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What is North Irvine and 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 North Irvine 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 North Irvine 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 |
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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?
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 project?
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?
The plan currently calls for three elementary schools and one middle
school to be built within the Planning Areas. 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 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 community 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 spaces?
Yes. A total of 5,700 acres, or 67 percent of the total planning area,
will remain as open space and recreation. 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.
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Have existing Irvine residents been involved in the planning process?
Yes, the plan reflects 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 which led to a land use plan that was unanimously
approved by the Irvine City Council in June 2002.
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