In the messy, never-ending wasteful wars over the Great Park, it’s time for the politicians to listen to the experts.
After nearly six years of quietly serving the board, Great Park CEO Michael Ellzey is stepping forward in a last-ditch effort to save the future of the park from being reduced to ashes.
After being directed by a unanimous board to review a developer’s proposal, Ellzey reports the offer to build half the Great Park is the best example he’s seen in his entire career of a public-private partnership.
Yes, that is the very same proposal before Irvine City Council members Tuesday night.
The facts: By rezoning and allowing the Aliso Viejo-based developer to build 4,600 homes on land it already owns, the park sees nearly $200 million in development.
And that’s only the beginning of what could and should be a thing of beauty – if our elected officials don’t blow it.
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Some background in case you haven’t been following the Great Park shenanigans – and my condolences if you have.
Consider that on Nov. 12, Emile Haddad, CEO of FivePoint Communities, sat through an 8 1/2-hour meeting in which council members appeared on the brink of rejecting his offer. Instead, they tabled it to Tuesday night.
But since the focus here is on experts, let’s first review the CEO’s bona fides because, without context, it may be difficult to believe Ellzey can build anything.
A Marine, Ellzey’s first significant building job was as executive director for the San Jose Arena Authority. There, he oversaw design, construction and operation of the hockey arena. Later, he served as executive director of the Golden Gate Park Concourse Authority. In San Francisco, he revitalized and rehabilitated the cultural district of Golden Gate Park.
But before Ellzey arrived in Irvine, tens of millions of dollars had been squandered on silly designs such as a 60-foot canyon two miles from the Santa Ana Mountains. There also was mismanagement and political infighting.
In 2008, Ellzey was hired with the mission to execute a New York architect’s vision for what was once the El Toro Marine Base. His timing couldn’t have been worse.
After Ellzey took over, the recession tore down the Great Park’s house of cards that was built on an assumption that a robust housing market would continue for decades. Additionally, Gov. Jerry Brown eliminated a primary economic source of redevelopment funds.
Without the $1.4 billion in tax increments projected to flow in, facing a different board every few years and dealing with challenges that come with taking over a former military air base, Ellzey persevered.
With the big orange balloon already in place, Ellzey managed to renovate a historic hanger, install a carousel, clear farmland, plant shade trees, create the Palm Court Arts Complex, make the north lawn recreation field, construct reflecting pools, lay a concrete timeline and build an area for children, a bike path and four lighted soccer fields.
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Enter FivePoint – which among other projects built Coto de Caza. After the debacle at the last council meeting, Haddad understandably remains deeply frustrated.
During a long discussion a few days ago, Haddad decided to offer only this public statement: “I’m not aware of any issue that hasn’t been dealt with. We have said we’re ready to go.
“Let’s hope this Tuesday will be the hearing that will get us a conclusion one way or another.”
But smart and practical expert that he is, Ellzey lays his career on the line with a Great Park board made up of Irvine council members. Still, he maintains there is only one satisfactory conclusion to Tuesday night’s council meeting.
“In the final analysis,” Ellzey told me, “I would hate to sacrifice the good while looking for the perfect.”
If approved, FivePoint will develop 688 acres – more than half of the Great Park’s 1,200 acres.
Here are the highlights of what FivePoint promises to build with its roughly $200 million: an 18-hole golf course, mountain bike and hiking trails, a wildlife corridor, 21 soccer fields, 24 tennis courts, landscaping.
Additionally, FivePoint picks up the tab for maintenance and operations until 2024.
It’s worth noting that after spending about the same amount, a board of elected officials has created nothing to write home about. Yet Great Park guru and Irvine Councilman Larry Agran the other week went so far as to suggest that FivePoint simply hand over its tens of millions of dollars.
I suspect Agran was kidding. Consider his comment – and I am not kidding – “This has been a project that we have lived with, breathed with, worked with for years and years.”
And years.
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What about concerns that FivePoint might run amuck, ignore city regulations, capitalize on its investment in the Great Park?
Sitting in his office and pointing to Great Park plans, Ellzey smiles with the confidence of a man who doesn’t have to be the only alpha male in the pack.
Over several years, Ellzey has weathered both agreements and sharp differences with Haddad and FivePoint. In the end, they’ve always worked things out.
The Great Park CEO also echoes other statements I’ve heard that FivePoint has a solid history, has built excellent community parks – including one across the street from the Great Park – and understands collaboration.
“This puts a huge demand on a healthy, working partnership,” Ellzey acknowledges. “It’s both an exciting opportunity and an interesting challenge. We need to make sure our operations are respected.”
As far as FivePoint capitalizing, Ellzey sees no harm in what he calls the developer’s unique position. Simply put, FivePoint stands to gain by selling homes across from a nice park rather than a slum and wasteland.
“Emile can absorb some of the operating losses over time,” Ellzey says, “and see an investment return over time.”
Let’s agree – a truly Great Park also is an investment in Orange County and its residents.
But the clock is running out for this win-win.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/park-538603-ellzey-great.html
