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What is the Northern Sphere of Influence?
The Northern Sphere of Influence is approximately 8,500 acres.
Consistent with the 1984 Memorandum of Understanding between the City
of Irvine and The Irvine Company, a planning agreement was established
in 2000 to facilitate the planning for and phased annexation of the
Northern Sphere. In June 2002, the Irvine City Council approved plans
to annex the Northern Sphere of Influence, and move forward with the
phased development of North Irvine.
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Where is the Northern Sphere located?
It is bounded by Trabuco Road and the former El Toro Marine Corps Air
Station to the south; Jeffrey Road and existing residential
development to the west, and the Santiago Hills to the north. The
Foothill Transportation Corridor (SR-241) traverses the northern
portion of the site.
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How big is the Northern Sphere of Influence and how will the land be used?
North Irvine will evolve over the next 20 years. The city's
incremental annexation of the Northern Sphere and The Irvine
Company's phased and orderly implementation of the project will
take at least two decades.
The project area includes 8491 acres and covers five General Plan
areas (Planning Areas 3, 6, 9 and portions of Planning
Areas 5 and 8).
| Residential |
2,025 acres |
|
Parks and Open Space |
5,700 acres |
| Preservation 4,615 acres
(all but 748 acres of which are in the study area) |
| Recreation (1,085 acres) |
| Commercial Recreation |
51 acres |
| Medical Science/Commercial/Retail |
622 acres |
| Multi Use |
80 acres |
| Institutional |
13 acres |
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How many homes are planned in the different planning areas of the Northern Sphere?
Planning Areas Approximate units per Planning Area
PA 5
1,900 homes
PA 8A
400 homes
PA 6
4,500 homes
PA 9
3,756 medium density
1,800 medium-high density
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What type of traffic improvements will be implemented as part of the Northern Sphere?
Road improvement plans for the project call for the widening of several key roads, including:
Irvine Boulevard to its ultimate six-lane width between Yale Avenue and SR-133
Sand Canyon Avenue to its ultimate four- to six-lane width between Trabuco and Portola Parkway;
Full width widening of Trabuco to four lanes between Jeffrey and SR-133; full
width improvements
to Portola Parkway between Jeffrey and SR-241.
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Will new schools be built in the Northern Sphere?
Yes, three elementary schools and one middle school are planned. The
city and The Irvine Company are working with the Irvine Unified School
District to determine if a fifth school will be needed to serve the community.
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Will the Northern Sphere community create new jobs?
Yes, approximately 7.3 million square feet of commercial/medical
science/retail space is planned, which is expected to provide
17,677 new jobs.
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Will the Northern Sphere feature new parks?
Like all of Irvine's villages, the community will feature a mix of
neighborhood parks and larger community parks. Also planned is a
50-acre multi-use recreational park called Gateway Park that will
feature lighted athletic fields, natural areas, hiking/biking trails
and an interpretive nature center serving as the gateway to Irvine's
northern open space.
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Will portions of North Irvine remain as open space?
Yes. A total of 8,200 acres, or 64 percent of the total planning
area, will remain as open space. This includes more than 3,000 acres
of scenic hilltops in the area's northernmost tip, which were part of
the historic 1988 Open Space Agreement, and approximately
1,600 additional acres, which have been added since
the 1988 Agreement.
The project also features the Jeffrey Open Space Trail, which will
provide a continuous open space edge of variable width along the
eastern side of Jeffrey Road. As part of the 1988 Agreement, the
trail supports the overall vision of the City to create a
comprehensive trail network that would connect the Southern
and Northern wilderness areas. It will be the first of its
kind in Orange County.
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Have existing Irvine residents been involved in the planning process?
Yes, plans for North Irvine reflect extensive input from and
preferences of residents. Over the past several years, the city of
Irvine and The Irvine Company have been working with the community
to design a land use plan for North Irvine. Since the fall of 2000,
residents have participated in a series of community meetings
and workshops for the Northern Sphere, which led to a land use
plan that was unanimously approved by the Irvine City Council in June 2002.
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