Location: California

Client: City of Irvine

The Amtrak line between Los Angeles and San Diego forms the southern boundary of the former Marine Corp Air Station El Toro. The base has been closed for ten years and is probably the most valuable property in the United States. The 5000 ac. site is proposed as the Great Park which will become a major destination in Southern California. ITC is positioned as the gateway to this new development and is already the busiest Amtrak station in California. Our team was requested to develop the ideas for the expansion of the Transportation Center and a vision for WorldPort – the master plan for the re-use of the Base as a 21st century commercial development. This included air ferries to regional airports, a CalTrans Demonstration Center for showcasing new transportation technologies, a regional FEMA staging area for the western United States, a wildlife corridor connecting national forests with regional parks, “LandLab”- a soils remediation facility operated by the University of California, the World Marketplace – a cultural and commercial hub for international trade and tourism and the Technology Showcase as an incubator of technology companies and research labs.