Compiled by Chris Hannigan
The Planning Commission approved a revised proposal for the Newport Bay Marina project, a development on the Balboa Peninsula. The project is set to include condominiums, stores and offices. Plans by Newport Beach-based developer Etco Development Inc. call for the demolition of several World War II-era buildings, the construction of 11 three-story buildings and underground parking with 245 parking spaces, more than the city recommended. Along Balboa Boulevard, designs for one of the buildings call for shops on the ground floor and two-story condos on top. Another will have shops on the first floor, offices on the second and condos on the third. On the bay side, Etco has planned a series of duplexes,stores or offices on the first floor and condos atop. Etco plans to keep and rent out dock space as part of the project. The California Coastal Commission still must approve the project before it goes to the City Council for final approval.
Irvine-based Centra Realty Corp. is seeking city approval to develop Centra Pointe Office on Rancho Viejo Road. Plans include 38,654 square feet of office space. Three buildings are planned, two one-story buildings along Rancho Viejo Road and a two-story building along the San Diego (I-5) Freeway. Centra Pointe, part of the larger Ortega Ranch development, is set to have Spanish-style buildings. The architect is Irvine-based Ware Malcomb. The offices, ranging from 1,000 square feet to 18,000 square feet, will be for sale. Centra Realty principals Keith Ross and George Peterson,both San Juan Capistrano residents,are in talks with local businesses that may be interested in the space.
Irvine Valley College’s Performing Arts Center is set to open before next school year. The Irvine office of C.W. Driver is building the 58,625-square-foot building. Los Angeles-based Arquitectonica is in charge of design and construction management. The building features three main rooms: a 400-person auditorium, a “black box” theater for small performances and a music hall. The building is set to serve as a teaching facility for Saddleback Community College District. Irvine Valley College is seeking donations, including naming rights for the arts center. Construction costs are about $28 million.
Work is under way on the Marblehead Coastal project, a 248-acre site along the coast. Plans call for 313 homes and 650,000 square feet of retail space. Craig Realty Group of Newport Beach is developing the 51-acre retail section after buying land in May from Irvine’s SunCal Cos., the project’s master developer. Grading for Plaza San Clemente is nearly done with stores set to open in fall 2008.
In city developments, a beach trail is finished. The 2.6-mile trail for walkers and bikers runs from North Beach to Calafia State Beach. The second phase, which is in the planning phase, calls for construction of an underpass at Mariposa Point. The city also is finalizing plans for construction of a community park at Avenida Vista Hermosa and La Plata. The park is set to include an aquatic center, and soccer and baseball fields. Construction should start in late summer.
Redevelopment continues at Stadium Promenade at Katella Avenue and Main Street, with several projects completed. A drive-through Starbucks,one of three new tenants this year,recently opened. A Johnny Carino’s Italian Restaurant and Lazy Dog Cafe are under construction and are set to open in the spring.
Elsewhere in Orange, the former Krispy Kreme Doughnuts at 2575 N. Tustin St. has reopened as a Chick-fil-A,the third one in Orange County for the Atlanta-based chain. The other two are in Santa Ana and Irvine. The Diedrich Coffee on the traffic circle in downtown Orange,one of the prime locations for Irvine-based Diedrich Coffee Inc.,is being turned into a Starbucks, the result of a deal last year in which Starbucks Corp. acquired about 40 Diedrich coffeehouses.
