IRVINE, CA—FivePoint Communities has begun historic demolition of former military runways at the Orange County Great Park here, the first phase of a $250-million improvement program that will accelerate construction of a wide range of new sports, recreational and environmental amenities at the park. The firm, which is the development manager of the master-planned Great Park Neighborhoods, will develop 688 acres of the Great Park's nearly 1,300 acres as part of an agreement approved by the Irvine City Council in November 2013.

All of the improvements will be funded privately by FivePoint, but they will be returned upon completion to the City of Irvine as public amenities. The agreement also includes provisions that allow the City of Irvine to realize more than $1 billion over 40 years for Great Park operations and maintenance.

When completed, the park improvements will include a 176-acre sports park, a 41-acre wooded Bosque area, a 185-acre public golf course with practice facility and clubhouse, a 36-acre upper Bee Canyon and a 178-acre wildlife corridor. All of the amenities will be provided at no public expense by FivePoint, which is also providing funding necessary to study additional park amenities.

According to Emile Haddad, CEO of FivePoint, “Turning these runways into greenways delivers on the promise to residents and future generations of Orange County. The Great Park is a model of a successful public-private partnership. Today, we are pleased to contribute to the park's future with this important step and to celebrate a major milestone in this important partnership. In the months ahead, concrete runways will give way to sports fields, trees and trails as the Great Park matures into the community treasure approved by Orange County voters.”

Haddad tells GlobeSt.com, “One of the top three things that people name as a reason to move into communities are parks, along with hiking and biking trails. For us, we see them as places where people connect. They connect with other people, and connect with nature.”

As GlobeSt.com reported earlier this week, “Successful public-private partnerships require a construction partner specializing in large and complex projects as well as one with the ability to provide financial support,” according to Fred Hames, general manager and executive vice president of Florida for Skanska. “When a client engages Skanska as a P3 partner, they are accessing all the abilities of our construction and engineering teams as well as the financial wherewithal that comes with working with one of the world's largest firms.”