Great Park Quarterly Update: Final Design, Bidding, and Construction Without Financial Review

• May 25, 2025, 5:45 pm America/Los_Angeles

At the May 27, 2025, Great Park Board meeting, staff will present an update on aggressive progress being made across multiple districts of the Great Park, marking a significant milestone for many projects adopted as part of the March 2023 Framework Plan.

According to the staff report, “the design for many of the projects has progressed through conceptual or preliminary phases and is now ready to transition into final design, bidding, and construction” for the following three districts:  

1) Cultural Terrace West
2) The Bosque
3) The Heart of the Park

Each of the three projects will return to the Great Park Board and City Council for award of the construction contracts.

The staff report also highlights months of concentrated design work. Costs were not included in the staff report. However, the staff report states “detailed funding information will be provided when it is presented to the Great Park Board alongside a recommendation to award a construction.”

As the Great Park projects approach a critical juncture, concerns are mounting over the need for a thorough fiscal review before committing to final construction contracts.

The staff report indicates that significant design work is nearing completion in several areas, yet strong community voices are now advocating for a pause to assess current expenditures. This push for “fiscal clarity and public confidence” is underscored by serious concerns regarding City Manager Oliver Chi’s reported expenditure of over $700,000 on the Great Park gondola project. These expenditures, allegedly made without City Council direction, have led to accusations of malfeasance.

Read: [Opinion] Concerns on the Proposed Swyft Cities “Gondola” Project at the Great Park Part 1 and Part 2