Open hill land between Jeffrey/Sand Canyon South of 405

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frank69m_IHB

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Does anyone know if the Irvine company has set aside this hilly area and won't build on it? You can see it right off the 405 driving South between Jeffrey and Sand Canyon. I kinda like it but am afraid they will build more home eventually.
 
[quote author="frank69m" date=1230558764]Does anyone know if the Irvine company has set aside this hilly area and won't build on it? You can see it right off the 405 driving South between Jeffrey and Sand Canyon. I kinda like it but am afraid they will build more home eventually.</blockquote>


It sounds like you're talking about the Quail Hill Open Space. Before the last few big developments TIC has bequeathed a cut of their land to the city (for Turtle Ridge/Shady Canyon, it was Bommer Canyon). From what I know, Santiago Hills Phase II was going to include a monetary gift to the Orange USD to make up for the influx of new students. The North Ranch Land Gift, Jeffrey Open Space Spine (Trail), Woodbury, Orchard Hills, Woodbury East, East Orange, and Portola Springs were all within a few years of each other (all either border or cruise by each other). I'm sure you've noticed that some of these are either still in the planning/approval stages or were halted due to market conditions.



Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong on any of this, I just used to be obsessed with TIC's future projects. I used to drive down to Turtle Rock when Shady Canyon/Turtle Ridge first started being built. I'd sit/walk in and around Chaparral Park and look at the initial grading and building operations. I'd check shadycanyonupdate.com and turtleridgeupdate.com daily. Good ol' Planning Area 27. I was like a 20 year old undergrad student..(I'm nearly 28 now...SOB...but at least the degrees are done). At around the same time, Northpark Square was selling. Yes, I did and still do tour new developments whenever possible. I remember the smallest model of detached homes there (Alder Creek?) was $360k. I only remember that because how ridiculous it sounds now.



Wow, I was going to give a one-liner answer. Whoops
 
Ok. thanks for the info. I was just wondering, because it is kinda nice not to see houses as I drive down the 405 south on my way to Sand Canyon. I just want to make sure they preserve it this way. Its a lot nicer.
 
Years ago there was the same open space signage in what will be Laguna Crossing.

They had them all up and down the 133.
 
I also remember those signs on the 133 and didn't know about Laguna Crossing until I drove down the 133 in the summer and saw them paving the land. I was literally hurt to see them building there. They ruined a beautiful area out of greed. I even searched the internet for movements/protests against them building there but couldn't really find anything.



I lived in Irvine all my life. I went to elementary school in Irvine. I think seeing the Laguna Crossing development made me realize that the fundamental tenets of the Irvine Company are no longer. The plan for Irvine was to preserve a third of all the land in its natural form. This is written in so many brochures from the 80's and 90's regarding Irvine that I believed it.



The only people who benefit from Laguna Crossing are developers and the land sellers. Moreover, it is at the expense of nearly everyone else: The residents of Irvine lose because of less open space, home owners lose because increased supply will result in a further degradation of real property value, and the city itself loses because it has sold out its very being, its soul. The very name Irvine has a special place in the mind of the consumer for safety, cleanliness, natural scenery... essentially Irvine is the Promised Land. Tampering with an identity that is tried and true can lead to an identity crisis. It doesn't matter if you're an individual, a business, or a city, but when you turn your back on what you are known for and sell your soul, don't be surprised if your regulars become estranged.
 
[quote author="LoudRoar" date=1230812383]

The only people who benefit from Laguna Crossing are developers and the land sellers. Moreover, it is at the expense of nearly everyone else: The residents of Irvine lose because of less open space, home owners lose because increased supply will result in a further degradation of real property value</blockquote>


Those who benefit from more affordable housing in Irvine count as people too.



I do support option space preserves, and I don't mean those tiny "wild life corridors". If you're going to have a wild life preserve, you should allocate a meaningful amount of space.



By doing so, it'd leave less land for development, so you'd need to redefine "suburbia" from SFR's with large private yards, to mid-rise flats with communal parks, connected via light rail network.
 
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