IRVINE
Construction is under way on The Park at Irvine Spectrum, a complex of 1,450 apartments on 29 acres. The project is estimated at $250,000 per apartment, or $363 million. The apartments are planned as 600 to 1,200 square feet in four-story buildings around a 2.5-acre park. The Irvine Company is developing the complex, which is designed by Irvine’s MVE & Partners and is being built by Irvine’s Western National Group. The first apartments are set to be done in 2009 and completely finished by late 2011. The complex is next to The Village at Spectrum, another Irvine Co. apartment development.
SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO
Irvine-based developer Centra Realty Corp. plans to build three office buildings with medical space near the San Diego (I-5) Freeway at Ortega Highway. The buildings are 42,546 square feet on about 3 acres. The developer plans to sell the offices as condominiums, ranging in size from 1,200 to 22,000 square feet. Construction is set to begin in September and should be done late next year. Construction is expected to cost $15.8 million.
San Juan Capistrano-based developer Friess Property Investments Inc. is nearing completion on a 3,400-square-foot building with office, retail or medical space on Camino Capistrano near Del Obispo Street. The building should be ready for tenants in late summer. There should be 17 parking spots allotted for the building.
ANAHEIM
Construction is under way on the Diamond Apartment Homes near West Lincoln Avenue and the Santa Ana (I-5) Freeway. The project, by nonprofits Jamboree Housing Corp. and Helping Our Mentally Ill Experience Success Inc., is set to provide homes and mental health services for low-income residents and their families. The project calls for 25 apartments totaling 32,350 square feet. Development costs are expected to be $10 million. A 2,500-square-foot resident service center is set to house a case management office, a multipurpose room and a computer lab. The site was vacant after a widening project on the nearby freeway. Building began last month and should finish early next year. Irvine-based KTGY Group Inc. is the architect.
Construction crews are nearing completion on a retail building with office space on West Katella Avenue near South Euclid Street. The building is about 14,000 square feet split into 14 suites. The first floor has retail suites with offices on the second floor. Construction began last year and should be done in July. Abdul Aziz of Diamond Bar-based ISM Co. owns the site, which used to house a Lucky House Chinese Buffet restaurant.
LADERA RANCH
Westar Associates is adding two buildings to its Mercantile East Shopping Center on Antonio Parkway near Crown Valley Parkway. Construction began on a 6,000-square-foot The Ranch sports grill at the start of this year. There are five other retail suites going up next door to the grill, with Sports Clips hair salon occupying 1,275 square feet. Wachovia Bank has signed on for the other building, which borders Antonio Parkway. The other two spots there are planned for small restaurants and should open with tenants this summer.
SAN CLEMENTE
A 3,430-square-foot office building is going up on El Camino Real near the San Diego (I-5) Freeway. Brett Crowder of Georgetown Properties Inc. owns the building and plans to occupy most of its 10 suites. Eight of the suites are set to have ocean views. Construction began a few months ago and should be finished early next year. The architect is David York in San Clemente.
ORANGE
An Arco franchisee is buying his gas station and ampm convenience store at 1935 E. Katella Ave. from Britain’s BP PLC and demolishing and rebuilding it. Orange planning commissioners OK’d the project in January, with the City Council following in March. The old station went down, along with the underground tanks. The new service station,at 3,200 square feet, including the convenience store,is off of the Costa Mesa (55) Freeway.
