvine Business Complex. Average first year rent reductions are proposed at 10% below current market rents and annual rent increases would be capped at four percent. For more information see staff report.

ACTION:
That City Council consider the Toscana Middle Income Housing proposal and either:

1) Reject the proposal.

OR

2) Approve the proposal, and:

a) Adopt – A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, APPROVING, AUTHORIZING AND DIRECTING EXECUTION OF A JOINT EXERCISE OF POWERS AGREEMENT RELATING TO THE CMFA SPECIAL FINANCE AGENCY AND THE FORM OF A PUBLIC BENEFIT AGREEMENT; AND APPROVING THE ISSUANCE OF REVENUE BONDS BY SAID AGENCY FOR THE PURPOSE OF FINANCING THE ACQUISITION, CONSTRUCTION OR IMPROVEMENT OF THE TOSCANA APARTMENTS

b) Authorize and direct the City Manager to enter into a Public Benefit Agreement with the CMFA Special Finance Agency, substantially in the form attached, which may result in the City receiving surplus revenue from the future sale of the property.

c) Authorize and direct the City Manager to execute related documents and take any additional actions required to implement the Middle-Income Housing proposal.

d) Direct a $125,000 sponsor donation to the Irvine Community Land Trust for use on future affordable housing projects.

3.3 Middle Income Housing Proposal for the Royce Apartments

The Royce Apartments is located at 3301 Michelson Drive in the Irvine Business Complex. Average first year rent reductions are proposed at 12% below current market rents and annual rent increases would be capped at four percent once a lease has been executed. For more information see staff report.

ACTION:
That City Council consider The Royce Middle Income Housing proposal and either:

1) Reject the proposal.

OR

2) Approve the proposal, and:

a) Adopt -A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, APPROVING, AUTHORIZING AND DIRECTING EXECUTION OF A JOINT EXERCISE OF POWERS AGREEMENT RELATING TO THE CSCDA COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT AUTHORITY (THE AUTHORITY), AND THE FORM OF A PUBLIC BENEFIT AGREEMENT; AND APPROVING THE ISSUANCE OF REVENUE BONDS BY THE AUTHORITY FOR THE PURPOSE OF FINANCING THE ACQUISITION, CONSTRUCTION OR IMPROVEMENT OF THE ROYCE APARTMENTS

b) Authorize and direct the City Manager to enter into a Public Benefit Agreement with the Authority, substantially in the form attached, which may result in the City receiving surplus revenue from the future sale of the property.

c) Authorize and direct the City Manager to execute related documents and take any additional actions required to implement the Authority’s Middle Income Housing Program.

Is it typical for our city to approve bonds for such projects?