Irvine Co. Agrees to Set Aside Land in Bonita Village

Bowing to pressure from residents, school district and city officials, the Irvine Co. said Thursday that it will set aside more than 30 acres of land worth nearly $15 million for parks and a school in its newest development, Bonita Village.

The Newport Beach-based development company also agreed to pay at least $5.8 million in developers’ fees to the Newport-Mesa Unified School District, where children from the development will attend school. To increase the open space in Bonita Village, the Irvine Co. agreed to cut 225 homes from plans that still call for 1,000 apartments and 1,500 homes.

The donations were made, in part, in response to complaints from Harbor View residents who said the development would further strain clogged streets and bring more children into Newport-Mesa’s overcrowded schools.

The deal was hailed by residents and Newport Beach officials. Nobody, however, was as thrilled as Newport-Mesa officials, who said the windfall would help them meet their goals of building schools and upgrading existing ones.

“It is just beautiful,” Supt. Mac Bernd said. He emphasized that school district and company officials still are negotiating the fees, which could result in a payment of “much more than $5.8 million.”

District officials said that if the deal is approved, the money may be used to reopen Eastbluff School and to repair leaky roofs across the district.

Resident Susan Kramer called it a “killer deal” that she believes adequately addresses the needs of the community. Specifically, she said, the area needs more open space for youth athletics and land where a new school can be built if needed.

“Everyone stands to gain from this,” she said.

Irvine Co. officials said the company made the offer because it has a stake in improving the community.

“A lot of the employees work here, and their kids play in the parks and go to the schools,” spokesman Paul Kranhold said.

The future site of Bonita Village is south of the San Joaquin Hills Corridor, east of MacArthur Boulevard and north of Ford Road. The area is part of Irvine but is being annexed by Newport Beach.

Annexation discussions, which still must be approved by both cities, began because Irvine Unified School District and Newport-Mesa officials agreed that the area would be better served by Newport-Mesa.