Compiled by Chris Hannigan
Construction nearly is complete at Red Hill Corporate Center at the corner of Red Hill Avenue and MacArthur Boulevard. Crews are set to wrap up by mid-June. Costa Mesa-based BKM Development Co. bought the two-building office campus, which totals 43,134 square feet. After upgrades, the developer plans to sell the offices as condominiums. The offices are 2,556 to 7,420 square feet. The developer hopes to see graphic designers, engineering companies and video production companies move into the space. The building formerly was known as Pacific Place.
Remodeling work has wrapped up as part of the conversion of apartments to the Spring Lake Court Condominiums, a 32-home project by Mission Viejo-based Prosperity Homes. It’s the first apartment-to-condo conversion approved by the city in 20 years. Prosperity Homes, along with the Chamber of Commerce, invested $2.5 million in building upgrades. The building was put up in 1989. It has two- and three-bedroom homes. The condos recently went on sale by auction, with Beverly Hills-based Kennedy Wilson Auction & Sales Group handling the process. Bids started at $240,000.
Newport Beach-based CWI Development next month plans to open models for South Brea Lofts, a 2.8-acre development along South Brea Boulevard. South Brea Lofts has 47 homes with 600 square feet on the first floor for office, light retail or service businesses. The lofts range from 1,550 to 1,700 square feet and have two bedrooms and two baths, a living room and kitchen. A master suite and study are on the third floor with an outdoor deck. The project also includes a parking garage and an environmental twist,an electric vehicle for residents (think a suped-up golf cart). The lofts are set to start at $700,000. South Brea Lofts replaced a Japanese restaurant, baseball card store, a dairy and some other small shops just south of Imperial Highway. CWI Development also did the Cannery Lofts in Newport Beach.
Construction is under way on the expansion and remodeling of the Costa Mesa Police Department at 99 Fair Drive, across from the Orange County Fairgrounds. The expansion is set to add 12,455 square feet of office and other space to the station. The remodeling includes new floors and furniture, walls, wiring, computers and security systems. It’s the first update of the station since 1967. The Irvine office of Concord-based Harris & Associates is the construction manager. Stanton-based USS Cal Builders Inc., which specializes in school and city work, is the general contractor on the $18 million project. The architect is Meyer & Allen Associates of Hollywood. Construction started last fall and is set to finish by the end of 2008.
Elsewhere in Costa Mesa, renovations are under way on a small shopping center on Adams Avenue. The plaza, owned by Tom Sparks, has a jujitsu studio, hair and nail salon and liquor store, which are open during construction.
The Planning Commission recently gave the go-ahead to the Environmental Nature Center to begin construction on a learning center at 1601 16th St. The 8,500-square-foot learning center has been designed for “green” certification. The building is set to feature natural ventilation, low water usage and solar power generated on site. The nature center is a nonprofit that started in 1972, when founders cleaned up the litter-filled gulley behind Newport Harbor High School. A good portion of the $9 million needed for the new project has been raised, including a $4.5 million gift from the Harry and Grace Steele Foundation. Other donations are being sought. The nature center provides hands-on experience to some 16,000 students and thousands of visitors each year.
