$22.8 Million, 30-Acre Expansion for Great Park

The viewing pier near the entrance of the Great Park will connect to one of six new ponds, part of a sophisticated water capture and reuse system.

The Orange County Great Park Corp. reported June 13, 2012 that it is moving forward with a 30-acre expansion of the Great Park in Irvine, Calif.

USS Cal Builders of Stanton, Calif. was awarded the $22.8 million construction contract to complete the western sector park developmental plan. Construction is fully funded and included in the Great Park FY 2012-2013 budget. The funds for the western sector are part of the $200 million in developer fees the city of Irvine received under the original agreement with the developer (Lennar, now named FivePoint Communities, Inc.) in 2005. Construction is expected to begin this summer and be completed in mid-to-late 2013.

The new construction will deliver 30 acres of new park amenities.

The new south lawn will include four tournament-quality soccer fields; two of them will have synthetic grass and lights. There will be four full-size basketball courts, jogging/exercise trails and a new restroom and operations facility.

South Lawn

- 4 tournament-quality soccer fields; two will have synthetic grass and lighting
- 4 full-size basketball courts
- jogging and exercise trail
- operations facility building
- restroom
- planting of 400 trees

A new 5,000 sq. ft. Victors Center pavilion will be located near the Great Park Balloon area.

New Visitors Center

Replacing the temporary Visitors Center will be a 5,000-square-foot pavilion located near the Great Park Balloon. It will be the Great Park’s first new permanent building and feature a larger lobby, restroom facilities, concession area, exhibition areas and office space.

Walkable Historical Timeline

The 750-foot ''Walkable Historical Timeline'' is expanding to 2,604 feet, and will include more than 100 additional historical details. It will connect the Great Park Balloon area and the South Lawn.

Park Ponds

The new construction includes six ponds, the first water elements for the park. The Walkable Historical Timeline will connect to one of the ponds and a viewing pier near the entrance to the Great Park.

Storm Water Collection

The South Lawn's storm water management system is designed to offset up to 40 percent of the South Lawn's irrigation needs. The system will capture, filter and store storm water in the new ponds on the South Lawn, where the storm water will be mixed with reclaimed water from the Irvine Ranch Water District.

Adjacent to the Farm + Food Lab will be a new Community Garden with 99 plots, including six that are ADA compliant.

Community Garden

Adjacent to the existing Farm + Food Lab, the Community Garden will feature 99 plots, including six that are ADA compliant. There will also be an open turf area with a large shade tree and picnic tables for the gardeners.

Infrastructure

The construction also includes infrastructure improvements for future Great Park development, including underground utilities, electrical equipment and lighting, drainage improvements, irrigation systems, asphalt and concrete, fencing and landscaping and an electronic security system.

Economic Impact

In addition to expanding the Great Park's current footprint by 15 percent, the construction of the South Lawn will generate more than 50 full-time equivalent construction jobs for the Orange County economy.

For more info, visit www.ocgp.org.