In 2002, Orange County voters approved the building of a grand metropolitan park consisting of approximately 1300 acres of land, formerly occupied by a Marine base. A lovely idea, right? Ought to be a gorgeous place for families and friends to spend a day, right? It’s 2013 now so the park should be a shining light beaming out of the county, right?
The answers to those questions are ‘right!’, ‘right!’ and ‘slow down… maybe you weren’t aware the Irvine City Council is involved in this.’
Yes, eleven years later, over 80% of the abandoned Marine base still very much resembles an abandoned Marine base. Like me, you may be asking, “How difficult is 
it to build a few sidewalks, restrooms and plant some grass?” Very difficult indeed when you’re dealing with the uncanny ineptitude and indifference of the city of Irvine’s management. Thus far, over $200 million has been spent on park construction. This works out to about $1 million spent per developed acre. With that kind of spending you could have a 200-acre park crowded with brand-new Ferraris, but as far as I know that’s not the case. As you might expect, much of this money went to consultants (people who talk rather than do), PR firms (to fulfill that pressing need to increase awareness of what a ‘park’ is, I suppose), and a ‘development’ agency which obviously didn’t live up to its name, though it certainly cashed all those monthly checks it received.
A possible silver lining has appeared around this cloud of inertia and waste – Five Point Communities, the developer of nearby homes, offered to build up approximately 600 acres of parkland. Their proposal included a total of $641 million of their money to improve and maintain parkland over the next 30 years. They would build an Olympic-style sports village, a 178-acre wildlife corridor, soccer fields, tennis courts, and venues for baseball, softball and volleyball. The city, having spent nothing on any of that, would still get to keep revenues from those venues. In exchange, FivePoint Communities would get to use a portion of the land for profit, building restaurants, retail shops, bars and possibly a hotel… seems like a fair trade-off in order to turn this abandoned base into something useful and enjoyable to the community, right? So what became of this proposal once it got to the City Council?
You guessed – nothing. All five council members expressed (or maybe feigned?) interest in the proposal, but ultimately seemed to show disdain for the idea that FivePoint themselves have a say in how their own money is spent. The Council actually seemed offended that FivePoint’s wasn’t offering them a huge check to do with as they pleased (because no one spends more wisely than the City Council, right?) All council members 
appear to be apprehensive of making any decisions involving the Great Park – aren’t they desperate enough, why are they hesitating, what is your plan … I’m sorry, I don’t recall hearing what YOUR plan was? I can only assume it involves spending another eleven years to develop another eighteen-or-so percent of the park for another enormous amount of money…. who in the world keeps voting for these same people year after year?
Broadcom and its massive workforce may possibly be peeking over that fence line, waiting to land on a new corporate campus, possibly to make the Great Park its new home… or will they instead wind up in Tustin’s wide open arms? If the Council continues to drag their feet there will be no companies developing that land and offering new jobs, along with the revenue generated by those jobs and the arrival of new homes into a burgeoning City.
An organization, called “Build the Great Park Now,” has taken up the cause of FivePoint Communities. Led by Guy Lemmon, they’re a group of non-affiliated citizens tired of the City Council’s useless posturing. They hope to convince council members to actually allow something to get done about the-still largely Imaginary Park. Of FivePoint’s various proposals to develop the land using NO taxpayer funds, Lemmon says Santa Claus just dropped a huge package on the front door and said here, open it. Unfortunately, if anyone has a big enough ego to turn away Santa Claus, it’s this City Council.
Guy Lemmon – a blast from 2010. Is he really the leader of this group? Back then he was a member, but pretty much mostly the smooth spokesperson, of “Facilities Management West” who were trying to buy our Fairgrounds. They seemed like a real secretive, greedy, ill-tempered and untrustworthy group, and we defeated them… not to say this is necessarily the same. Are Ken Fait, Richard Dick, Richard Pyle involved?
Dick, Pyle, Lemmon, and Fait …. that said it all right there.
My thoughts exactly…when you see the words no affiliated citizens, and Guy Lemmon in the same sentence you immediately want to look up the skirts. Somebody is paying somebody and usually for the most obvious reason.
You guys are out ot lunch on the Not So Great Park. Don’t know Guy Lemmon, except for what I read in the more objective media. As I understand it, I believe he is part of a group that is lobbying the Council to get off the dime and get developement started. Can’t really argue with that position. As far as somebody paying off somebody, I would remind you that that approach was the trademark of your buddy Larry Agran, who ladled out the gravy for the last ten years until the pot is almost empty. Let’s point the finger of blame where it belongs. As I undersand it, negotiations are moving forward on the Five Points proposal, except Jeff Lalloway is dragging his feet on one side and Larry Agran on the other. Lalloway is hung up on waiting until after the next election which is outrageous and Agran wants the High School location moved, which is feasible if the School District agrees. In the end, it will only take three votes to approve the deal with Five Points and I am confident it will get done and we can finally see something at the Park besides that tacky orange balloon. .
Whose buddy Larry Agran?
Bet it would be a bustling international airport making tons of money and providing loads of jobs by now.
Yes, and there would be rainbows and ponies for everyone too. Yay!
Naw nipsey, probably more jet fumes, noise and a few more obnoxious body searches preformed by someone other than SD politicians.
Carl, if you lived in Irvine, you wouldn’t say that. Those damn planes you were referring to would be flying directly over my house and the odor of jet fuel would be in the air. Additionaally, my house value would be in the toilet. Thanks, thanks a lot, but no thanks……I will take the shuttle to LAX.
Ltpar, “order of jet fuel in the air” , it would be on and in your house!
Yeah, everyone knows by now that the whole affair has been badly handled. Got it. But in the interest of objectivity, is it really fair to call The Great Park “…a few sidewalks, restrooms and plant some grass?” Does characterizing the park that way make your story more, or less, credible?
Let’s not forget the Veterans who are working their butts off to get a Veteran cemetery and memorial on the site, which I think is a very fitting use of at least part of the land, given its history. They have managed to gather far more support than I would have guessed, and I hope they make it!
Cynthia, I do too.
We owe the Veterans our lives,our liberty,and our freedom, in that order.
Irvine as a community and we as part of our nation are responsible for the welfare of our military.
Military veterans are the men and women who have proudly defended our nation’s freedom and these men and women served for our us and our debt to them is immeasurable, plain and simple.
Another golf course or a library can wait!
IVAL-
Don’t forget about the “Terrific” Farmers Market at the park, where you can go buy produce that was bulk purchased at Costco, repackaged as organic and sold to unsuspecting Irvinites!
What a joke.
Purchased at Costco, really? Wow. Proven!
I think, am not certain that the Downtown Brea Farmers market was the one that exposed this practice. It’s pretty widespread, mostly people want to believe, so it continues.
If you want fresh food, grow it yourself. San Jose, California has perhaps the most progressive program in the USA. But, we live in a place (OC) where driving a Toyota Prius is a badge of responsibility.
Farmers Markets are a scam. The Great PORK is a scam of unprecedented levels.
Yeah. If the farmers I talk to at the Brea Farmer’s Market are buying their produce at Costco, they’re Academy Award level actors.
CPP is a wonderful project, not nearly as susceptible as some of the suburban/urban markets.
The Irvine FM is rife with the kind of thing I describe as are many Farmers Markets throughout the state. Actors or not, it is naïve to think that this doesn’t happen.
How about a good Saence so we can talk to Grandpa!!
Not only that some of the farmers are growing produce nearby where the runoff from the base is in the ground water.
I had went to this farmers market three times, each time it was mostly food trucks, I approached one of the strawberry “farmers” there and they stated they had grown them very close to the market.
There is another market across from UCI on Saturdays, excellent produce and the farmers are for the most part very real. There are some that offer repackaged goods, similar to the small market on Jeffrey and Irvine Ctr Drive. I asked them and they were very honest about the produce not being theirs.
*Where is the Sports Stadium for the next NFL Football team, Mega-Plex for Restaurants, Orange Grove and Lemon tree Parks? Outside Hollywood Bowl performance Center, Multi-Use Commercial/Residential for Affordable Housing, Senior Center, Ice and Swim Performance Stadium and Center, Rock Climbing, Skateboard Competition Site, Cycledrome, International Food and Cultural Center, Native American Founding Center to include an Indian Village with all appropriate true Native American created items. The Military Center honoring all five services with a Orange Country Museum of Natural History and Military Museum. Outside Nature Center. History center of all ethnic groups that have lived in Orange County since Father Serra. A bike and electric golf cart path which runs throughout the property and can be rented for very affordable prices. An Cosmic Enlightenment Center with an Astronomy and Religious Prayer Center. and…finally, making sure that none of these things sits on a Super Fund Dump site area (CERCLA)….not fit for any life at all.
Ron, Larry Agran has given us the orange balloon and the rehabbed merry go round, what more could you ask for.
And you get to pay for it, nothing is free anymore!
*Yeah….Anthony Davis still would love to build a NFL Stadium right
there…and it would be profitable.
Not sure Anthony Davis is around, but the San Diego Chargers are still looking for a new home. Such a stadium would be a great anchor site for a commercial complex which could be a long term funding source for both Great Park Development and Maintenance. Not sure there is anyone at the City capable of thinking big enough to put that one together. Might have to put together a team of heavy hitters including people like Don Bren, Henry Samueli and a couple of other entrapreneural thinkers who could collaborate and come up with such a plan. Considering the abysmal state of finances at the Park, it is certainly an idea worth exploring?
one night a few years ago, big sandy and the fly rite boys played at the park..it was fun
(A defiantly committed non-OJB commenter had sent me the following and granted permission to reprint it. I’m editing enough to make it seem like me. Take it for what it’s worth.)
Is the new group “Build the Great Park Now” real grassroots or developer astroturf? Consider:
But, in three weeks:
Tentative conclusion: not grassroots. Not one bit.
Also, one of the board members of the Build the Great Park Now group is Rose Marie Kacic, whose husband, Ed Kacic, was forced to resign as Board Chair of CalOptima after (according to the OC Register) being accused last year of “using his position to steer millions of dollars to a private foundation that he heads. An investigation by CalOptima’s compliance department, prompted by the letter, is continuing. Meanwhile, the board in May voted to temporarily remove Kacic as chairman, a move that was later made permanent.”
(Source: http://www.ocregister.com/taxdollars/strong-478836-caloptima-board.html)
Tentative conclusion: several nice people of Irvine (including both Katherine and Pat) are being played.
Thank you Greg, I have been played by these people since I decided to run for office in this City.
As usual politics at play.
We need a Park, we do not need a golf course! What we do need is a positive revenue stream, jobs, and home ownership (new and existing) enjoying our City.
Please understand, I have no ulterior motives. I realize that the Council who is firmly entrenched, with no accountability to anyone, will continue to reap benefits from the taxpayer. If we as residents do not get involved in the process we are doomed to another 10 years of wasted spending and the only ones that will benefit is the Council.
Won’t that be a little difficult given that they are essentially broke on this project? Do you know if the city or some other incarnation of this project has provided subsidies to Cal State Fullerton for vacating the El Toro premises (which were a dump) to pricy newish digs near the Spectrum?
I will tell you that I am now 84 years old. I had hoped to see a real park built
by now. The latest plans don’t resemble the original plans that I thought were
final. What a waste of money. I wish that the city council would put aside their
Politics and get down to the business of building a great park. I voted for
the park and hope that I will see it finished before I leave this world. The children
that were ten years old are now adults and don’t need the recreational facilities.
It would be nice to see where all the money that has been spent would be made
public to us where we could read it.