ANAHEIM
Construction has begun on the Anaheim Central Library renovation. The library, which was built in 1963, will be upgraded in order to meet current building codes and comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The upgrades will include an ADA-compliant elevator and second-floor restroom, as well as upgrades to the plumbing, electrical and lighting systems that will make them more energy efficient. The library’s computer lab also is set to be expanded and stocked with more computers. Additionally, the plan includes space for a separate media room and bookstore. The architect for the project is Pfeiffer Partners Architects in Los Angeles. Construction is expected to last about six months.
A former California Department of Transportation remnant parcel is to be developed into 20 affordable apartments. The $5.7 million Greenleaf Apartments complex is at Glenoaks Avenue and Greenleaf Avenue. The project will be funded by a convention-al bank loan, low-income housing tax credts and gap financing. The Anaheim Redevelopment Agency took a ground lease for the land, which will start in February 2010. Construction is expected to be complete by January 2011. The property is owned by the Anaheim Redevelopment Agency. Irvine-based Jamboree Housing Corp. is the developer. Advent Design Group Inc. is the architect and Advent Construction Inc. is the contractor.
IRVINE
Construction is halfway done on the Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center at the University of California, Irvine. The project, which is slated to cost about $60 million, is funded by a grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine as well as private donations and campus debt funding. The 100,000-square-foot building is modeled after the existing Hewitt Hall at the southwest corner of campus, just off Bison Avenue. The building will have four stories with a basement and will house a core stem cell laboratory with the latest equipment for harvesting stem cells. The building will also include clinical space with resources to see patients. The project is expected to be complete by next summer. The contractor for the project is San Francisco-based Hathaway Dinwiddie Construction Co. The architect is Redwood City-based Des Architects and Engineers Inc.
SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO
The second phase of the Seasons Senior Affordable Housing Apartments has just been completed. The 38-unit addition to the Season’s affordable senior housing complex was built using green building techniques, including solar power. The complex is on the corner of Rancho Viejo Road and Paseo Espada. Construction took about a year and the project was completed 18 months ahead of schedule due to tax credit approvals. The $12 million project was funded by California tax credits, the San Juan Capistrano Redevelopment Agency and MacFarlane Costa Housing Partners. Long Beach-based Simpson Housing Solutions—which has been acquired by MacFarlane Costa Housing Partners in Gardena—was the developer. The architect was Santa Monica-based KTGY Group Inc. and San Clemente-based American General Corp. was the contractor.
SANTA ANA
An Arco gas station is being rebuilt on the corner of Main Street and MacArthur Boulevard, across from the Pinnacle at MacArthur Place apartments. The 2,400-square-foot station is being rebuilt following soil contamination issues that forced the demolition of the previous station. The new station will include a larger, modernized ampm convenience store as well as other exterior building and landscape upgrades. The owner of the station is BP West Coast Products and the contractor for the project is Oak Hills-based Collins Construction and Development Inc. The architect is Los Angeles-based Fiedler Group. The station is scheduled to re-open early next year.
