On October 20, 2026, Tustin’s Council was asked to approve plans and specifications for the Tustin Legacy Park extension from Armstrong Avenue to Warner Avenue and authorize advertising for bids. The park opening is tentatively planned for early 2028. Owners preparing listings should check the latest City project status and schedule; buyers should review the proposed facilities and construction milestones before making the future park part of a purchase decision.
The proposal gives both groups a defined project to research. Its boundaries, budget, and planned improvements provide a starting point for questions about what is proposed and when it could become available.
What is planned between Armstrong Avenue and Warner Avenue?
The next phase of the Tustin Legacy Linear Park would extend the park from Armstrong Avenue to Warner Avenue.
The City of Tustin’s agenda report identifies the extension as Capital Improvement Program project No. 20083. It describes a connection via the future Armstrong Avenue Pedestrian Bridge and includes:
- Landscape and irrigation improvements.
- Playground and fitness equipment.
- Pedestrian and bicycle facilities.
- Shade structures.
- Seating and gathering areas.
- Lighting and other associated park improvements.
For property research, start with those named boundaries and facilities. A seller can use them to describe the planned project accurately. A buyer can use them to identify which parts of the proposal matter to a purchase decision.
Treat the report’s amenity list as the description of planned work. Questions about a particular home’s access, the layout of facilities, or how the extension fits a buyer’s intended use call for a closer review of the project plans.
Did the Council approve the park plans?
The Council vote is not verified because minutes were not posted as of October 29, 2026.
Item 7 was on the consent calendar for approval at the October 20 Council meeting. The consent calendar covered items 1 through 13, which the agenda described as enacted by one motion.
Staff recommended adopting Resolution No. 26-56 to approve the plans and specifications and authorizing the City Clerk to advertise for bids. Those were the requested Council actions.
The report also describes a later contract step: staff will return with a recommendation to award a contract after bids are verified. The report does not name a contractor; bids open on 24 November 2026 (tentative).
For an owner or buyer following the project, these are separate milestones to track: consideration of the plans, bidding, a contract award, and construction. Each provides a different piece of information about the planned extension’s progress.
When could construction start and the park open?
The report tentatively schedules construction to start in January 2027, with completion estimated for the first quarter of 2028. Its summary describes project completion and park opening as planned for early 2028.
The full tentative sequence is:
- Authorization to advertise: October 20, 2026.
- First legal advertisement: October 22, 2026.
- Second legal advertisement: October 29, 2026.
- Bid opening: November 24, 2026.
- Contract award: December 15, 2026.
- Construction start: January 2027.
- Construction completion: first quarter of 2028.
Use the dates as the report’s planning schedule. When discussing the extension in a listing or purchase review, include the word “tentative” and identify the report date. That gives the reader a clear reference for checking later updates.
We were helping a buyer compare homes at Tustin Legacy when she asked how soon the park extension would be usable. She had seen the construction plans and was already treating the finished park as a current neighborhood amenity. We checked the public-works schedule with her so she could distinguish what existed at the time of purchase from what was still being built.
What does the construction budget tell you?
The report identifies an engineer’s estimate of $10,800,000 and an approved construction budget of $13,622,225.
The construction funding appears in the approved Fiscal Year 2026-2027 Capital Improvement Program Budget. The two figures serve different purposes: one is the engineer’s estimate, and the other is the amount included in the approved budget for construction.
For someone reviewing the project, the next pricing milestone is the recommendation staff plans to bring back after verifying bids. Keep the estimate and budget labeled when quoting either figure so readers understand which amount they are seeing.
The park report does not mention a special tax or assessment.
For another Tustin Legacy action on the same agenda, see the guide to Community Facilities District 2018-01 Zone 5. That district appeared as item 12 on October 20. The Mello-Roos guide offers a separate starting point for researching that subject during a property review.
How does the extension fit with other work?
The report says park construction will occur concurrently with the future Armstrong Avenue Pedestrian Bridge and Neighborhood D South Phase 2 Package 2 improvements.
Construction activities are to be closely coordinated around project sequencing, site access, and completion. The projects are scheduled for concurrent completion. That coordination is part of the planned construction approach and is useful context when reading the park’s tentative schedule.
The report also ties the extension to the City’s Strategic Plan Goal A, Economic Neighborhood Development. It identifies Strategy 1, developing critical phases of Tustin Legacy, and Strategy 5, expanded recreational activities.
Plans and specifications are available for review through the Public Works Engineering Division. Those documents offer a next step for readers whose questions go beyond the general facility list. Have the project number, CIP No. 20083, and the Armstrong Avenue to Warner Avenue limits available when making an inquiry.
The Tustin Legacy project line is (714) 788-5859, and the email is [email protected]. Both appear on the City’s Tustin Legacy page.
What does the environmental review establish?
The project is an implementing action of the Tustin Legacy Specific Plan. Its environmental review falls within the Program Final Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report for reuse and disposal of former Marine Corps Air Station Tustin.
That review was certified on January 16, 2001, and has later addenda and supplements. The latest supplement identified in the report is the third Supplement, dated January 7, 2025, under Resolution 24-76.
According to the report, an Environmental Analysis Checklist concluded that the project would cause neither new significant environmental effects nor a substantial increase in the severity of effects already identified. The report therefore concludes that the existing review is sufficient, with all applicable mitigation measures adopted through the review and its supplements applying to the project.
Readers examining the environmental basis for the park can follow the checklist and referenced documents. Keep that project review alongside any separate research into a particular property.
What should owners and buyers check next?
Start with the latest Council record, then look for a contract award and an updated construction schedule. Owners preparing listing descriptions should use “planned” for the extension and date any schedule they quote. Buyers should compare the proposed facilities and tentative opening with their own purchase timeline.
The broader Tustin Legacy setting also deserves a separate review. The City’s page describes approximately 1,600 acres in Tustin and 95 acres in Irvine, with community discussions about 500 acres still available for development.
The City calls the Specific Plan the land-use blueprint. Current planning focuses on the North and South Hangars and surrounding core. Framework plans serve as tools for community input, with final plans still to follow.
Use the park report for the extension and the City’s broader planning materials for that larger setting. For property tax research, the California supplemental property tax bill guide addresses another part of a buyer’s review.
The short version
The planned extension would add recreation facilities between Armstrong Avenue and Warner Avenue, with a tentative early 2028 opening. The report identifies an engineer’s estimate, approved construction funding, and coordination with other planned improvements.
Owners and buyers should check the latest City record before relying on the schedule and keep project descriptions tied to the proposed facilities and named boundaries.
For a starting point on your property’s value, use the home value tool.
Common questions
Has the Tustin Legacy Park extension been approved?
The plans and specifications were on the October 20, 2026 consent calendar for approval, along with authorization to advertise for bids. Minutes were not posted as of October 29, 2026, so the Council vote is not verified.
When is the park extension expected to open?
The report lists estimated construction completion in the first quarter of 2028 and describes park opening as planned for early 2028. The schedule is tentative.
What improvements are included in the report?
The report lists landscaping, irrigation, playground and fitness equipment, pedestrian and bicycle facilities, shade structures, seating and gathering areas, lighting, and associated park improvements.
Does the park report identify a special tax for owners?
The report gives an engineer's estimate and an approved construction budget. It does not mention a special tax or assessment.
