University Hills, Irvine
University Hills is a
The land in University Hills is owned by the University of California and leased to homeowners; terms in the lease limit home ownership to university employees and restrict resale prices so that the homes remain affordable.[3][4][5][6][7] Approximately 2/3 of the UCI faculty live in this neighborhood.[2]
Geography
University Hills, as its name suggests, lies on hilly ground. Both University Hills and the UCI Ecological Preserve along its western boundary occupy one of the northernmost and westernmost hills of the San Joaquin Hills, and reach a maximum elevation of 346.5 feet (105.6 m) above sea level.[8]
History
Although UCI had looked into creating faculty housing since 1969, no on-campus faculty-housing was built until the completion of the Las Lomas Apartments in 1982. Las Lomas, located on what would become the northwest end of University Hills, offered apartments to faculty members for rent. Soon after the completion of Las Lomas, the Irvine Campus Housing Authority (ICHA) was created and began construction on University Hills proper. The very first houses, completed in 1986, included a mixture of townhomes and detached houses; in addition, 13 lots were made available for custom-built homes. Construction on University Hills has proceeded in a number of small phases, consisting of a few streets each.[9]
Beginning in 1987, University Hills residents became involved with a dispute with the Orange County tax assessor over their property taxes; the residents claimed that, since the land they lived on was owned by and part of a tax-exempt educational institution, they should only be assessed on the value of the buildings and not on the total value of the property.
In 2014, UCI demolished its campus observatory in order to build more housing at University Hills.[12][13]
Facilities
The University
Street names
The main cross streets of University Hills are Los Trancos Drive, Gabrielino Drive, Vista Bonita Drive, and California Avenue. All other streets in University Hills are named after famous scientists, writers, artists, or musicians. In the initial phases of the community these names were assigned alphabetically, and included
Governing
University Hills is governed by the Irvine Campus Housing Authority (ICHA) Board and administered by the ICHA management. There is a Homeowners Representative Board (HRB) which acts as an advocate for residents' concerns, but whose only formal power is architectural review.[20]
References
- ^ Numbers of units from the ICHA web site as of 2021-03-04.
- ^ Orange County Register.
- ^ Parsons, Dana (November 28, 1987), "UC IRVINE'S Brain Hill : Faculty Members, Administrators Get Break on Home Prices, Live Side by Side in a Highly Creative Community of Scholars", Los Angeles Times.
- Orange County Register, January 14, 1993.
- ^ a b McLellan, Dennis (January 2, 1995), "University Hills: A Study in Faculty Living : Academia: Proximity to campus and low-cost homes lure UCI employees to this unique enclave", Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Coleman, Jennifer (January 17, 2006), "Universities dangle housing incentive before faculty recruits", The San Diego Union-Tribune.
- ^ Palakovic, Gary (April 3, 2006), "Housing Perks on the Rise for Middle Class", Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Bowler, P. A.; Bramlet, D. (2002), "Vascular plants of the University of California, Irvine Ecological Preserve" (PDF), Crossosoma, 28 (2): 27–49
- ^ History of University Hills from the UCI Library web site.
- ^ Bravin, Jess (December 3, 1987), "Assessor, UCI at Odds Over University Hills Tax Levies", Los Angeles Times.
- ^ "Teachers in leased homes must pay tax", The Union Democrat, Sonora, Calif., Associated Press, February 28, 1992.
- ^ "UCI Observatory". Retrieved November 5, 2016.
- ^ Barth, Aaron (July 25, 2014). "Saying goodbye to the UCI Observatory". Aaron Barth - Sites@UCI. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
- ^ University Hills Community Map, ICHA, accessed 2012-02-05.
- ^ The Social Scene and Garden Park, Woodbridge Village, Los Angeles Times, May 28, 1997.
- ^ University Montessori School, accessed 2012-02-05.
- ^ Attendance maps, Irvine Unified School District, accessed 2012-02-05.
- ^ Bus schedule, Irvine Unified School District, accessed 2012-02-05.
- ^ Biographical Guide to Street Names in University Hills (PDF), Irvine Campus Housing Authority, 2016, retrieved February 21, 2024
- ^ How Is University Hills Managed? (PDF), Irvine Campus Housing Authority, retrieved March 4, 2021