By the summer of 2029, Irvine’s Great Park could have ready a veterans memorial garden, 15 acres of lush green botanical gardens, a 14,000-seat amphitheater, a retrofitted Hangar 244 with places to eat, a USA Water Polo aquatics facility and several more destinations for locals and visitors.
On Tuesday, March 14, Irvine councilmembers deliberated and prioritized the next phase of projects to be completed in the 1,300-acre Great Park within in the next six years. Already it is home to a 194-acre sports complex that is twice the size of Disneyland with ball fields, a soccer stadium and sand volleyball courts; trails; an arts pavilion; and, most recently, Wild Rivers, among other features.
Councilmember Mike Carroll, who serves as the chairman of the Great Park Board (made up of the councilmembers), called the day “one of the most important” as more than $720 million in spending was identified.
About 125 acres at the Great Park’s northern edge, typically referred to as the ARDA site, will house the botanical gardens, which will incorporate a tribute to veterans as well as culturally and biologically themed landscaping, all surrounded by a perimeter park with forests and trails. The Cultural Terrace West is 35 acres that will include a new Pretend City Children’s Museum and the Flying Leathernecks museum.
Orange County Music and Dance, headquartered in Irvine and currently serving nearly 400 students ages 18 months to 18 years, will also have a new home in the Cultural Terrace West to create a space for the early education in the arts.
City staffers have said that the most requested amenity in the Great Park is a place to eat and drink, so Hangar 244 in the center of the sports area and close to the Great Park balloon, carousel and artist galleries is set to be refurbished into a contemporary food hall, with multiple cuisine offerings.
In February, the council voted to stick with concert provider Live Nation to build a 14,000-seat amphitheater in the…
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