FOUNTAIN VALLEY
A 5,600-square-foot retail building is nearing completion near Warner Avenue and Bushard Street. Torrance-based Famima Corp., the U.S. arm of Japan’s FamilyMart Co., has signed on for 2,400 square feet for an upscale convenience store. Famima has 11 stores in Los Angeles and 13,000 in Asia. The company has been scouting Orange County for locations. A drive-through Starbucks is set to take 1,000 square feet, including 300 square feet of patio space. The retail center is slated for completion in April. The center is set to have about 30 parking spaces.
A retail building is going up at Warner Avenue and Brookhurst Street. The project is set to have 8,270 square feet of space and four tenants. The building sits on the same lot as a Sam’s Club. A FedEx Kinko’s is set to occupy part of the building. Developer S & A; Properties originally planned the project as a food court. Construction was set to start in November before sewage line issues caused delays. The entire project is set to finish in June. Huntington Beach-based Kraus Construction Inc. is the general contractor.
COSTA MESA
An academic preschool is being built near University Drive and Irvine Avenue. The Back Bay Montessori is replacing a house and garage that served as its former campus. The older buildings were razed as plans progressed for a 3,684-square-foot Craftsman building that is designed to blend in with homes in the area. The school is set to house 2- to 6-year-old children. The project includes a left-turn lane on Irvine Avenue. Other improvements include more parking and a drop-off area for parents. Karen Wheeler Caves and husband Warren own Montessori schools in Fountain Valley, Laguna Niguel and Idaho. Their Orange County schools have 80 teachers and assistants for 700 students. Construction began in October and should be finished in June at a cost of $921,000. Aliso Viejo-based Cap Design is the architect.
CORONA
Newport Beach-based Marinita Develop-ment Co. began work on a 94,000-square-foot retail center called the Shops at Sycamore Creek. The project is in the Sycamore Creek community near Interstate 15. Six buildings will go up and total 48,000 square feet. The center is set to include a Vons supermarket, gas station and CVS Pharmacy. Additional tenants include Wells Fargo, Happy Nails & Spa, UPS Store and Fantastic Sams. RG Snyder Group Inc. of Anaheim Hills is general contractor.
ALISO VIEJO
A hotel and fitness center is nearing completion at Enterprise and Aliso Viejo Parkway. R.D. Olson Construction is the project’s general contractor. The $65 million Renaissance ClubSport is being built with 60,000 square feet of gym, spa and restaurant space. The fitness center is set to offer basketball, volleyball and racquetball courts and exercise classes. Construction began last May and should finish in June. Marriott International plans on developing 15 Renaissance ClubSport hotels in the next seven years.
If you’re a developer or city planner and would like to see a project featured in Around the County, please contact Kelly Ryan at ryan@ocbj.com or (949) 833-8373. The column covers projects in Orange County’s cities and unincorporated areas, and some projects in Corona. Commercial, housing and retail projects are the focus of the column. Some larger public works projects also are included.
