Great Park Neighborhoods

[irvinehomeowner]

The park should definitely have an entrance fee so that it can be continually maintained like all of the other HOA communities in Irvine.

I don't think many people will pay an entrance fee to go to a park unless it had some amazing funnel cake.

Or roller coasters.

 

[OpenSky]

 

[OpenSky]

 

[test]

The park should definitely have an entrance fee so that it can be continually maintained like all of the other HOA communities in Irvine. 

That's what the mello roos pays for.

So only people living in Irvine that pays mello roos will be allowed to enjoy the great park.  that seems reasonable.

Is this a joke? Apartment dwellers don't directly pay mello roos yet utilize the infrastructure funded by MR bonds.

Apartment owners pay it and then advertise the park as an amenity to renters.

 

[jmoney74]

Don't get all mad peeps.. the only people suggesting that the park be free to only MR paying folks are on this board.  The parks are going to be open and ran by the City of Irvine.

 

[eyephone]

It's funny I just mentioned soccer field + park = you know what, now people want to gate the park/charge an entrance fee. In other words discriminate the soccer peeps. Lol

 

[jmoney74]

These soccer fields will be for the big league games.

 

[ak]

The park should definitely have an entrance fee so that it can be continually maintained like all of the other HOA communities in Irvine.

Even within guard gated communities in Irvine, pedestrians have full, free access to the parks. Irvine insisted on it at Northpark.

I don't think this is correct.  if you don't live in Northpark, the guards will stop you from entering.

Pedestrian access is free and open. You may walk or bike freely through Northpark. Access from the Peters Canyon trail or any of the gate pavilions. The City ensured the parks are accessible to the public; the trade-off is you need to walk or bike there.

More:

http://www.irvinehousingblog.com/forums/viewthread/2010/#47553

Northpark has 3 man gates but one can walk in freely from the bike trail adjacent to the drainage channel ( It is a 1/3 mile walk from portola) The pedestrain gates are open from 6am -10pm

Northwood pointe has 2 manned gates but I can get in easily from the Hicks trail by foot (300 yards from Culver)

Crystal Cove has 2 manned gates but the pedestrian gates are not locked most of the time. I park in the shopping center below and walk in.

Shady Canyon has 2 manned gates but required to have pedestrian access open to public due to Bommer Canyon nature trail. One can walk into Shady anytime and see Acpme.

Turtle Ridge has manned gates but pedestrian gates are open.

There are no manned gates in Tustin Ranch.

There are manned gates in Pelican Crest, Pelican Pointe, and Ocean Ridge. they are fairly secured.

There are also a couple in Turtle Rock but I don't know what they're called.  One is off of ridgeline that overlooks Strawberry Farms and the other is off of Turtle Rock Drive towards the top of the hill.

TIC also advertises pedestrian access:

While The Irvine Ranch is famous for its balanced communities, one of the lesser-celebrated amenities are the lushly landscaped footpaths and trails that invite residents to jog, bicycle or simply stroll from one neighborhood or village to the next.

Note there's no "* access is limited to certified and current HOA paying residents and their invited guests ONLY" footnote.

If this is true, what would be the point of living inside a guarded gated community and paying at least double or triple the HOA of a non-gated community?  Why should anyone pay extra for this false sense of security, privacy? 

 

[lnc]

If this is true, what would be the point of living inside a guarded gated community and paying at least double or triple the HOA of a non-gated community?  Why should anyone pay extra for this false sense of security, privacy? 

It's true due to Irvine ordinance.  All gated community need to allow free access for all pedestrian.  The gate are just for show and traffic control for cars.  All gated community have unrestricted entrance for pedestrian and bicyclists.

HOA are much higher for gated communities because HOA are responsible for maintenance of the gate, sidewalks,  and all the streets where city are responsible for these in other non-gated communities.

One advantage of gated communities is that there are no Google Street Views allowed.  You don't have to worry about Google camera cars taken pic. of you home or possible you in an embarrassing situation.

 

[ak]

If this is true, what would be the point of living inside a guarded gated community and paying at least double or triple the HOA of a non-gated community?  Why should anyone pay extra for this false sense of security, privacy? 

It's true due to Irvine ordinance.  All gated community need to allow free access for all pedestrian.  The gate are just for show and traffic control for cars.  All gated community have unrestricted entrance for pedestrian and bicyclists.

HOA are much higher for gated communities because HOA are responsible for maintenance of the gate, sidewalks,  and all the streets where city are responsible for these in other non-gated communities.

One advantage of gated communities is that there are no Google Street Views allowed.  You don't have to worry about Google camera cars taken pic. of you home or possible you in an embarrassing situation.

Oh I see...so this is only applicable to the City of Irvine then.  How about guard gated communities in Newport Beach/Coast or other cities?  Are  pedestrian and bicyclists restricted?

 

[OpenSky]

 

[test]

The best comparison for gated vs non-gated is NP and NP Square.

As much as I hate to admit it, folks drive through NP Square as a pass thru from Irvine to Culver (or Bryan to Irvine) to avoid a couple of lights.

More folks utilize Bunny Park in NP Square than any of the parks in NP.

There are more cars zooming around NP Square than NP, and that makes it feel less intimate, slightly more stress-inducing.

NP's entrances are designed such that you cant easily park and walk - you Wil be walking quite a ways to access NP if you arrive via unregistered car. So that diminishes public use of NP's parks and open space by "outsiders," and encourages walking within the community. It's one of the reasons there are tons of walkers in NP (aside from the paths and lush landscaping).

Traffic and easy access are good if you're a property owner trying to rent out the place.

 

[OpenSky]

The best comparison for gated vs non-gated is NP and NP Square.

As much as I hate to admit it, folks drive through NP Square as a pass thru from Irvine to Culver (or Bryan to Irvine) to avoid a couple of lights.

More folks utilize Bunny Park in NP Square than any of the parks in NP.

There are more cars zooming around NP Square than NP, and that makes it feel less intimate, slightly more stress-inducing.

NP's entrances are designed such that you cant easily park and walk - you Wil be walking quite a ways to access NP if you arrive via unregistered car. So that diminishes public use of NP's parks and open space by "outsiders," and encourages walking within the community. It's one of the reasons there are tons of walkers in NP (aside from the paths and lush landscaping).

Traffic and easy access are good if you're a property owner trying to rent out the place.

Yes. Coordinating visitors with the gate is a PITA.

 

[eyephone]

The park will be open to the public - it is a park for irvine residents.

 

[eyephone]

These soccer fields will be for the big league games.

The true die hard soccer players don't need a "soccer field" they just need open area in the park. I'm assuming there will be open area.

 

[test]

The park will be open to the public - it is a park for irvine residents.

I wish the beaches were like that.  There are more Santa Ana residents using Newport Beach than Newport Beach residents.

If the GP becomes a popular attraction the same thing could happen there.

 

[homer_simpson]

The park will be open to the public - it is a park for irvine residents.

I wish the beaches were like that.  There are more Santa Ana residents using Newport Beach than Newport Beach residents.

If the GP becomes a popular attraction the same thing could happen there.

I think the park being built by CS will be utilized more by the Santa Ana residents.. woooohoooo! Yay for diversity!

 

[Smashed]

The best comparison for gated vs non-gated is NP and NP Square.

As much as I hate to admit it, folks drive through NP Square as a pass thru from Irvine to Culver (or Bryan to Irvine) to avoid a couple of lights.

More folks utilize Bunny Park in NP Square than any of the parks in NP.

There are more cars zooming around NP Square than NP, and that makes it feel less intimate, slightly more stress-inducing.

NP's entrances are designed such that you cant easily park and walk - you'll be walking quite a ways to access NP if you arrive via unregistered car. So that diminishes public use of NP's parks and open space by "outsiders," and encourages walking within the community. It's one of the reasons there are tons of walkers in NP (aside from the paths and lush landscaping).

Interestingly, the HOA difference between the 2 communities is minimal - $40 or so per month - and the amenities you get for that $40 are sizeable (tennis courts, more pools, guard gate).

It pains me to write this because I prefer NP Square to NP - it has slightly easier access to shopping and the gate, while nice in diminishing traffic, is silly as a protectionary measure (false sense). And it projects a tacky image of exclusion and separation. Given we ended up in NP, you can tell who won the argument 

I think the benefits of gated outweigh the drawbacks. 

I walk or jog daily within NP, and appreciate the gates for the reduction in traffic.  If/when Orchard Hills makes Culver/Irvine Blvd busier, the gates will prevent folks from using NP as a pass thru - good for both pedestrian safety and the stress-inducing feel you describe about NP Square.  It annoys me when I see people driving fast through non-gated NP Square to beat a few lights, and I don't even live there.  Plus, in my experience the gates help reduce solicitors (got many more solicitors when I lived in a non-gated part of Irvine previously).  In my opinion, the "inconvenience" of managing an entrant list is worth the benefits of having the guard gates.  And managing the entrant list is pretty easy anyways.

 

[The Motor Court Company]

wow. thanks for the tips. I did not know I can drive through NP Square to beat a few lights. Now I do and will take advantage of it.

 

[OpenSky]