Inside Irvine Winter 2024-25

City Makes Strides in Establishing Gateway Preserve

The City of Irvine continues to make progress establishing the Gateway Preserve, hundreds of acres of planned accessible open space and residential housing in North Irvine.

In August, the City closed escrow and formally acquired what was the site of the All American Asphalt (AAA) plant. This milestone paves the way for Irvine to transform the 12-acre site into passive park space or a trail staging area, which will accompany additional open space in Gateway Preserve providing the community with new interpretive areas, native gardens, outdoor classrooms, and trails. “There is a lot to get excited about with this project. The trail network within the Gateway Preserve will connect to the Jeffrey Open Space Trail and OC Parks’ Limestone Canyon, giving the community opportunities to experience a wide range of destinations,” said Michael O’Connell, President and Chief Executive Officer of Irvine Ranch Conservancy (IRC), the City’s longtime partner in managing Irvine’s protected open space. “There are many benefits for the natural community as well. The City and IRC are planning restoration and enhancement projects in the Gateway Preserve that will improve habitat for wildlife and provide even more opportunities for visitors to experience them.”

In total, Gateway Preserve will span approximately 700 acres across portions of Orchard Hills and Portola Springs. Much of the open space within that area is designated as preserved land protected by the Natural Communities Conservation Planning (NCCP) program. The NCCP is a state program that identifies and provides for the regional protection of natural resources alongside economic and recreational developments. The threatened coastal sage scrub and chaparral habitats found within the Gateway Preserve area are vitally important to the preservation of rare and endangered plants and animals that rely on Irvine’s open space to survive. The City is working with IRC to ensure sensitive habitats and wildlife are protected as Gateway Preserve evolves. “Irvine is part of a globally important biodiversity hotspot. Many plants and animals that live in Gateway Preserve and the broader open space in Orange County are found nowhere else,” O’Connell said. “This means protecting and restoring a large area of open space in Irvine has even greater significance to the environment.”

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Inside Irvine

Winter 2024–25

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