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Irvine breaks ground on a massive Gateway Village to build hundreds of new homes
The city of Irvine broke ground on the Gateway Village, a 70-acre neighborhood in the northeast foothills that will include affordable housing.
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Courtesy City of Irvine
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Topline:
Irvine officials broke ground Tuesday on a sprawling 70-acre neighborhood, called Gateway Village, that will sit near a nature preserve in the northeast foothills near Portola Parkway and Jeffrey Road. The village will neighbor a 700-acre nature preserve called the Gateway Preserve.
What we know: The neighborhood will consist of more than 1,100 housing units, 25% of which will be designated as affordable housing, ranging between 1,050 and 2,600 square feet. The homes will include multi-story options from one to five bedrooms.The first model homes are expected to open next summer, according to city officials.
Background: The neighboring area was home to All American Asphalt, which had been conducting business in this portion of the foothills since the early 1990s. Nearby residents complained for years about the air quality and smells from the plant. The city ultimately bought the plant in 2023 for $285 million, shutting it down and paving the way for the project.
What do officials say? Irvine Mayor Larry Agran told LAist the plant was the “largest industrial polluter, not just in Irvine,” but in the whole county. “The fact that we had a groundbreaking that basically was the culmination of a process by which we eliminated the asphalt plant and replaced it instead with what is going to be a residential development involving an additional 600 acres of pristine open space … It's just amazing,” Agran added.
Dig deeper … A plan to build 900 townhomes and establish a vast nature preserve in Irvine begins to take shape
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