Great ParkNeighborhoods.The Guide.
Built on the former MCAS El Toro military base, Great Park is Irvine’s most ambitious development — six master-planned communities wrapped around the 1,300-acre Orange County Great Park. Newer construction, resort-style amenities, walkable schools, and the most complex tax structure in the city. Read this before you make an offer.
Irvine’s most ambitious development — and its most complex tax structure
The Great Park Neighborhoods occupy the former Marine Corps Air Station El Toro — a 4,700-acre site that sat fallow for years after the base closed in 1999. FivePoint Communities began developing it into one of the largest master-planned projects in California history, wrapping six distinct residential communities around the 1,300-acre Orange County Great Park.
What you get: brand-new homes with modern open floor plans and solar included on most new builds, walkable access to three K-8 schools and Portola High School within the development, resort-style parks in every community, and direct access to the Great Park’s sports fields, ice arena, hot air balloon, and amphitheatre.
What you need to understand before buying: Great Park carries the most significant Mello-Roos tax structure in Irvine. The assessment is based on your home’s square footage, runs $4,455–$14,387/year depending on home size, increases 2% annually, and has no expiration date under CFD 2013-3. This guide covers all of it — including how to calculate your true monthly cost before you fall in love with a floor plan.
Every Great Park community compared
Each community has a distinct park theme, architecture style, and K-8 school nearby. All feed Portola High School. All are within the same CFD for Mello-Roos.
The first and most established community in Great Park Neighborhoods. American Heritage architecture — updated classic designs for modern families. Beacon Park K-8 is located within the neighborhood. Park features a treehouse lookout, outdoor kitchen, pool, sports courts, and great lawn. Walking distance to the Great Park balloon launch.
Inspired by the arts. Three community buildings: a Lending Library, Art Gallery, and Studio. The park’s art walk features large sculptures by well-known artists including Jen Stark and Aaron de la Cruz. Cadence Park K-8 is within walking distance. Cadence Park School’s media center includes an illumination room with floor-to-ceiling windows and a full-size gymnasium.
The newest and most upscale residential community. Solis Park features a luxury pool area with spa, cave-inspired lounge, fire pits, and outdoor kitchen. Solis Park K-8 School is immediately adjacent — one of the newest schools in IUSD, opened in the last few years. Most new construction in Great Park happens in or adjacent to Solis Park. Portola High School is a 3-minute walk.
Two adjacent communities sharing a nature-and-garden theme. Both parks feature greenhouses and community gardens where residents can grow produce and herbs. Parasol Park emphasizes connection between nature and neighbors — an outdoor kitchen and living room with fireplace anchors the park. Architecture tends toward craftsman and farmhouse styles.
Sport and activity-themed community. The park features basketball and sport courts, BBQ areas, a fitness-focused pool, and playgrounds. Bolero and other Lennar product lines have been built here. Three-story townhome floor plans common in this community. One of the more affordable entry points within Great Park due to attached product mix.
The smallest and most urban-feeling community in Great Park. Novel Park features a tot lot and a dog park — one of the few dog parks within a Great Park community. Bosque Trail is directly accessible. Novel Park has three-story townhomes with modern layouts. Less inventory and lower turnover than the larger communities.
| Property Type | Price Range | Mello-Roos Est. |
|---|---|---|
| Attached condo / townhome (1,500–2,000 sq ft) | $1.2M–$1.6M | ~$4,500–$7,000/yr |
| Detached condo (2,000–2,500 sq ft) | $1.5M–$2M | ~$7,000–$10,000/yr |
| SFR (2,500–3,000 sq ft) | $1.8M–$2.5M | ~$10,000–$12,000/yr |
| Large SFR (3,000+ sq ft) | $2.5M–$3.5M+ | ~$12,000–$14,387/yr |
| Toll Brothers Elevate (new construction) | From ~$3M | $13,000–$14,387/yr |
Pricing: Redfin, Zillow, MLS data Feb–May 2026. Mello-Roos estimates based on CFD 2013-3 rate schedules — verify the exact amount for any specific parcel at ttc.ocgov.com before making an offer.
The most important thing to understand before you buy
Great Park has the most complex and highest Mello-Roos structure of any Irvine neighborhood. This is not a minor line item. For a 3,000 sq ft home it adds over $1,100/month to your housing cost — and that number grows 2% every year.
| Cost Component | Great Park (3,000 sq ft SFR) | Woodbridge SFR (comparison) |
|---|---|---|
| Mello-Roos (annual, Year 1) | ~$12,000–$14,000 | $0 (most parcels) |
| Mello-Roos annual increase | +2% per year, perpetual | None |
| Master HOA (monthly) | ~$200–$350 | ~$78–$120 |
| Total extra monthly cost vs. Woodbridge | $1,000–$1,300+/month | Baseline |
| 10-year cumulative extra cost | ~$132,000–$175,000+ | Baseline |
Verify by parcel at ttc.ocgov.com. Mello-Roos amounts vary by community, phase, and home size. Source: CFD 2013-3 rate schedules, Irvine Watchdog, Talk Irvine community research.
The Orange County Great Park — what residents actually get
The Orange County Great Park is the anchor attraction — a 1,300-acre public park built on the former MCAS El Toro site, still under development with additional phases planned. Residents in all six Great Park communities have trail connections directly into the park.
Key Great Park amenities: the iconic orange hot air balloon (a paid attraction, ~$15–$20/ride), sports complexes with baseball, soccer, and rugby fields, Great Park Ice & FivePoint Arena (280,000 sq ft ice facility with youth hockey and figure skating programs), the Farm + Food Lab, and Palm Court Arts Complex. FivePoint Amphitheatre hosts major concert tours.
Each residential community has its own HOA-maintained park with a themed pool, outdoor kitchen, sports courts, and community gathering spaces. Trails connect all six communities to each other and to the Great Park.
The Great Park Sports Complex includes basketball courts. Farmers markets operate on weekends. Community events run year-round across the parks. The Crème School is opening Spring 2026 in Great Park for infants through Pre-K.
IUSD schools serving Great Park
Great Park Neighborhoods feed into Irvine Unified School District (IUSD), with three K-8 schools located within the development itself: Beacon Park K-8, Cadence Park K-8, and Solis Park K-8. Portola High School is also located within the Great Park Neighborhoods footprint.
This is one of the few neighborhoods in Irvine where elementary, middle, and high school are all walkable from home. Beacon Park K-8 was the first school built in the development. Solis Park K-8 is the newest. All three K-8 schools are IUSD campuses with the district’s curriculum and programs.
School assignment is address-specific — even within Great Park, which K-8 your child attends depends on your parcel. Verify at iusd.org/schools before making an offer.
| School | Grades | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Beacon Park K-8 | K–8 | Within Beacon Park community |
| Cadence Park K-8 | K–8 | Within Cadence Park community |
| Solis Park K-8 | K–8 | Newest — adj. to Portola HS |
| Portola High School | 9–12 | Within Great Park footprint |
Central / south Irvine — east of the 5
Great Park sits in central to south Irvine, east of the I-5 — which means summer temperatures run 5–10 degrees hotter than west-of-5 communities like Woodbridge. This is worth an in-person visit at different times of year before committing.
Freeway access: the I-5 and I-405 are both accessible, with the CA-133 (Laguna Freeway) and 241 toll road providing additional options. John Wayne Airport (SNA) is approximately 15 minutes. Irvine Spectrum is about 10 minutes.
The neighborhood is not walkable to retail — Walk Score of 2. Grocery, dining, and everyday retail require a car. Irvine Spectrum is the closest major retail destination.
| Destination | Approx. Drive |
|---|---|
| John Wayne Airport (SNA) | ~15 min |
| Irvine Spectrum Center | ~10 min |
| South Coast Plaza | ~15–20 min |
| Newport Beach / Coast | ~20–25 min |
| UCI Campus | ~12–15 min |
| Downtown Los Angeles | ~50–70 min (traffic-dependent) |
| Grocery / Daily Retail | ~5–10 min (car required) |
Great Park strengths and tradeoffs
Great Park is a genuinely excellent neighborhood for the right buyer. It’s also genuinely expensive to carry. Here’s the complete picture.
- Brand-new or nearly-new construction — modern layouts, high ceilings, open concept, solar standard
- Three K-8 schools and Portola High School within walking distance — unmatched in Irvine
- Direct trail access to the 1,300-acre Orange County Great Park
- Resort-style parks in every community — each with themed pool, outdoor kitchen, courts
- FivePoint Amphitheatre and Great Park Ice Arena are nearby anchors
- Active new construction available — ability to buy new with builder upgrades
- Most walkable neighborhood in Irvine for school-age children
- Portola High School is one of IUSD’s newest and most modern campuses
- Highest Mello-Roos in Irvine — $4,455–$14,387/year based on sq footage, rising 2%/yr with no end date
- East of the I-5 — 5–10°F hotter in summer than west-of-5 neighborhoods
- Walk Score of 2 — daily errands require a car; no walkable grocery or retail within the development
- FivePoint Amphitheatre means traffic and noise on event nights for nearby homes
- 3-story townhome floor plans common in some communities — no main-level living in many units
- Still-developing area: some retail, dining, and park amenities remain under construction
- HOA dues ($200–$350/mo) stack on top of Mello-Roos, making total carrying cost significantly higher
Frequently asked questions
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