Orange County Speaks About the Great Park

Hundreds of community leaders and individuals provided vision for the Orange County Great Park.

The Orange County Great Park Corporation released its Community Visioning Report (PDF) that finds county residents prefer that open space, public swimming pools, sports facilities, cultural and community amenities, major outdoor theatre and botanical gardens be considered in developing the Orange County Great Park. Phase one, which included an extensive public involvement campaign conducted from mid-May to late June that asked Orange County residents, community leaders and organizations what they thought would make a Great Park, is now complete.

“Since its inception the Orange County Great Park Corporation has encouraged public involvement and participation in every phase of designing, building and operating the Orange County Great Park,” said Larry Agran, the Corporation’s chairman. “This important information will now be given to each of the seven design firms competing to be master designer of the Great Park. Design concepts are to reflect what the people of Orange County want to have and see in their Great Park.”

More than 130 community leaders participated in nine focus group planning sessions, over 200 individuals representing community organizations were represented at the Stakeholders’ Conference, and 600 respondents contributed to the countywide public opinion poll.

The Great Park Community Visioning Report show that stakeholders and the general public agree on the following eight points:

Think Globally, Act Locally. The Great Park should attract visitors from around the world, but fulfill the recreational needs of Orange County.

A Mix of Active and Passive Uses. Lakes, gardens, picnic areas, hiking, biking, and jogging trails rank high. Facilities for amateur outdoor sports have a lower priority, but residents want both.

No Single Theme Should Dominate the Great Park. Stakeholders and residents believe the park is large enough to feature several themes: A town square for Orange County, celebrating the history and heritage of Orange County, and honoring our veterans emerged as top three themes.

The Great Park Should be a Place for Arts and Culture. Outdoor art, sculpture and traditional museums facilities are popular features.

Keep It Open Day and Night. Provide venues for outdoor concerts and evening activities. Create an environment that has good lighting and security.

Green is Good, but Keep it Accessible. Create a park with an internal transportation system that limits automobile traffic but allows for easy accessibility to all areas of the park.

Don’t Compete with Disneyland. Orange County already has many commercial entertainment venues; more are not needed. In terms of amenities, cafes and “low key” facilities are preferable.

Give it Time to Grow. Residents and stakeholders want to allow enough time to create a well-planned inclusive Great Park. They want flexibility included in the design process to accommodate changing needs and tastes.

“The Great Park design process offers and excellent opportunity to inform and engage the public,” said Beth Krom, mayor of Irvine. “Continuing public involvement in the planning process and the dissemination of information is key to maintaining public support for the Great Park.”