Irvine approves $4.87 million deal for permanent fire station at Great Park
A $4.87 million agreement with the Irvine Co. aims to provide the city of Irvine with a permanent fire station in the western part of Orange County Great Park.
Plans call for Fire Station 20 to be built on 1.25 acres at the corner of Ridge Valley and Eighth Street once infrastructure improvements are approved. The station is to be operated by the Orange County Fire Authority, providing emergency services including paramedics for park visitors in the growing sports complex area and for nearby neighborhoods currently in development.
A temporary Fire Station 20 on Trabuco Road currently serves the area.
The agreement calls for the Irvine Co. to build the permanent facility after paying the city about $3.99 million for the land and an additional $870,788 for road and infrastructure improvements. The Fire Authority will have design approval for the facility.
A deed provision calls for the land to revert back to the city if the fire services agreement with OCFA is ever terminated.
The City Council unanimously approved the plan without discussion Tuesday after recommending the action in an earlier meeting as the Great Park board of directors. The $4.87 million from the deal will be allocated to the Great Park fund.
Fire Station 20 is expected to be completed and operating within 12 months after the Ridge Valley and Eighth Street upgrades are approved.
The new station is planned across Eighth Street from a recently proposed ice rink complex that is expected to be completed by 2018. The fire station would be one of four located at public parks in Irvine. The others are adjacent to Heritage Park, Windrow Park and Bill Barber Park.
Medical marijuana
In other council business Tuesday, members finalized amendments to the local zoning ordinance prohibiting all commercial cannabis activities within city limits. The action is in response to the new California Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act.
Cities throughout the state must file their own licensing rules before the new law allows the state to take sole jurisdiction. Irvine formally banned all commercial activity related to the cultivation, sale and delivery of medical marijuana.