Sean Francis and Jack Franklyn have a shared interest in the ongoing redevelopment of downtown Fullerton.
But they have different views on how the recently closed Citrus World Inc. orange juice processing plant across the street from their businesses should be redeveloped.
The plant was an icon of downtown Fullerton’s industrial past. These days, all around it are trendy restaurants and shops in one of Orange County’s most bustling hotspots.
Sure, the plant’s closure meant lost jobs for about 80 people. But no one’s fretting about what will happen to the 5.2-acre site.
Downtown’s redevelopment in the past few years has lured restaurants, stores and now homebuilders putting up urban-style homes. There’s little doubt the Citrus World site will get the same attention.
The rub is in the details. Just about everyone agrees the plant should be razed.
Francis, the hipster owner of the Continental Lounge bar across the street, said he backs the city’s bid to build a 1,200-space parking garage and rezone for condominiums at the site.
Franklyn, Francis’ neighbor as owner of downtown icon Heroes Bar & Grill, isn’t as thrilled with the proposal.
“Parking is definitely a must down here, but I hope the project goes in the right direction,” he said.
Franklyn, who also owns nearby Roscoe’s Deli and not long ago was named businessman of the year by the Fullerton Chamber of Commerce, said he has something else in mind.
Underground parking with stores at street level are more to Franklyn’s liking, he said. Maybe even a hotel with banquet facilities or lofts, he said.
Housing Under Way
Something similar is happening across the street where Seal Beach-based Olson Co. is building SOCO Walk, which calls for 120 lofts next to Fullerton’s bustling train station.
The proposed parking garage could be split,one structure at the former processing plant and another east of Harbor Boulevard closer to the train station, Franklyn said.
His fear seems to be a big parking structure that’s out of place in the downtown area south of Commonwealth Avenue.
Housing also is a worry, Franklyn said. Both Heroes and Continental Lounge get lively afterhours.
“We just hope everyone goes in to this process with an open mind,” Franklyn said. “I want to see housing downtown, but just not across the street from me.”
Francis, who this month plans to open a restaurant nearby with Fullerton rock band Lit, isn’t so picky.
“All of us business owners are stoked that the city wants to put in a development in the downtown area,” said Francis, a member of the city’s Planning Commission.
Florida-based Citrus World shut the doors on its plant early this month after years of struggling with the high costs of doing business in California and changing consumer tastes for juices.
Citrus World bottles and distributes Donald Duck and Florida Natural juices.
The site now is listed for sale with industrial broker Urban Infill Properties Inc., which had a deadline of last week to get bids for the property.
Newport Beach-based William Lyon Homes Inc., Del Mar-based Brookfield Homes Corp. and Englewood, Colo.-based Archstone-Smith are among those interested in redeveloping the site, according to sources familiar with the situation.
Costa Mesa-based hotel chain Ayres Hotels also met with city leaders recently.
“We would be interested,” said Donald B. Ayres Jr., the patriarch of the family-owned executive hotel chain.
Greg Sullivan, principal with Urban Infill, declined to say how many bids have been submitted, or identify interested parties.
“This is a big asset for the city,” he said.
Citrus World didn’t return phone calls seeking comment for this story.
Observers see a difficult balancing act between Citrus World’s desire to get what could be top dollar for selling all of the 5.2 acres versus selling a portion to the city for parking.
The city wants a chunk of the property. Last fall, it said it planned to buy a portion of the property for a garage to serve downtown and the neighboring train station, said Robert M. Zur Schmiede, executive director of the Fullerton redevelopment agency.
Pressing Parking
A sale of part of the site could be done by summer, he said.
The city is confident it’ll get some of the land, especially since any redevelopment has to go through rezoning and city approvals.
“The council has been very clear that it is interested in buying a portion of the facility for public transit,” Zur Schmiede said.
The city also has some financial clout at its fingertips.
The Orange County Transportation Authority has all but designated $25 million in possible funding for a downtown parking garage.
About $5 million in state money was quietly shifted to Fullerton in recent months after residents of Yorba Linda rejected a ballot measure to build a transportation center in their city, an OCTA spokesman said.
The Fullerton station is the busiest among commuters in the county.
On any given workday, cars are parked bumper to bumper along the streets bordering the station.
