Voice of OC (https://voiceofoc.org/tag/great-park-neighborhoods/)
A proposed land swap would have resolved concerns from Chinese home buyers that living next to a cemetery is bad feng shui. But A majority of council members said changing course might derail the cemetery altogether.
More than a dozen political action committees have spent hundreds of thousands to keep the Irvine Republican council majority in power. The Great Park Neighborhoods developer is responsible for a large portion.
The developer says that should negotiations with the city fail, a ballot initiative is still possible.
Sources say Beth Krom, an Irvine councilwoman and chairwoman of the Great Park board of directors, tried to hide from other directors a letter proposing a controversial lease expansion at the park. Krom calls the accusations election-year posturing.
The proposal would increase the number of homes surrounding the Great Park in Irvine from nearly 5,000 to more than 10,000.
Irvine’s Planning Commission last week approved construction of
nearly 5,000 homes around the Great Park. But the approval comes
with new requirements.
The agreement would end a behind-the-scenes battle between the
Great Park Neighborhoods development manager and the school
district.
Developer says “hundreds of millions” in tax increment revenue
will flow to the park and the Irvine Unified School District. But
district officials still worry that it won’t be enough for needed
new schools.