February 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 51

More than a decade of political turmoil,
mismanagement and an uncertain financial
landscape has created an ongoing saga surrounding
construction of California's Great Park, even as the
project inches toward completion
By Michael Stockstill

T

he Orange County Great Park, with a history of generating more
controversy than recreation, continues to take shape at the former
Marine Corps Air Station El Toro in Irvine, California. Since its inception in 2002, the project has served as somewhat of a political
football, as accusations of mismanagement of personnel and funds hampered
development. The Great Recession of 2008 further complicated matters, and
only in the past few years have city leaders and developers reached what all
hope is a viable plan to finish the largest new metropolitan park in the state.
Great Park Then
That almost 700 acres of Great Park
is finally under construction and on
target for public use is a welcome contrast to the park's tumultuous past.
The genesis of Great Park came in
2002, when Orange County voters
approved a ballot measure halting
plans for conversion of the former
Marine base into an international
airport, replacing it with a broadly
defined regional park. The base was
annexed by the city of
Irvine a year later.
In the meantime, federal officials decided to
auction off the closed
property. Homebuilding giant Lennar acquired the 4,682-acre
property for $649.5
million in July 2005.
Lennar agreed to deed
1,347 acres to the city
for Great Park, as well
as a payment of $200
million toward park
planning and development.

	

The first years of Great Park's existence were full of high expectations.
A nine-member board of directors
(five city council members and four
independent individuals) commissioned the park design that won national planning awards, engineers
drafted infrastructure schematics and
derelict buildings on the property
were demolished.
Dozens of organizations and individuals approached park leaders
and staff proposing partnerships that
might result in museums, community
centers or specialty sports facilities.
A major entertainment conglomerate organized a rock concert on site,
and Cirque de Soleil staged its unique
performances at the park.
Initial development of Great Park
was modest - a play area and four
soccer fields were built. A historical
timeline was painted on a preserved
portion of a runway, a small hangar
was repurposed for events and a permanent base for balloon operations
was constructed (Lennar donated a
helium balloon to the park, which
soon became its signature symbol).

W W W. N R PA . O R G | F E B R UA R Y 2 0 1 6 |

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February 2016 - Parks & Recreation

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