In 1989, the City of Orange approved the East Orange General Plan. It was an ambitious plan that emphasized significant development in and around four mixed-use activity centers. The plan included development on more than 7,000 acres of the city’s 22,000-acre sphere of influence:

• A 1.2 million-square-foot Town Center with a regional retail center, neighborhood shopping and office uses
• A Resort Center with nearly 200,000 square feet of retail, commercial recreation and hotel uses
• A 700,000-square-foot Community Services Center with retail, office and industrial uses
• 6 million square feet of business parks
• 12,350 homes
• 34,000 new residents
• 348,000 average daily vehicle trips

Most of the development anticipated in the 1989 General Plan will not be built.

The new plan reflects the needs and priorities of the community, and complements the surrounding 20,000 acres of permanent open space. The Irvine Company’s 2001 land gift provided open space guarantees. It also shrunk major development areas included in the East Orange General Plan. It forced planners, along with the community, to re-think the vision and development concept for the area.