Orange County Great Park
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The Orange County Great Park is the unofficial name of a plan for the private ownership and non-aviation reuse of the decommissioned El Toro Marine Corps Air Station in Irvine, California.
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[edit] Original plan
The former air station was initially planned for development into a major international airport. Opponents of the plan challenged the need for two airports in Orange County (El Toro and John Wayne Airport) only 7 miles apart. Concern also was expressed regarding the safety of the proposed airport since commercial aircraft would have to take off over mountain terrain where at least one major military transport crash had occurred.
[edit] Park plan
In 2002, after lengthy debate that lasted for over a dozen years, Orange County voters rejected the commercial airport plan and designated the land for park compatible uses. The history of the controversy is chronicled online by the El Toro Info Site[1]and in a book, Internet for Activists.
In November 2003, the city of Irvine annexed the air station property and was thus able to determine the Great Park's future by zoning.
The Great Park plan will divide about 5000 acres (20 km²) into a mix of wilderness parks, developed parks, schools, residential, business, farms and museums. The actual park space is approximately 1,749 acres, making it larger than New York's Central Park, San Francisco's Golden Gate Park and San Diego's Balboa Park. $401 million has been set aside for the park.
When completed, the park will connect the Cleveland National Forest in the east with the Laguna Coast Wilderness Park in the west. The layout for the infrastructure of the Great Park is virtually identical to Newport Center, with five roads connecting into a central loop road separating the park into "blocks".
On April 26, 2006, the city of Irvine council voted to keep the command of the construction of the park in their own hands, 3-2. This has caused controversy as two of the council members argued that the park was meant to be handed to the Orange County Great Park Corporation (where five of the nine members are from the Irvine council). The transfer was considered a way to buffer Irvine taxpayers from being financially responsible for the park. Opponents of the vote argue that the council vote puts the burden of financing the park on the city of Irvine. Beth Krom, an Irvine council member who voted in favor of the city retaining control, argued that the roles and responsibilities are simply made clearer with the vote but have not changed.
[edit] Designing team
Prominent New York City landscape architect Ken Smith has been chosen to design the park. His team will include:
- Enrique Norten, Architect for Ten Arquitectos
- Mary Miss, Artist
- Mia Lehrer, Landscape designer for Mia Lehrer + Associates
- Craig Michael Schwitter, Engineering design for Buro Happold
- Stevel Handel, Ecologist
