Compiled by Kelly Ryan
IRVINE
Construction is under way on an office condominium redevelopment on Redhill Avenue a few blocks north of the San Diego (I-405) Freeway. Pacific Construction Group of Irvine began stripping down the building to its foundation in August and plans to have the property ready as early as February. De-veloper Koll Co. of Newport Beach acquired the site in late 2007. LPA Architects Inc. in Irvine designed the new building, which will be certified “silver” for green design by the U.S. Green Building Council. Voit Commer-cial Brokerage LP is handling sales and leases. The developer plans to market the space to professional office users. Condominiums range from 1,800 to 40,000 square feet.
A Catholic church is going up on Irvine Boulevard near the Tustin Marketplace shopping center. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange held a groundbreaking ceremony for the St. Thomas More Parish in July. The site now is undergoing grading and other initial work. The campus will have a 23,000-square-foot church with a 3,000-square-foot activity center. The estimated $11 million construction costs are being funded through a combination of loans and grants from the diocese and fundraising on the part of St. Thomas More parishioners. The congregation was founded in 1996 with about 1,000 families. The initial phase of construction will provide a parish hall with seating for 900. Phase two includes a church with seating for 1,500. The final phase of the project will see construction of an activity center.
Construction is wrapping up on two office buildings with warehouse space on Waterworks Way near Sand Canyon Avenue and Irvine Center Drive. The Waterworks Business Park has two concrete tilt-up buildings totaling 37,240 square feet built for the Irvine Ranch Water District. The $4.7 million project features five 2-story suites in each building, including restrooms, a break area, front office with mezzanine and warehouse space. The Irvine office of W.L. Butler Construction Inc. started building a year ago and should finish by the end of October.
RANCHO SANTAMARGARITA
Construction crews are working on a Catholic middle school on Antonio Parkway a few miles south of the Foothill (241) Toll Road. Plans for Serra Catholic Middle School call for three buildings with two stories each. The buildings are connected with bridges and will total 52,694 square feet. A 13,065-square-foot gym will go up next to the main campus. Construction should be done by late summer. The Diocese of Orange owns the school. The Irvine office of San Diego’s Roel Construction Co. is the builder. The Newport Beach office of Abacus Project Management Inc. is the construction manager.
NEWPORT BEACH
A senior center is planned to go up on Marguerite Avenue near MacArthur Boulevard. The Oasis Senior Center is set to replace a building put up in 1960 as a school campus. It became a senior center in the 1970s and will soon be demolished. The project is funded by the city of Newport Beach and the Friends of Oasis volunteer group. The design incorporates ad-ministration of-fices, a gift shop and travel office connected to the centralized family room. There are dance rooms and a multipurpose room. Robert R. Coffee Architect & Associates of Newport Beach designed the facility for the retiring baby boomer generation with wireless Internet and a computer classroom. Contractors can bid on the project from December to February. Construction is set to begin in March and finish 18 months later.
If you’re a developer or city planner and would like to see a project featured in Around the County, please contact Kelly Ryan at ryan@ocbj.com or (949) 833-8373. The column covers projects in Orange County’s cities and unincorporated areas, and some projects in Corona. Commercial, housing and retail projects are the focus of the column. Some larger public works projects also are included.
