On Tuesday, March 22, the Great Park Board of Directors, in the capacity of the Irvine City Council, voted unanimously to approve a series of construction projects at the Great Park.  

Totaling approximately $3.5 million, the construction will come in phases and will involve several portions of the Great Park, including the former El Toro Marine Corps Air Station and the ARDA site.

The goal, according to Great Park Manager Steve Torelli, is to prepare for the coming development of a 75-acre botanical garden that will include a veterans memorial component.

However, in order for these projects to begin, the city must clear out abandoned structures, and vacate the site of hazardous materials.

Torelli explained that these projects had been discussed for some time, and will add an immediate aesthetic improvement to those portions of the Great Park that have been vacant for nearly 25 years.

“Remove and remediate three buildings, one old water reservoir, and then replace some of the pavement. If you’ve been out there to Marine Way and Skyhawk Blvd., it’s kind of an eyesore. Those buildings are in a pretty dilapidated state and get vandalized pretty frequently,” Torelli said. “Immediate aesthetics improvement and the side benefit is once the paving is redone – we can use it for overflow parking, or outdoor events.”

In terms of hazardous materials, the project overview includes the remediation of lead and asbestos. As for structures at El Toro, Torelli explained that there is a water pump station and a storage facility that has not been in use since the base closed in 1999.

During the Great Park Board Meeting, Chairwoman Farrah Khan asked Torelli about the timeline for demolition.

“The actual demolition, once commenced, should take about eight to 12 weeks,” Torelli said. “We have verbal approval from the Navy, but as soon as we get actual written approval we would take that out to bid. We expect that to happen within the next week or two.”

In June, the city estimated that the demolition of the ARDA site would be approximately $40 million. 

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