Lab Holdings LLC’s plan for a Tempe artist village has been nixed by the city.
“It’s off the table for now,” said Monet Quick, marketing and communications director for The Lab and The Camp in Costa Mesa.
The project, which called for a culinary school, dance and art studios, art galleries, a guitar making school and amphitheater, caused some upset in the community. Residents were questioning the need for retail there. The project would’ve been Lab Holding’s first venture outside California.
“We’re going to take it to other cities,” Quick said.
Moving forward for Lab Holdings is the North Beach project in San Clemente. Plans there include a 75- to 100-room boutique hotel to be run by Joie de Vivre Hospitality of San Fran-cisco and shops in a resort setting.
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Bus from last year’s OC Auto Show: set for Oct. 4 to 7 in Anaheim this year |
North Beach, a swath of land in downtown San Clemente that runs alongside the ocean near the train station, is meant to be reminiscent of a Spanish village by the sea. It’s set to have boutiques and a small to midsize conference center aimed at attracting surfwear and other action sports industry meetings.
Several developers bid on the project. Lab Holdings was chosen in part for its low to the ground design.
The next step for the project, about two years away from breaking ground, is a meeting with the Coastal Commission.
“We’ve been working closely with San Clemente to give them an amazing package,” Quick said.
The loft project near The Lab has moved forward, with chosen designer and architect Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects out of Seattle. About 70 to 80 units are planned at a range of prices, from affordable to expensive.
The project is slated to start next year. It will be a green project, including grass roofs, energy efficient buildings and double-flush toilets that use little water.
“Simple and modern, that’s our goal,” said Chris Bennett, director of development. “They will be true lofts in that they will be workspaces as well.”
The lofts will cover 3 to 4 acres of a 39-acre area that Lab Holdings brands as the SoBeCa district, which stands for South On Bristol Entertainment, Culture and Arts.
The city rezoned the area to allow homes alongside businesses. Lab Holdings chief Shaheen Sadeghi owns 14 acres in the area. The rest is city owned or privately held.
Lab Holdings was a pioneer in what’s called green development, which now is catching on.
“I think it’s awesome,” Bennett said.
He was one of the project managers on The Camp development.
The Camp has many eco-friendly aspects, such as an underground percolation tank filled with gravel and water, which helps keep pollutants out of the ocean. There is a grass roof on top of Patagonia.
Green development was new for the city of Costa Mesa when The Camp opened. Since, Costa Mesa has been embracing green building, Bennett said. Green technologies have improved and that has helped spur the trend.
New stores at The Lab include Thousands Elsewhere, a men’s and women’s clothing boutique owned by Todd Moore, who also owns Eye Five, a sunglass store at The Lab. Kerri Harlow has opened an expanded version of her Harlow store at The Lab. It’s across the street at The Camp.
Gourmet organic restaurant 118 Degrees and Old Vine Caf & #233; now are open at The Camp. Old Vine Caf & #233; is unique in that it also will have a specialty food and wine store. Brothers Mark and Brandon McDonald own and manage the restaurant and store.
The Camp is 100% leased.
The Big 4-0
South Coast Plaza is having a culinary celebration in honor of its 40th anniversary. Mall chefs will be serving four-course dinners the week of Aug. 20 to 26 for $40. Restaurants include: Antonello Ristorante, Quattro Caffe, Royal Khyber Fine Indian Cuisine, Scott’s Seafood Grill & Bar, Turner New Zealand, Leatherby’s Caf & #233; Rouge, Chat Noir, Pinot Provence and March & #233; Moderne.
Auto Show
The Orange County Auto Show is set for Oct. 4 to 7 this year at the Anaheim Convention Center. The show is owned and presented by the Orange County Automobile Dealers Association of Costa Mesa, and the Southland Motor Car Dealers Association. Motor Trend Auto Shows Inc., based in Harrisburg, Penn., produces the show.
Back this year is the customizing and entertainment portion of the show, the Auto Show Underground.
Most Researched
Irvine-based Kelley Blue Book named the Toyota Camry, the Honda Civic and Honda Accord as the respective top three researched new autos at kbb.com for the first half of the year.
Twelve of the top 20 auto models were Toyotas and Hondas. Toyota’s redesigned Camry moved to No. 1, displacing Honda for the first time, according to Kelley Blue Book.
The Toyota Prius debuted on the list at No. 11.
Domestic autos on the list include Ford Mustang, Ford Escape and Chevrolet Tahoe.
