Orange County: Projects and Developments

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Will Disney’s ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ ride anchor a Marvel themed land?

The rumor was reported by Screamscape (“shocking”) in March, WDW News Today (“far fetched”) in April, MiceChat (“wild”) in May and then was picked up by numerous news outlets.

http://www.latimes.com/travel/themep...nap-story.html
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/d...el-galaxy.html

Apr 2016
RUMORS CONFIRMED?: Guardians of the Galaxy To Replace Tower Of Terror, Captain America Launch Coaster Coming

MARVEL Studios would encompass the last true expansion pad for the park, situated between Hollywood Land and A Bug’s Land. The area would be a natural extension of Hollywood Land, being a “working movie studio”. On the lot, guests could find a series on indoor and outdoor meet and greet experiences, as well as plenty of shopping and dining. One completely new attraction would greet guests according to current rumblings: a launch coaster featuring Captain America, showcasing elaborate show scenes between coaster ride portions. The other attraction would be near one of the two entrances to the new land: a Guardians of the Galaxy-themed overlay of the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.

http://wdwnt.com/blog/2016/04/rumors...oaster-coming/

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Disneyland update: Progress on 'Star Wars' land and a new Starbucks opens at Downtown Disney

The forces of the Empire and Rebellion are still working on “Star Wars” land at Disneyland as a variety of retaining walls and other concrete foundations began appearing in the construction zone.

Meanwhile, Disney announced the formal start of construction for the new parking structure that will be built east of Harbor Boulevard, near the Santa Ana Freeway. It will also occupy portions of the current Pumba parking lot. When complete, some time in 2018, the structure will hold more than 6,000 cars.

It will connect to the Disneyland Resort via a new Eastern gateway, that will also serve as a new transportation hub for buses and shuttle buses and taxis. Eventually, there will be an access way built through to the Disneyland Resort on the land currently occupied by the Carousel Inn, which Disney now owns. The Inn will be closed in October, those with reservations past that month will be relocated to other area hotels, according to Disney officials.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/d...sney-land.html

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Hotel Towers Planned for Site-C in Garden Grove

According to Orange County Business Journal (OCBJ), SCG America has been selected as the lead to develop Grove District Hotel Resort Development, with up to three hotel towers, also known as Site-C.

The 5 acre site project consists of planned up to 769 hotel rooms, 39,000 sq ft conference space, a parking structure, and a total of 20,000 sq ft for restaurant(s).

http://www.laocdb.com/oc-development...n-garden-grove

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Crane Sighting at 14 Story Hotel Project Near Irvine Spectrum Center
http://www.laocdb.com/oc-development...pectrum-center

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Pacific City's 516-unit luxury complex coming into focus

Billed as “the next wave in leaseable luxury,” the complex – which broke ground in November – is coming together quickly. After the first building opens in January, five more buildings will be phased in and are scheduled to be completed by January 2018. In all, it will consist of 516 units, ranging from studios to three-bedroom penthouses.

The apartments are the final piece of a retail, hotel and housing complex on 31 acres of land owned by three developers, including UDR of Denver, which owns the Residences.

At the center of the housing, which will be arrayed in a semi-circle that looks toward the ocean and Huntington Beach Pier to the north, is Berger’s favorite part of the project: a curved residents’ amenities building, nicknamed “the Wave” and designed to resemble a breaker rolling toward shore.

The unique building sits next to an equally unusual 5,000-square-foot pool with an island that holds a television with a 15-foot diagonal screen to show movies and sports events. When not in use,

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/b...y-pacific.html

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Three developers under consideration for $200 million Dana Point Harbor revitalization

Three development teams are in the running to head a $200 million renovation project planned to breathe life back into the 44-year-old Dana Point Harbor.

In March, OC Parks officials announced they were seeking a qualified developer to design plans to upgrade the harbor and its surrounding retail area to make it a more prominent Orange County destination.

The project includes reconstruction of the commercial core, the east and west marinas, the Marina Inn Hotel and 52 guest slips. Under the proposed public-private partnership, a developer would design, fund and build the proposed improvements, then operate those portions of the harbor over a 50-year lease, before returning the improved property back to the county.

Background materials from the three teams are being reviewed, and interviews will be held later this month, officials said.

The project will require a multifaceted team experienced in both sides of harbor development – land and sea, said Fifth District Supervisor Lisa Bartlett, who chairs the board and served on the Dana Point City Council from 2006-14.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/h...oint-dana.html

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Disneyland plans 6,800-space parking structure and pedestrian bridge

Disney intends to construct a transportation hub, a massive parking structure and a pedestrian bridge over Harbor Boulevard connecting them with Disneyland and Disney California Adventure ahead of the opening of “Star Wars” land in its signature theme park.

According to documents filed Wednesday in City Hall, the company proposes to start building a seven-story, 6,800-space parking structure next year along Disney Way.

The park also plans to shutter its current transportation hub, where buses from some Disney parking lots and hotel shuttles drop off visitors near the theme parks’ main gates to build the new one on a Disney-owned site about a half-mile away on Manchester Avenue.

The Carousel Inn and Suites, which Disney purchased last year for $32 million, would close in October and eventually get razed to make way for a pedestrian walkway leading from the new transit hub to the bridge 20 feet above Harbor.

Parkgoers would go through security and then take the bridge toward the entrances of Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. There are no plans for a moving walkway.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...nap-story.html
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/d...isneyland.html

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Five Lagunas Breaks Ground at Former Mall

Last week, Merlone Geier Partners and the City of Laguna Hills broke ground on the new Five Lagunas Center on the site of the former Laguna Hills Mall. Situated adjacent to the 5 freeway, the project's name was inspired by its location in the midst of Laguna Hills, Laguna Beach, Laguna Nigel, Laguna Woods and Laguna Canyon.

Merlone Geier Partners imagines Five Lagunas as an urban village, providing a Downtown-like experience in a master-planned community. Much of the development focuses on reusing significant portions of the former mall, tearing out walls and roofs to create an outdoor experience, featuring approximately 60 retailers.

The project is also highlighted by three planned residential buildings, which will include a total of 350 multifamiliy dwelling units. This component of the project will be completed in phases, with opening dates to be announced in the future.

Other specialty features will include a 14-screen theater complex, a one-acre park with space for live music and events and a six-story parking garage.

http://urbanize.la/post/five-lagunas...nd-former-mall

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Disneyland's massive parking project

Disneyland Resort is planning a massive expansion project that would include creating a seven-story, 6,800-space parking structure, a new transportation hub, and a pedestrian bridge over Harbor Boulevard.

They are slated to be completed by the end of 2018.

Q. What’s going to happen to the Carousel Inn?

A. It will close sometime in October and eventually be razed. A spokesman for Wincome Group, which manages the property for Disney, said the hotel is relocating the 55 employees or helping them find a new job at a nearby hotel.

Q. How about the Pizza Press, which was also on the Carousel Inn property?

A. Disney’s lease with Pizza Press ends in April.

Q. Will visitors staying at nearby non-Disney hotels be forced to walk around to the Eastern Gateway transit facility on Manchester Avenue to get to the Disneyland Resort?

A. Guests staying in the hotels or motels on Harbor will be able to access the resort without going through the Eastern Gateway. The plans are still being developed but there will be another entrance with a security point for those entering on Harbor.

Q. Will nearby hotels or motels have backside access to the Eastern Gateway?

A. Disney has no plans to create an access point behind the hotels and motels on Harbor.

Q. Will people walking on Harbor have access to the pedestrian bridge linking the new transportation hub with the theme parks, similar to the bridges that connect some hotels in Las Vegas?

A. There will not be a direct access to the pedestrian connector or bridge from Harbor. However, vistitors can use a pedestrian pathway at Harbor and Disney Way directly to the Eastern Gateway.

Q. What will the pedestrian walkway and bridge over Harbor look like?

A. The bridge may be similar to the one visitors cross in Downtown Disney over Disneyland Drive. Visitors may not have noticed that they are using the well-disguised bridge, because planters and tall hedges hide the view of the street. There will be a limited amount of retail and food vendors along the pedestrian walkway.

Q. How far is the walk from the Eastern Gateway security checkpoint, on the east side of Harbor, where the theme parks’ new transportation hub will be, to the esplanade that leads to the theme parks’ main gates?

A. The walk is about a half-mile, or 10 minutes. There will be shuttles to take handicap visitors to a drop-off area near the esplanade.

Q. Will there be a new route for the Monorail? Is there a chance Disney California Adventure will expand into the area that now holds the transit hub?

A. It’s unclear if the route will change. And Disney says that the design for the main entryway, where the current transportation hub sits, is in progress.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/d...or-bridge.html

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Knott's Soak City expands to add two new water slides

Knott’s Soak City in Buena Park announced Wednesday the addition of two new water slide attractions, including a thrill ride that drops guests through a trapdoor from a tower more than seven stories tall.

The two new water slides — dubbed Shore Break and The Wedge — will replace a raft ride called Pacific Spin and an adjoining section of parking lot. The new attractions are part of a 1.8-acre expansion set to open next summer.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...nap-story.html

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The Anaheim Planning Commission approved plans Monday to allow a developer to build a $450 million mixed-use project, despite opposition from Angels officials.

The commission voted 4-0 for the development billed as the LT Platinum Center, a massive project on 15 acres with plans for condos, apartments, hotels, retail and office space, that sits on the corner of Orangewood Avenue and State College Boulevard on the same area as Angel Stadium.

“We’ve been waiting for a long time to formally get city approval and can start talking to tenants,” said Randy Jefferson, an executive director with LT Global. “It’s quite an incredible opportunity for us and the city.”

The City Council gets the final say in October.

Several Angels officials, including team chairman Dennis Kuhl and senior Vice President Molly Jolly, spoke against the project. The Angels’ attorney Friday sent a letter to the city, saying the project is “ill advised” and would “cannibalize a longtime Anaheim business by making major changes to the Platinum Triangle.”

“From the beginning, we have been very transparent with the city regarding our concerns about” the proposal, Angels President John Carpino said in a statement after the meeting. “The land is zoned residential, and LT purchased it with this zoning entitlement in 2014, any significant change to commercial zoning will irreparably harm the city-owned stadium.”

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/a...y-project.html

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$500 million project plans to turn Huntington Beach oil tank farm into housing, businesses

An Irvine developer unveiled plans Monday to transform an old oil tank farm near Huntington Beach’s coastal marshlands into a $500 million development with a hotel, homes, and new shops and restaurants.

Shopoff Realty Investments closed a deal last week to buy the 28.6-acre parcel at Magnolia Street and Banning Avenue for $26.5 million, or $929,000 an acre.

The property is home to three unused storage tanks with a capacity of 500,000 barrels each, or roughly 63 million gallons of oil total.

A spokeswoman for Shopoff said the massive tanks date back 44 years but stopped being used in 2009.

William Shopoff, company CEO, said plans for the property are in the conceptual stage, but his goal is to build a boutique hotel, a mixture of houses and condos and a commercial area with restaurants and shops.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/t...untington.html

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$6-Billion Development Wave Hits Anaheim

Approximately $6 billion in investment is coming to Anaheim, by way of expansions to the city's major theme parks and new commercial developments surrounding Angel Stadium.

Besides the addition of the much-vaunted Star Was land at Disneyland Park, planned developments include four luxury hotels, an expansion of the Anaheim Convention Center, new homes, offices, hotels and retail destinations in the Platinum Triangle district.

This past July, Anaheim granted approval to a trio of hotels in the city's Resort District.

The city has previously approved a 466-key JW Marriott, which is expected to begin construction near the Disneyland Resort in 2017.

The other significant investments in the Resort District include:

The $1.92-billion Star Wars-themed expansion of Disneyland
A $1.5-billion parking structure, transit hub and pedestrian bridge being built within the park.
A $190-million expansion of the Anaheim Convention Center, adding 200,000 square feet of flexible meeting space adjacent along Katella Avenue.
Major developments are also underway in Anaheim's Platinum Triangle, a 820-acre district which contains Angel Stadium, Honda center and the ARTIC transit hub.

Construction is currently underway on A-Town Metro, which offers a mixture of for-sale and rental housing, as well as stores, restaurants and park space. A neighborhing property known as Jefferson Stadium Park is slated for 1,000 apartments and approximately 10,000 square feet of retail space direclty across from the stadium.

LT Platinum Center, which is also planned adjacent Angel Stadium, would create an additional 442,000 square feet of retail space, 77,000 square feet of offices, 340 condominiums and a 200-key hotel.

http://urbanize.la/post/6-billion-de...e-hits-anaheim

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New $300 million Portola High School opens in Irvine to 400 freshmen

Welcomed by the giant drawing of a bulldog mascot that faces a parking lot and the smell of pristine classrooms, students, teachers and staff kicked off the historic first day of Portola High School.

There wasn’t much celebration Wednesday morning, except for some parents taking photos of their children at entrances to the new campus. Still, there wasn’t a lack of excitement among the 400 students, all of whom are freshmen.

“I’m just so thrilled that we started this brand new school,” said Laurel Feldner, 14, who came from Jeffrey Trail Middle School. “All of the teachers seemed so excited to be here. I know that I’m super excited to be here, and they just all seemed very ready to teach us.”

The opening of Portola High, the Irvine Unified School District’s fifth comprehensive high school, is a reflection of what’s happening in Irvine, one of the fastest-growing cities in California.

Adjacent to the northeast side of the Orange County Great Park, the school serves students from the developing Great Park Neighborhoods and other parts of north Irvine.

The student center features movable chairs and sofas and a library with dedicated quiet rooms, giving it the look and feel of a college or a Silicon Valley office. District officials looked at such universities as Stanford and UC Irvine to install design and innovation labs where students can work on projects, Walker said.

Teachers are encouraged to work together at their commons space.

The campus is nearly complete. Innovation and design labs are going through finishing touches and a 720-seat theater is expected to be completed in December, district officials said.

Construction of the campus cost $157 million, which was paid through the community facilities district, according to Irvine Unified. The land, worth $143 million, was provided by the area developer, FivePoint Communities.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/s...ts-irvine.html

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House of Blues building slated for demolition at Disneyland

Disney wants to demolish the empty House of Blues building in Downtown Disney, now that the concert venue is moving to the nearby GardenWalk mall.

A request to raze the more than 17,000-square-foot building and its nearly 2,800-square-foot patio was filed Sept. 6 with the city. The permit application says demolition could start as early as Sept. 20. The existing basement would be left alone.

Disney officials confirmed that pending approval by Anaheim, the building, which is in the center of the promenade outside the two theme parks, would be demolished. They would not say what will replace the restaurant and 1,000-seat concert hall.

House of Blues is overhauling the old movie theaters at the GardenWalk shopping center into a 2,000-seat concert hall and a smaller 400-seat room for less well-known names and other events. There will be a larger restaurant, lounge and kitchen than at the Downtown Disney location.

House of Blues was originally scheduled to open over the summer, but is now slated to debut in 2017.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/h...es-disney.html

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MiceAge Disneyland Rumor Update – Monorail, Marvel, and Major Projects

Monorail Reroute

At about the same time Guardians construction is wrapping up and DCA’s Food & Wine Festival is winding down next spring, the Disneyland Monorail will close for the rest of 2017. For the first time since Indiana Jones was built in 1994, the monorail beam will be re-routed around park expansion space. This was hinted at by the planning documents Disney had to submit to the City of Anaheim earlier this month, and the plan is to reroute the beam from the point it emerges from Tomorrowland until it meets up with the existing beam behind Stage 17, just before it travels over the Buena Vista Street bridge in DCA. The new route will take the beam parallel to the existing inbound beam, before it makes an S-curve across the Esplanade to meet the current route through the rest of DCA. The Disneyland Monorail is currently scheduled to close on April 17th, 2017 and remain closed through at least October, although those dates could change a bit this far out.

Marvel-ous

As we’d told you in July’s update, weeks before Disney released those planning documents, the long term plan is to use most of the space currently occupied by bus loading zones for DCA park expansion. You don’t spend tens of millions of dollars on a rerouted monorail beam for nothing, after all. And remember, this section is the beam added to the Disneyland Hotel in 1961 that was left completely untouched by DCA’s initial construction in the late 1990’s. Which is why Disney is remaining so hush-hush about the monorail reroute, because it would clearly signal a major change to that Hollywood Backlot part of DCA.

This DCA expansion is the next big push to use all that money Bob Chapek, Bob Iger and Disney’s Board of Directors is now willing to send to Anaheim, to get the neglected Marvel properties permanently into a Disney theme park. The recent shakeup and layoffs at WDI are also part of this Chapek plan, as the senior WDI execs recently let go were known mostly for the long list of concepts they kept in Blue Sky development phases but that they never managed to get built in a park. The new WDI execs have been tasked with picking top creative prospects and then making a business case and getting them actually built in a park, not just destined for a glossy coffee table book sold to a few fans. That the Disneyland Resort is currently the top performing theme park property on the books means those winning ideas are coming to Anaheim first.

The Hollywood Backlot area has been a hodgepodge of unrelated concepts and cheap ideas since its inception in 2001, and time has not been kind to this sleepy and unattractive corner of DCA. Luckily help is on the way in the form of big budget attractions and a dramatic re-use and expanded footprint of this part of DCA. Think along the lines of the aesthetic transformation the original park entry and Sun Plaza got to become Buena Vista Street and Carthay Circle, with the big budget rides and showmanship of Cars Land, and you’ll understand the scope of what WDI and TDA are currently planning here.

http://micechat.com/136176-miceage-d...date-monorail/

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Officials preview Christ Cathedral design as Diocese of Orange marks 40 years

The sanctuary formerly known as Orange County’s Crystal Cathedral is on the brink of undergoing its makeover into the Christ Cathedral as part of its transformation into a Catholic church. And you can strap on virtual reality goggles to see its future.

“We do not have the time luxury of former cathedral builders. Our goal is to dedicate Christ Cathedral by 2019,” added Vann, who started his job after the purchase of the church and its 34-acre campus. A driving force behind the design, he has sought ideas from priests, lay people and experts.

Estimated costs for the cathedral are about $72 million, according to the Rev. Christopher Smith, rector and episcopal vicar of Christ Cathedral who is leading the design project.

“You begin with your dreams,” said Smith. “Our goal was to fashion a cathedral that is beautiful, maintains the architectural integrity of the original Philip Johnson building and can serve the community’s needs.”

Scott Johnson of Johnson/Fain Associates, principal architect, has crafted an interior layout intended to merge liturgical requirements with “transcendent beauty.” Virtual reality tours will be available to the public at this weekend’s celebration. The iconic building, lauded for its exterior shell of more than 12,000 panes of glass, will stay, officials said, but it is experiencing major repair and reconditioning. They hope the space will inspire contemplative and solemn prayer.

“This is the commission of a lifetime. This is a cathedral for the new millennium,” Johnson added. “We’re talking about a building that could last forever.”

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/l...nap-story.html

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Sprinkles Cupcakes opening in Downtown Disney

The queen of cupcakes is headed to the Disneyland Resort.

Candace Nelson, founder of Sprinkles Cupcakes and a Food Network celebrity, is bringing her bakery to Downtown Disney. The cupcake shop is replacing the Something Silver retail shop in November.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/s...es-disney.html

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With a new e-sports arena, UC Irvine aims to become a mecca for gamers

The new team at UC Irvine is suiting up for battle in a recently furnished arena on campus, where members will gear up with headphones, a keyboard and mouse.

UC Irvine this month opened its e-sports arena, which is equipped with 80 computers and will be frequented by the school's new team competing in the "League of Legends" game.

E-sports, or electronic sports, are multiplayer video game experiences and competitions in which players play against one another through a digital platform.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/l...nap-story.html
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/u...-students.html

[dragonsky]

• Video Link

Disney gives a glimpse of its upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy attraction

Disney on Monday released new images of the proposed attraction, hoping pictures of a scale model of the new ride, dubbed “Guardians of the Galaxy — Mission: Breakout,” will win over fans.

“It really has a lot different design elements that all come together and create what’s really a very striking building,” John Mauro, executive director of Walt Disney Imagineering, said in a video released Monday. “It’s going to look like a brand new attraction.”

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...nap-story.html