Planning Ahead JULY 2010 : Page 1

Planning Ahead A publication of the Irvine Company that explores elements of a balanced community. www.IrvineCompany.com Inside This Issue Irvine Company’s Master Plan Preserves More Than 50% of Historic 93,000-Acre Irvine Ranch 02 Irvine Company transfers 20,000 acres of open space July 2010 04 Get out! There are many opportunities to access 50,000 acres 05 Guess what’s coming to a retail center near you... Limestone Canyon 08 Schools and safety: Two great reasons for living in Irvine © 2010 The Irvine Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Villages of Irvine® is a registered trademark of The Irvine Company LLC. Planning Ahead • July 2010 Company Fulfills 30-Year Commitment and Transfers Final 20,000 Acres of Open Space and Parklands to Public Ownership (See story on next page.)

Irvine Company’s Master Plan Preserves More Than 50% of Historic 93,000-Acre Irvine Ranch

Company Fulfills 30-Year Commitment and Transfers Final 20,000 Acres of Open Space and Parklands to Public Ownership Final Gift Completes Commitment Ushering in a sweeping new era of public ownership and access to thousands of acres of Orange County’s most prized natural lands, the Irvine Company on June 29 transferred to the public the long-anticipated final gift of more than 20,000 acres of pristine, permanently protected open space and parklands. The lands – accepted on the public’s behalf by the Board of Supervisors – have been designated both a California and National Natural Landmark and are part of a grand total of 50,000 acres of permanently protected open space and parklands on The Irvine Ranch. “When we announced our decision to permanently protect these magnificent lands 30 years ago, we made it very clear that ultimately the land would be owned and enjoyed by the people of Orange County. Today’s final segment of the gift ensures that these spectacular natural resources will provide a stunning array of outdoor opportunities and will be protected and cared for in perpetuity.” Irvine Company Chairman Donald Bren, June 29, 2010 The unprecedented gift was made possible by the Irvine Company’s unwavering commitment to master planning, which over the decades has enabled the company to preserve and donate unusually large areas of land. The 50,000-acre expanse of permanently preserved open space and parklands was created through collaborative conservation efforts spanning more than 100 years involving the Irvine Company, community organizations, municipalities, government agencies and environmental groups. The 93,000-acre Irvine Ranch stretches nine miles along the Pacific coast, 22 miles inland, and encompasses more than one-fifth of Orange County’s total 798 square miles. Within its boundaries lie the city of Irvine and parts of Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Tustin, Orange and Anaheim, plus unincorporated county land and portions of Santa Ana and Costa Mesa. To put the 50,000-acre expanse in perspective: It is more than 10 times the size of Griffith Park in Los Angeles (4,210 acres) and almost 60 times the size of Central Park in New York (843 acres). The permanently protected land on The Irvine Ranch includes: Bommer Canyon, Crystal Cove State Park, Upper Newport Bay, Laguna Coast Wilderness Park, and Quail Hill. The June 29 transfer added Limestone, Fremont, Weir, Black Star and Gypsum canyons to the list. Contributions Support Ongoing Stewardship In addition to the land, the Irvine Company will provide $4 million to establish the Orange County Parks Foundation. Combined with a $2 million contribution from The Nature Conservancy, this funding will support stewardship priorities including land management and the development of new park infrastructure related to the lands. The Irvine Company also will provide $1 million in a seed grant to launch the new Center for Environmental Biology at the University of California, Irvine, to fund biological research projects to provide new recommendations on how to best care for the land. This brings the Irvine Company’s total financial commitment toward long-range conservation, stewardship and public access to the land to $50 million. Biological Value Is Priceless The land is home to an extraordinarily wide variety of plants and animals, many rare or endangered, and some found nowhere else on earth. Hundreds of species of plants and animals thrive here, including hawks and golden eagles, bobcats and mountain lions, rare Tecate cypress trees, California oak and sycamore woodlands and dozens of species of rare birds, plants, reptiles and amphibians. A wide range of habitats – from shady streamside forests and oak woodlands to rare coastal sage scrub and endangered California native grasslands – support a remarkable array of native wildlife and plants. Beyond their value for conservation, the open spaces and parks included in the land gift offer an enormous variety of recreational opportunities. See adjacent story.

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