Compiled by Billy O’Hare and Paul Hughes
Construction is set to begin in August at Karcher Plaza, a 90,000-square-foot office building near the Riverside (91) Freeway and Harbor Boulevard. The three-story office building is set to house CKE Restaurants Inc.’s Carl’s Jr. administrative staff. The building is the first of two phases. The second phase will be an 80,000- to 90,000-square-foot shopping center. Karcher Plaza is replacing a 103,000-square-foot Carl’s Jr. distribution center that was built in 1978. The office building is set to house 360 workers and should be ready by next summer. No word on when the shopping center will see construction.
Colorado’s Archstone-Smith Trust is moving ahead on its Archstone Gateway apartment project, which straddles the Orange and Anaheim city lines. Steel for a parking structure has been put up as well as wood framing for the apartment’s clubhouse. The project is at 291 State College Blvd. near the Santa Ana (I-5) Freeway and two blocks from Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Plans call for 884 apartments in the two cities: 532 in Orange and 352 in Anaheim. Archstone has sought a condominium map, which would give the developer the option of later selling the apartments as condominiums. Some project approvals in the two cities were coordinated. But construction may be staggered. The three- to four-story buildings have different designs in each city. About 5% of the apartments in Orange are slated for “affordable to moderate” rents. Archstone-Smith is set to be acquired by Tishman Speyer Properties LP and Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. in a deal valued at $22 billion.
The City Council has approved plans for a condominium project consisting of four buildings on Crescent Avenue. The project will include eight homes, two in each building, ranging from 1,850 to 1,900 square feet apiece. The buildings will have varying rooflines and balconies to avoid a dull, tract housing look,a requirement for new projects in Cypress. Higher-end amenities will make these condominiums a step above other homes in the area, said Fernando Hernandez of Puerto Vallarta Construction. Hernandez said he hopes construction will kick off by March or April 2008, but hasn’t finalized any plans. The condominiums should run in the mid-$600,000s, but a slow housing market could mean lower prices when they open, he said.
Workers have broken ground at the MacArthur Medical Campus on Red Hill Avenue. Owner and developer Net Development Co. is replacing a 106,000-square-foot office building with two medical office buildings totaling 68,274 square feet. The campus is set to have suites ranging from 1,387 to 34,138 square feet. Net Development recently bought the land from Beverly Hills-based IG Equities for an undisclosed price. Construction is set to wrap up in early 2008.
Construction kicked off last week on a classroom building at the Environmental Nature Center. The 9,000-square-foot building will replace 30-year-old portable trailers that were used as classrooms. The building features environmentally friendly designs, including solar power, eco-friendly materials and water saving fixtures. Its green features should save the nature center about $20,000 yearly. Irvine’s LPA Inc. designed the classroom and Santa Ana’s Gentosi Builders is the general contractor. The Environmental Nature Center hosts science and social education programs for about 15,000 students in Orange County.
