Green In Orange County's Great Park.

Compiled by Loren Faulkner

Southern California's Great Park -- set to rival New York's Central Park in size and amenities -- moves to production phase, and accepts 5,000 donated citrus trees for green upgrade.

In Irvine, CA, Orange County's Great Park (OCGP, www.ocgp.org ) is moving forward even in a down economy. The Great Park is being developed on the former Marine Corp Air Station El Toro, constructed in 1942, in the early years of WWII. The base formally closed on July 2, 1999. Under the Great Park Plan, the 4,639-acre El Toro property will become a master planned community.

The Great Park Board recently approved the Comprehensive Park Design presented by Master Designer Ken Smith and the Great Park Design Studio. The approval moves the Great Park from the planning and design phase to the production phase.

"The Comprehensive Park Design is an important milestone," said Larry Agran, chair, Orange County Great Park Board Corporation. "It reflects nearly three years of hard and productive work on the part of Master Designer Ken Smith and his talented team. Our philosophy has always been plan first -- then build."

Design elements include the Sports Park, Wildlife Corridor, Agua Chinon, upper and lower canyon, the Lake, the Bosque, agriculture elements, and many other features identified by a variety of stakeholders throughout the planning and design process. The Comprehensive Park Design features sustainable infrastructure, including renewable energy generation, non-polluting Park shuttles, connections to mass transit, water reclamation and natural water treatment systems, and recycling of runways to build a variety of Park features.

The Orange County Great Park Plan will provide a wide array of active and passive uses, including a 2.5-mile canyon and 20-plus-acre lake, miles of walking and biking trails, a cultural terrace, Orange County's largest sports park, botanical gardens, and a tethered ...