IRVINE : New Plans for Project Unveiled

The Irvine Co. has unveiled a new development plan for 1,200 acres between the lakeside homes of Woodbridge and the office towers of The Spectrum.

Christening the project Oakcreek village, the company seeks to build two golf courses, as many as 4,000 residential units and a scattering of industrial and commercial sites on the land.

The City Council is set to review an environmental impact report on the village later this month. Although the plan has met with praise from some nearby residents, the relatively high density of the proposed housing tracts is expected to raise some concerns.

Previously known as Village 12, the area is now 75% undeveloped, consisting mostly of orange groves and vegetable fields.

Among the few major developments in the area are Irvine Valley College, the 1,100-home Orangetree neighborhood and the county’s household hazardous waste facility. The village also takes in the East Irvine historical district, which consists of structures that date back to the early days of the Irvine Ranch.

The Oakcreek development proposal was produced with the help of Orangetree residents, who for nearly four years met regularly with company and city officials to work out an acceptable plan.

“When you have agriculture and nature all around you, you say ‘Oh, my God’ when someone wants to build houses and factories around it,” said resident Bill Johann, who took part in the meetings.

Johann, a 73-year-old retired electronics designer, said the Irvine Co. was responsive to the concerns of residents. At the residents’ request, a park just outside Orangetree was added to the plan and the golf course area was enlarged to give the village more open space.

The two 18-hole golf courses have proved to be an especially popular aspect of the proposal, winning praise from golfers throughout the city.

The company plans to build one regulation-size course as well as one executive course, said Jill Griffiths, Irvine’s senior planner. Railroad tracks that parallel the Santa Ana Freeway will run through the course. The plans include underpasses as safety measures for the golfers.

Some industrial sites are proposed for land east of the course, near Irvine Center Drive and Sand Canyon Avenue.

Most of the residential development is scheduled for the southern half of Oakcreek between the San Diego Freeway and Barranca Parkway. A new road that parallels Jeffrey Road and Sand Canyon Avenue would be built between Irvine Center Drive and Barranca, Griffiths said.

The residential section would also include some commercial shopping areas.

Although the Irvine Co. would be allowed to build as many as 4,000 homes under its proposal, city officials say they doubt that many dwellings would be built. Each project in the village would have to come before the Planning Commission and City Council for individual approval.

Councilwoman Paula Werner said she expected the density of the residential units to be discussed when the council takes up the Oakcreek environment report. The project calls for a mix of condominiums, apartments and larger homes.

Werner said she also hopes the Irvine Co. will help pay for the construction of a new under-crossing at Jeffrey Road.