Blog note: This story refers to several grand jury reports on this project (scroll down)
In
the beginning, the Great Park in Irvine was envisioned as the second-coming of
New York’s iconic Central Park.
Bogged
down for years with accusations of cronyism and improper management, the park
hasn’t lived up to its original billing. Now, the city of Irvine is considering
an update of its master plan of the park.
Located
at the site of the former Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, the park today has
a large sports complex, a soccer stadium, an amphitheater, a skating rink and a
large orange balloon.
“Really,
when we think about the Great Park, it’s a big sports facility, which is
great,” Irvine Vice Mayor Tammy Kim said Tuesday during a City Council meeting.
“I know that there’s residents here and I know myself, really want to see the
‘park,’ in Great Park.”
City
staff will spend the next two months seeking the public’s input on future plans
for the park.
Joel
Belding, deputy director of planning and development, said during a
presentation to the council that staff intend to consider residents’ comments
and then devise a roadmap on how to move forward with the planning of the park
in January, with a presentation to the council for consideration.
Outreach
is expected to include in-person meetings at the Great Park, virtual meetings,
meetings with homeowners’ associations, recorded videos and interactive online
tools for people to contribute to the design process of the park.
Staff
will also look for public opinion on two major projects in the park, a
long-awaited botanical garden and the future of the FivePoint Amphitheatre,
which is currently considered temporary. The city posted on Twitter earlier
this week that there have been a spike in noise complaints tied to two concerts
at the amphitheater. The city said it’s working to rectify the issue with the
help of Live Nation, the operator of the venue.
During
the meeting, the council began moving forward on a few projects in the Great
Park, including the botanical garden.
“But
I believe this council, all of us here, we have a once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity to create something beautiful and awe-inspiring that can be
appreciated now and for future generations,” Kim said. “I want to use that
opportunity to build a world-class garden where people from all over the world
and all over this country will want to visit.”
Following
comments from community members in favor of the garden, the council provided
direction for city staff to find a location for the project.
“I
hope that today’s meeting leads to a final site designation and path to
construction of the long-promised and much-desired, world-class botanical
garden,” said Teena Spindler, president of the nonprofit Great Park Garden
Coalition. “As you know, the garden has been in the plan since the very
beginning in the original master plan, and has been confirmed through public
outreach surveys over the years.”
Mayor
Farrah Khan suggested that the garden could go in the park’s planned Cultural
Terrace, a 236-acre portion of the park. On Tuesday, the council approved a
contract with the IBI Group, an architectural service company, to help with the
development of the terrace.
Also
at the meeting, the council considered whether UCI Health could be a sponsor of
the Great Park. Under the proposal, the organization would pay the city about
$5.7 million for a 10-year agreement. Ultimately, the council decided to
reconsider the item at a later meeting after several members expressed concerns
about the proposed sponsorship.
Councilman
Anthony Kuo was concerned that the exclusivity part of the sponsorship would
inhibit the city from entering into agreements with other healthcare groups.
Kim agreed with Kuo and suggested that the deal didn’t bring in enough money
for the city, considering it’s in a big media market.
“We
look at this and we think, ‘Oh, it’s a lot of money,’ but it actually isn’t
compared to what they’re getting,” Kim said.
The
public voted to turn the military base into the then-named Orange County Great
Park in 2002. The city had big plans for the park, but they never came to
fruition.
In
2013, Irvine hired Hagen, Streiff, Newton & Oshiro (HSNO) to conduct an
investigation into why more than $250 million was spent to develop 88 acres of
the 1,300-acre Great Park.
For
years, the Great Park was mired in controversy, with residents claiming it
hadn’t remotely met expectations as the so-called Central Park of the West.
Three
grand jury reports were produced regarding the park in 2006, 2010 and 2015. The
first investigation criticized city officials for a lack of transparency, while
the second questioned the financial structure of the project. The third
concluded that “from the outset, the project was poorly managed and did not
follow conventional principles,” and “there seemingly was no effective
oversight over invoices, contract compliance or quality control.”
HSNO
conducted an initial audit for $240,000, then withdrew it in 2015 and replaced
it with a second audit. Costs climbed to $1.7 million. HSNO’s final report
concluded that the project was embroiled in financial mismanagement, leading to
the waste of tens of millions of dollars between 2005 and 2012. Findings
included that former Mayor Larry Agran, then chairman of the Great Park Corp.,
misled the public, beginning in 2006 with an understatement of the cost of the
park. Agran currently sits on the City Council.
The
saga continued in 2020, when HSNO surrendered its accounting license after a
legal battle with a state oversight agency that claimed the firm “failed to
comply with professional standards, engaged in numerous acts of negligence, and
disseminated false and misleading information.”
Most
recently, homeowners in the Great Park neighborhoods have expressed disapproval
of special-assessment taxes they have to pay toward the development of the
Great Park. In July, the City Council decided to drop “Orange County” from the
original name of the park.
Los
Angeles Times
BY BEN BRAZILSTAFF WRITER
SEPTEMBER 29, 2021
