Tustin Community Redevelopment Agency

Fourth Five-Year Implementation Plan for Town Center and South Central

To view the Report, click here. Should you have any questions, please contact the Redevelopment Agency at (714) 573-3121.

Second Five-Year Implementation Plan for the MCAS Tustin Redevelopment Project Area

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The Tustin Community Redevelopment Agency was created in 1976 and is made up of members of the Tustin City council who are elected at large by popular vote. Provisions of State law enable the Agency to undertake community projects designed to improve certain areas within the City which have suffered economic decline. Deterioration of improvements, or which have been unable to attract and promote new private investments to enhance the quality of life in the area.

The Agency is responsible for setting the course of redevelopment in Tustin and for being sure that redevelopment plans are in the best interests of the Community. In directing the City Redevelopment activities, State law provides the Agency with broad governmental functions and authority to accomplish its purpose, including but not limited to: the right to issue bonds for authorized purposes and to expend their proceeds, and the right to acquire, sell, rehabilitate, develop, administer or lease property. The Agency may also demolish buildings, clear land, and cause construction of improvements including streets and sidewalks.

Tustin's framework for the future continues to rest on its solid foundation of past redevelopment activities. Simply stated, the goals for the Agency are:

• Rejuvenate dilapidated areas

• Stimulate private investment

• Strengthen the City's financial base including sales tax and property taxes

• Improve public facilities

• Create jobs

Consistent with these goals, the Agency is actively involved in many projects and programs. A few of these include:

• Housing Programs

• Commercial Rehabilitation Programs

• Business Outreach Retention and Attraction Programs

• Capital Improvement Projects

There are three redevelopment project areas in Tustin. 

Town Center Project Area
The Town Center project Area, established in 1976, encompasses approximately 360 acres in the center of the City of Tustin which includes historic Old Town and the Civic Center complex and a majority of the commercial properties within the central portion of the City.  The project area has already seen a number of major development projects including new retail, office, residential and public improvement efforts.

South Central Project Area
The South Central Project Area encompasses approximately 398 acres and is generally that are bounded by Edinger Avenue, Red Hill Avenue, Valencia Street and the Costa Mesa (SR-55) and Santa Ana (I-5) Freeways and Newport Avenue. Portions of the area lack right-of-way improvements such as street lights, sidewalks, adequate street capacity and circulation. The City adopted the Pacific Center Specific Plan (located in this area) which will provide for an extension of Newport Avenue and much needed improvements to the SR-55 Freeway off-ramp at Edinger Avenue. The project will include office, hotel and limited commercial uses.

MCAS Tustin Project Area (Tustin Legacy)
The MCAS Tustin Project Area is comprised of a total of 1,508.6 acres of property within the City of Tustin including approximately 1,504.5 acres at the former MCAS Tustin base and 4.1 acres outside the former MCAS Tustin base.  The Project Area, referred to as Tustin Legacy, is located in a heavily urbanized location surrounded by residential, commercial and light industrial uses.

Maps
Redevelopment Project Areas
Redevelopment Project Areas (Town Center and South Central) and the Neighborhoods of Tustin Town CenterMap

The Tustin Community Redevelopment Agency receives no Federal or State funds, nor does it levy a tax on a redevelopment project area. Instead, its primary revenue is "tax increment." When a redevelopment project area is created, the assessed valuations in the area from which governmental taxing agencies receive property tax revenue are frozen. As a redevelopment plan is implemented, new development and inflation results in increases in property values within the redevelopment project area. The Agency receives one percent of the annual incremental increases in the assessed value of the improvements above the frozen valuation when the project area was formed. These revenues are called "tax increment" and it is these funds which must be used for redevelopment improvements within the project area (and for projects adopted after 1994) certain payments to taxing agencies. These revenues cannot generally be used for general funded governmental purposes.

Basically, a redevelopment project brings back revenue to the City, to be used within the City, which would otherwise go to the County and other taxing agencies. Without a Redevelopment Project, the City would receive only approximately thirteen percent of the normal one percent increase in assessed value. The remaining portion would go to the County and other governmental taxing agencies.

In other words, a property owner in a project area pays no more or no less taxes than normal with the formation of a redevelopment project area. However, the property owner directly benefits from the increase revenues received by the Agency since these revenues can only be spent in the redevelopment project area.

What is a CFD? A Community Facility District (CFD) is a special taxing district formed to pay for major backbone infrastructure improvements necessary to support development. For more information, click here.