On April 28, the Orange County Great Park Board released an updated progress report of the Orange County Great Park project in Irvine, as part of its recurring updates agreement with the Irvine City Council. 

The project’s next phase focuses on more structures, including a $25 million Fire Museum and Safety Learning Center, a Natural History Museum and USA Water Polo Aquatic Center. 

The largest project in the Northern Sector is the pre-development of a $20.5 million Public Safely Joint Training Facility. 

Once completed, the Orange County Fire Authority and the Orange County Sheriff will use it as the county’s first-ever joint training hub as a “scenario village” for providing the county’s tactical law enforcement training, according to Irvine City Manager John Russo.

The next steps for the project, which includes a gun range and emergency operations center, will be to proceed with design plans and drawings concepts. 

The Orange County Fire Authority has agreed to contribute more than $20 million to build the facility, while Irvine will provide the land and use it for its police training facility.

The Park’s Fire Museum and Safety Learning Center will be dedicated to the history of firefighting and provide fire prevention education through interactive exhibits and displays. 

Currently in the pre-development stages, the CFM and Safety Learning Center received approval on site selection March 24 and is currently underway with a capital campaign. 

The Western Sector, home to the sports complex, Palm Court Arts Project and the Great Park Ice, could become home to an Aquatic Complex with USA Water Polo.

Conceptual designs are currently under collaborative review. 

While the Great Park also has plans to open Wild Rivers Water Park, it can no longer rely on the LIFOC portion of the land that was previously selected. The Great Park Board cited an “unforeseen delay” in the land lease requirements needed prior to transfer and is seeking approval for another 20-acre site for the $50 million water park project. 

Wild Rivers is scheduled to open in Summer 2021. 

Some future Orange County Great Park components could include botanical gardens in the northern sector. And plans for a veterans cemetery in the same sector are “pending partner action,” according to the April 28 Great Park Development Report. 

However, plans could abruptly change due to the COVID-19 related economic slowdown. Irvine Mayor Christina Shea said her city would act responsibly, and adjust budgets as necessary.  

“I want to move everything forward, and of course we will, but the city is in an unprecedented situation,” Shea said. “We can’t be planning and thinking about spending large amounts of money when we don’t understand the dynamic.” 

“We have to pull back; we have to be responsible.”
      

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