Southern California's Great Park development in Orange County set to become one of the largest parks in the U.S.
Irvine's Great Park is undergoing a major facelift, and it's set to become one of the largest parks in the U.S.
The more than $1 billion project is an ambitious endeavour with developers hoping to "Make it like [New York City's] Central Park," according to its website. The expansion is expected to continue through 2029.
As of now, the popular Orange County staple is around 500 acres in size, but it's set to expand by another 300 in the next phase of development, according to the city of Irvine, with plans to eventually cover about 1,300 acres of land previously occupied by Marine Corps Air Station El Toro.
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With shades of San Diego's Balboa Park, Great Park is expected to be full of amenities like an aviation museum, ponds, art installations, an ice rink and multiple concert venues capable of holding 10,000 people each.
A retail-based development within Great Park, The Canopy, is expected to open later this year. It already boasts an assortment of known entities that'll have locations within it. They include:
- In-N-Out Burger
- T&T Supermarket
- Chi Cha San Chen
- H&H Bagels
- JJANG Fusion Grill & Social House
- Osen Japanese Dining
- Philz Coffee
- Shootz
- The Taco Stand
- FP Movement
- Rylee + Cru
- Solestage
- Sol Studio
- Sunfeel
Details on the Great Park expansion's funding can be found here.