Compiled by Kelly Ryan
ANAHEIM
The city is partnering with the Orange County Transportation Authority to create a major masterplanned transportation center with mixed-use areas mainly centered south of Katella Avenue and Honda Center and bordering the eastern edge of the Orange (57) Freeway. KTGY Group Inc. in Irvine has been a major design consultant on the project, developing the conceptual master plan for the center. The Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center is envisioned to accommodate Superspeed Trains and Metrolink, Amtrak, Maglev and OCTA Transit vehicles and trains, as well as a Monorail connecting the Anaheim Stadium area to the Disney resort district. Designers studied transportation centers in Kyoto, Japan, Berlin and London to settle on a Grand Plaza focal point. This will be a civic space with cafes, shops, vendors and kiosks. Phase one of the plan calls for a 13,000-square-foot terminal building, 23,000 square feet of retail space and 30,000 square feet of civic space. OCTA owns the 15.7-acre site. KTGY recently announced its recommendation of Parsons Brinckerhoff and HOK Group Inc. as architect and engineer. Some $150 million is budgeted for plans and engineering. Bids from construction companies will be considered and a selection made by fall 2010.
COSTA MESA
The Harry and Grace Steele Children’s Center at Orange Coast College is expanding its facilities with an after-school childcare building. The 2,150-square-foot structure will be located adjacent to the existing center on Merrimac Way, between Harbor Boulevard and Fairview Road. Construction is scheduled to be completed by August, in time for Orange Coast College’s fall semester. The program, which is funded by private donations, will cater to children ages 6 to 12, and it will include rooms for art, cooking, stage productions and an outdoor patio. The original children’s center was built in 1998 and provides early childcare for parents who are students, faculty members and OC residents. Architecture firm Taylor designed the new building. The general contractor is Macerich Construction Inc.
FULLERTON
Fullerton College is constructing a new science building on its campus, at East Chapman Avenue near North Harbor Boulevard. The 63,000-square-foot building will provide instructional space for students including several chemistry and biology labs. There will be eight classrooms and an astronomy telescope deck. Faculty members will have 16 two-person offices. Construction began late last year and is expected to be completed in December. The college has finished several other capital projects in the past few years, including a 39,023-square-foot College Center. Next up on the construction agenda is a physical education field house and a technology complex.
Habitat for Humanity is building a few more affordable homes on West Valencia Drive near the corner of South Harbor Boulevard and West Commonwealth Avenue. Previously the parcels of land were occupied by a privately owned rental apartment complex that was in disrepair. The Anaheim Redevelopment Agency purchased the land and then sold it Habitat’s local operations in 2007. Construction began on the two habitat homes in April and should be finished by the end of the year. William Hezmalhalch Architects Inc. provided the design. Adams-Streeter Civil Engineers did civil engineering work on the project. Habitat also will finish several homes in San Juan Capistrano in July and they have more coming up in Yorba Linda.
LAGUNA BEACH
An office building renovation is wrapping up on Laguna Canyon Road between Pacific Coast Highway and the San Joaquin Hills Corridor (73) Toll Road. The buildings originally were constructed about 50 years ago for Telonic Berkeley Inc. The property,which counts 26,600 square feet total in three buildings,was purchased in 2007 and then gutted and improved structurally. Laguna Beach resident Paul Gonzalez had the vision for this project, working with Frank Darien. The environment is a major consideration,the buildings have temperature-moderating elements throughout, including specialized windows and a “cool” roof. Building materials were recycled from original structures. Ryan Harman of Lee & Associates in Irvine is handling leasing. Bill Peters is the architect, Ann Christoph is the landscape architect and Nasser Khaef of DEJ Structural is the engineer.
ORANGE
A small, multitenant commercial center could go up near the southeast corner of Chapman Avenue and the Santa Ana (I-5) Freeway. ATC Development Corp. is behind the project. It wants to construct two separate building pads on the empty parcel. One pad will have a 7,000-square-foot commercial building. ATC Devel-opment plans to build a separate 2,510-square-foot building to be used as a Jack
in the Box restaurant with a drive-through. An adjacent parcel is already developed with a Motel 6 and Denny’s restaurant. Public documents show that the new buildings will take design cues from nearby Allure and Renaissance apartment developments. In May, Orange’s design review committee recommended the project be approved by the planning commission and city council. The project is scheduled to go before the planning commission on June 15.
