Fountain Valley prepared to expand its Sports Park

Fountain Valley Sports Park could have a 16-acre expansion in its near future, as the City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved an amended and restated lease after more than two years of negotiations with the county of Orange.

A quitclaim deed that saw the property now known as Mile Square Regional Park go from the U.S. government to the county required that the property be dedicated to public park and recreational uses in perpetuity. It also stipulated that the county should lease a portion of the park to the city of Fountain Valley for 50 years — and for additional periods of 50 years — so long as it also developed the land for park and recreational purposes.

The original rent-free lease went into effect on March 28, 1973, granting the city an initial 55 acres of the 640-acre park, which is bordered by Brookhurst Street, Edinger Avenue, Euclid Street and Warner Avenue.

An amendment to the lease on Feb. 15, 2000, resulted in the expansion of the city’s portion of the park, which can be accessed from Brookhurst Street, to approximately 78 acres. New athletic fields, parking and improvements to the recreation center were under consideration at the time.

A proposal approved by the City Council on Nov. 19 had included a 14.6-acre expansion of the city’s portion of the park. The council allocated $121,000 in alternative park funds for the additional 1.4 acres, which a staff report said would cover infrastructure relocation and site improvements conducted by the county as part of a rehabilitation project.

“In review with Mayor [Ted] Bui and the city manager, [Maggie Le], we had identified a need on the southern portion of the expansion area for additional parking opportunities,” said Rob Frizzelle, the city’s director of community services. “It gets a little bit narrow through that southern side of that expansion area, and obviously, if the parking was all on the northern side of that, that’s a long walk over to access that area.

“We thought it was critical to have some additional opportunities for parking. It will come to fruition as part of our parks master plan.”

The Fountain Valley Sports Park expansion is subject to a vote of the Orange County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Feb. 25. Should the agreement receive approval, the additional acreage is expected to be available within a period of 18 months to two years.

That would provide time for the county to complete a necessary phase of a Mile Square Regional Park golf course conversion project and for the city to adopt its updated parks master plan.

“I hope the residents fully understand just the impact this is going to have on our community,” Councilman Glenn Grandis said. “This is huge. The ability to expand our Sports Park, the ability to increase the services that we provide — recreational services for our community — this just doesn’t happen very often. … This will change Fountain Valley for the better, forever.”

Fountain Valley Sports Park includes athletic fields for baseball, softball and soccer, courts for basketball, pickleball and tennis, the city’s recreation center, and a universally accessible playground. The Boys & Girls Club of Huntington Valley operates on the property through a sublease agreement. The park has also hosted various community events, including Summerfest and movies in the park.