Compiled by Kelly Ryan
TUSTIN
Construction crews are making progress on a Tustin Avenue office building near East 17th Street. The 80,000-square-foot Tustin Centre office building is in the final phase of construction at its three-building park. A 10-story office building was completed in 1991 and an LA Fitness gym was finished in 2004. This newest structure has four stories and a subterranean parking structure. Developer The Muller Co. aims for certification at the “silver” standard for green buildings, as determined by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED. No space has been preleased yet. Architect Nadel Architects Inc. began working on designs in 2006 and expects construction to be finished by summer 2009. At this point, crews are working to finish the structural steel frame of the building. Bycor General Contractors Inc. in San Diego is general contractor. Construc-tion costs are expected to total about $13 million.
BREA
A large residential and retail development is getting closer to groundbreaking at the corner of Imperial Highway and Valencia Avenue. The La Floresta development will be at a former research center for Unocal Corp., now part of Chevron Corp., and could have as many as 1,100 homes. Plans also call for 110,000 square feet of stores, restaurants and offices. Brea’s Planning Commission unanimously approved the project in August, but there was an appeal made by the city of Yorba Linda to reconsider it, citing increased traffic as a concern. Chevron Land & Development Co. hopes to receive final approval to build from the City Council by the end of the year. Construction could start on the retail side as early as spring. The Birch Hills Golf course will be reconfigured with enough space for 247 homes. Jamboree Housing Corp. could start building affordable units there as early as 18 months after approval. KTGY Group Inc. in Irvine is the project designer.
IRVINE
University of California, Irvine, held a groundbreaking ceremony for its stem cell research building. The three-story Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center will span 61,600 square feet. It has dedicated space for laboratories, classrooms and offices. Redwood City-based DES Architects & Engineers designed the building and Los Angeles-based general contractor Hathaway Dinwiddie Construction Co. led construction. Both of these parties worked together on another building at UC Irvine, the five-story Social and Behavioral Science Building due to open in fall of 2009.
NEWPORT BEACH
After a series of design presentations in September, two architectural firms’ plans for the Newport Beach City Hall and Park design competition have tied. The building and open space are slated for 12 acres near Fashion Island. Pennsylvania-based Bohlin Cywinski Jackson received more first-place votes and a recommendation from the city’s design committee. The City Council will have ultimate authority to make the final decision and could still decide to go with a plan by Irvine-based LPA Inc. LPA’s design emphasizes sustainability and efficiency. The decision should likely come by Nov. 25.
HUNTINGTON BEACH
A mixed-use residential property with retail and office space is nearing completion on Fifth Street near the corner of Main Street and Pacific Coast Highway. The Team Cos. is the developer and Robert Koury Properties is the owner. The building will have 3,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor, with 4,000 square feet of office space on the second floor. There will be two 1,500-square-foot residential condominiums taking up 3,000 square feet on the top floor. Team Cos. Managing Partner Keith Bohr is Huntington Beach’s mayor pro tem.
SANTA ANA
An empty parcel at the corner of Bristol Street and First Street is showing a little activity outside of a construction equipment parking lot. The site is owned by the city and now is being used as a staging ground for the Bristol Street widening project. At $225 million, the street widening represents the largest infrastructure improvement the city has ever undertaken. Bristol Street will see an expansion from two to three lanes in each direction. This particular intersection should be completed by April 2009.
