[1] Through a series of community meetings, Jeffrey Open Space was commissioned to be a centerpiece greenspace through the heart of Irvine, providing amenities to residents and visitors and connecting with other parks and trails at multiple points.

[2] Serving several communities developed by the Irvine Company, the park design was commissioned to SWA Group landscape architects and was completed in stages in the mid-1990s.

Jeffrey Open Space has been voted one of Orange County's most popular parks,[3] and won the Southern California Chapter Honor Award [4] of the American Society of Landscape Architects in 2009.

The native, rustic character of the planting material enhances the experience not only for trail users but also for daily commuters driving down Jeffrey Road.

The design is meant to provide a fresh sense of place contrasting with the typical “clipped-lawn” character common to much of Orange County.