Projects, developments and other activity in cities in and around OC
SANTA ANA
Foundations are being poured at the second phase of a 16-unit condominium project in downtown Santa Ana. The second phase began earlier this month and calls for eight condos set to sell for about $300,000 to $400,000. The condos are 1,500 to 2,400 square feet. Half of the units have been pre-sold, according to the developer, Santa Ana-based City Ventures LLC. The architect is William Hezmalhalch Architects Inc. in Santa Ana. The entire project is expected to cost $5 million and should finish around midyear.
TUSTIN
Construction is winding down at the Tustin Cottages apartment complex near the Santa Ana (I-5) Freeway and Red Hill Avenue. The third and final phase began last summer and calls for 27 townhomes, bringing the total to 93. The third phase originally was set to finish this month but was delayed by rains in December. Some of the apartments in the third phase are pre-leased. Apartments range from three to four bedrooms and from 1,500 to 2,000 square feet. Rents start at $2,300 and go up to $2,600. The development began as a condo project in 2008 and was changed to apartments in 2009. Tustin Manor LLC is the developer. The contractor is Arcadia-based First Pacific Builders Inc.
ORANGE
The county Planning Commission voted to give preliminary approval to a senior housing facility on Newport Boulevard on county land near the city of Tustin. The seven-acre project calls for a two-story building with 138 apartments, a dining hall and a medical care facility. An additional 19 freestanding homes also are in the plans. The land belongs to the Diocese of Orange and originally was intended to be the site of St. Cecilia Catholic Church. It was donated to the diocese in the 1950s and has since been vacant. The project has drawn controversy from opponents who claim that it violates the neighborhood’s residential zoning regulations. The developer for the project must submit the plans to the Board of Supervisors for final approval. If passed, the center is expected to be completed in two years.
COSTA MESA
Three stores are getting facelifts on 17th Street and Newport Avenue. The project calls for new facades on the west- and south-facing sides of Verizon Wireless, Ortho Mattress and an empty building that formerly was a FedEx Kinko’s. Construction began last month and is scheduled to end in November. Costs weren’t disclosed. Corona-based GA Construction is the general contractor. The architect is J C Marvick & Associates Inc. of Corona. The developer is Gene Scarcello, who also owns a commercial property across the street.
NEWPORT BEACH
Two sewage pump stations along Pacific Coast Highway are being replaced and one is being relocated by Orange County Sanitation District. The pump being moved is near Tustin Avenue and is known as the Rocky Point Pump. It has been on the property of the Balboa Bay Club & Resort and is being relocated across the street. Construction is expected to cost $8 million and finish in the fall, with traffic in the area diverted until it’s completed. The second pump station, known as the Bitter Point Pump, will be replaced at the West Newport Oil Field near Superior Avenue, its current location. The project is expected to finish in 2012. Construction is expected to cost $20 million total. Both of the pumps will be underground, with a ground-level electric room. Santa Fe Springs-based Kiewit Pacific is the general contractor. Irvine-based Malcom Pirnie Inc. designed the Rocky Point project. Fullerton-based Lee & Ro Inc. designed the Bitter Point project.
