A Los Angeles-based developer wants to turn a roughly 13-acre site near the Anaheim resort district into a Disneyland of sorts, for beer lovers.
Privately held The Festival Companies, which focuses on urban infill and ground-up retail projects, is in the early stages of seeking city approval to build a mixed-use project called the Anaheim Brewing District on the southeast corner of Anaheim Boulevard and Ball Road.
The proposed project would include 92,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space, and a 120-room hotel.
Three craft breweries, the largest about 16,000 square feet, would be the most prominent feature of the retail portion, according to filings made with the city in recent weeks.
The development would also potentially feature wine-tasting rooms and related boutique retailers, among other uses. It’s envisioned as a “village-style development” to be built in an “organic, industrial style,” and would include about 650 parking spots.
The four-story hotel would span about 76,000 square feet. An operator hasn’t been disclosed. Some retailers at the development would be “household names.”
The project site is roughly a mile from both the resort area—the biggest source of hotel construction in Orange County—and downtown Anaheim, which has gotten an influx of hip retail developments in the past few years, including Shaheen Sadeghi’s Anaheim Packing House food hall.
Beer Hub
Anaheim’s downtown is also one of several brewery hotspots, thanks to changes in city policy. Mayor Tom Tait revamped the craft brewery permitting process in 2014 with an eye toward making Anaheim a beer hub in the mold of San Diego, Denver and Portland, Ore.
OC’s largest city by population, with about 358,000 residents, is now nicknamed Brew City, with about 15 breweries to its name, the most of any city in the county, and more are on the way. Most are stand-alone projects scattered about the city. Festival Cos.’ proposal would be the largest of its type there.
“This is an intriguing proposal for a spot that’s midway between our sports venues, theme parks and our downtown and speaks to our efforts to make Anaheim the hub of craft breweries in Orange County,” said Anaheim Chief Communications Officer Mike Lyster. “We are still in the early stages but look forward to reviewing this and working with the developer.”
The project is far from getting city approvals, let alone breaking ground. It’s still in the “conceptual development” phase that involves feedback from city planners before a formal application is made.
Part of the development site is city owned and would be sold to Festival Cos. as part of the approval process. CoStar Group Inc. records show other parcels involved are owned by multiple entities.
Auto dealers and older industrial buildings currently occupy the bulk of the site.
Festival Cos. has been part of other projects in Anaheim, including a shopping center in Anaheim Hills, and has worked on developments in Buena Park and Cypress, in addition to numerous projects in L.A. and Hawaii.
The company’s website says it’s developed and operated about 25 million square feet worth of retail properties over its 30-year history. It said it built the first “promotional center” in California, a type of retail development that later became known as a “power center.” Now a staple of the retail development scene, it’s a strip-style center typically anchored by several big-box stores.
