Irvine Company’s gifts of open space have helped create one of the largest urban open space networks in America. In Irvine alone, one-third of the entire city — some 16,500 acres — is permanently preserved as parks, trails and natural open space. In the company’s single-largest open space gift ever, Chairman Donald Bren announced in 2001 an unprecedented gift of 11,000 acres north of Irvine for permanent preservation.
Then, in 2014, the company announced an additional gift of 2,500 acres north of Irvine. This gift meant that more than 57,000 acres, or approximately 60 percent, of the entire Irvine Ranch is now permanently preserved as open space for residents to discover and enjoy. The map and timeline on this page underscore the dramatic positive impact these gifts have had in terms of Irvine residents’ access to beautiful open spaces in their city and elsewhere on The Irvine Ranch.
