WESTMINSTER
The city of Westminster is under construction on one of the larger city projects in the county. The city is developing a police department next to an existing station on Westminster Boulevard near Beach Boulevard. The lot was previously used for parking. The project is part of an overall renewal plan for the Westminster Civic Center that includes demolition of the previous building to construct a 650-space parking structure for the center. The $65 million project includes a three-level, 91,000-square-foot police building with an upgraded emergency communications center, forensic lab, evidence storage, emergency operations center and a jail with an administrative work area. The project also includes driveways and surface parking spaces. The Newport Beach office of St. Louis-based McCarthy Building Cos. is construction manager along with program manager Laguna Beach-based Griffin Structures Inc. The design was created by Orange-based Aecom. The project is pegged to be completed by May 2011.
MISSION VIEJO
Tenant improvements are under way for The Fish House at the La Paz Gateway, on La Paz Road and Muirlands Drive. The site previously was home to a gas station. The new 6,000-square-foot retail center has been complete for a year but has been empty since. The Fish House will occupy about a third of the center’s space. Murrel Co. of Newport Beach is the developer. Ehdaie & Gandara of Laguna Beach is the architect. Construction is expected to be done in April.
A Buffalo Wild Wings Grill and Bar is expected to open in the Kaleidoscope Shopping Center off the San Diego (I-5) Freeway. The 7,000-square-foot building previously was home to an El Torito Grill. Plans call for a $1.5 million renovation including outdoor tables, a patio and TVs throughout the restaurant for sports. The restaurant is set to be done in March. This restaurant is the second of the estimated 15 franchisees expected in the county for Minnesota’s Buffalo Wild Wings.
