Compiled by Carol Park
Construction on Kaiser Permanente’s $750 million hospital is set to start in January. The hospital is being built on La Palma Avenue, east of Kraemer Boulevard. Plans call for two hospital towers and three medical office buildings. Kaiser is building the complex to replace its aging 174-bed hospital on Lakeview Avenue. The new site is slated to open in 2013. The 27-acre, 262-bed hospital is set to be the largest Kaiser facility in the county.
Renovations on the 1,572-room Hilton Anaheim at 777 Convention Way are under way. Newport Beach-based Makar Properties LLC, which bought the hotel for $160 million earlier this year, is spending more than $60 million on renovations. Plans call for upgrades of the hotel’s 51 meeting rooms, guest rooms, a redesigned lobby, new restaurants and an upgraded fitness center. Room renovations are slated to be complete by August. Makar has finished upgrades to the hotel’s 28,500-square-foot California and Pacific ballrooms.
Newport Beach-based Sheldon Group is set to develop a 100-unit condominium project on a 1.66-acre site west of Main Street, north of Garden Grove Boulevard. Plans call for a five-story building, including 12 live-work lofts and parking for residents and the public. The project is moving forward after months of litigation between the Garden Grove Downtown Business Association and the city. The association alleged that the city violated municipal and state court rules in approving the project. Orange County Superior Court judge David Thompson ruled in favor of the city last month.
Construction is under way on El Toro Village, which is set to include offices and stores. Irvine-based Collage Construction is handling the $1.7 million, 10,550-square-foot project at 1401 to 1435 W. First St. Plans call for two buildings. The first is set to house a 2,000-square-foot medical office and up to 1,400 square feet of retail space. The second building is set to include 4,000 square feet of retail space on the first floor and 4,000 square feet of office space on the second floor. Completion is slated for spring.
Irvine-based Rutter Development Corp.’s 145-unit Pacifica condominium project is set to open early next year. The 145-unit project is at 1901 Newport Blvd. near Triangle Square. Rutter started sales of the condos earlier this month with prices starting in the high $500,000s. The development includes a five-level parking garage for residents and public parking. Plans call for two-bedroom townhomes and flats, a fitness center and spa and poolside cabanas.
Irvine-based gkkworks finished overseeing construction on an $8.5 million, 17,000-square-foot community center at 6401 San Joaquin Hills Road for the city. The single-story center includes a gymnasium with a stage, four community rooms, a kitchen, office, restrooms and several storage rooms. Costa Mesa-based Dougherty + Dougherty designed the center. San Fernando-based Bernards was the general contractor.
Plans for a 16,000-square-foot gymnasium at Buena Park Junior High are moving ahead. The Buena Park School District is accepting bids for the $5.7 million project at 6931 Orangethorpe Ave. Plans call for bleachers for up to 600 people. Construction could start in January and wrap up in early 2009, according to the city.
