The Irvine Company has scaled back its plan to redevelop Oak Creek Golf Club, cutting the proposed housing count and dramatically expanding a planned public park, as the project moves into environmental review. The updated proposal calls for 2,400 new housing units on 280 acres, down from the roughly 3,100 residences the developer originally floated for the site.
According to The Real Deal, the company reduced planned apartments from 1,600 to 900 units while increasing attached ownership homes from 485 to 825. The number of for-sale residences overall was held steady at 1,500, but the mix of price points was widened, with company officials suggesting some one-story, 950-square-foot flats could be priced under $1 million. Traditional townhomes in the plan range from 1,500 to 2,400 square feet. Rob Elliott, the Irvine Company’s senior vice president for planning and design, said residents wanted a wider range of for-sale options to meet different community needs, per the same outlet’s report.
The company said it spoke with over 10,000 residents while reworking the proposal, according to the same report. The planned public park also grew substantially, from about 8 acres to more than 60 acres, and the company has proposed setting aside land for a future elementary school and building a nature center on site.
A Formal Planning Milestone Already Cleared
The rework follows a significant municipal step earlier this year. In April, the Irvine City Council approved a zoning text amendment establishing a formal framework for Planning Area 52, known as Oak Park, capping maximum development density at 2,400 residential units, according to the City of Irvine. That came after the Irvine Planning Commission recommended the framework unanimously, 7-0, in March. The Irvine Company has now entered the environmental review phase, and the Irvine City Council is expected to review the matter again next year after required approval processes, with final sign-off expected once that process concludes…