Spectrum Expansion Is Thinking Young

IRVINE —  The Irvine Co. said Wednesday that it had lined up a popular Dallas eatery and game center as part of an ambitious plan to double the size of its popular entertainment complex in the Irvine Spectrum.

Dallas-based Dave & Buster’s, a self-described “place where adults go to play” will be the centerpiece of a $65-million expansion aimed at attracting more young adults. Currently, the center’s median customer age is 38.7 years with an annual household income of $74,200.

The expansion, which is expected to be completed by next July, will feature lower-priced food and entertainment outlets.

The neon-edged center, which initially opened in late 1995 at the convergence of the Santa Ana and San Diego freeways, contains a 21-screen Edwards Cineplex with an Imax 3-D theater, five restaurants and a handful of retail tenants. The 250,000-square-foot expansion will include food and entertainment outlets but no additional movie screens.

Only a third of the addition’s proposed tenants have been lined up, but officials say they are confident they can lease the rest before the expansion is completed next summer.

“It’s easier to attract big national tenants now that the first phase is built,” said Rick Evans, president of the Irvine Co.’s retail division. “They understand big projects like this.”

Dave & Buster’s outlets, which are geared to adults in their 20s, offer food, billiards, a golf simulator, shuffleboard, a carnival-style midway and virtual reality games.

The 55,000-square-foot Irvine outlet will be the chain’s second California location. Its first opened earlier this year at the Ontario Mills center.

Other tenants lined up for the Irvine expansion include Cheesecake Grand Cuisine, a 6,000-square-foot express version of the traditional Cheesecake Factory restaurant; Hansen’s Juice Creations; a Johnny Rockets restaurant and Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. The Irvine Co. also is negotiating with a brew pub, said Richard Sim, executive vice president.

Entertainment-oriented retail centers are the fastest-growing, highest-grossing retail centers in the country, said Sandford Goodkin, a San Diego-based real estate consultant.

“These places are becoming the theme parks of the 1990s,” Goodkin said.

The centers became popular several years ago when retailers were downsizing but theater chains were expanding, Goodkin said. With their fancy facades and high-tech tenants they have become a major form of play for many Americans.

Irvine Co. also said it has changed the name of the center from Irvine Entertainment Center to the Irvine Spectrum Center to promote the complex’s emergence as a hub for high-tech companies, and to reflect the fact that future tenants will operate more than entertainment-related businesses.

The center’s expansion was originally scheduled for 1998, but the Irvine Co. moved up the timetable after an estimated 5 million people visited the center in the first year, according to Sim. Instead of bringing in sales of $30 million to $35 million as originally anticipated, the center grossed $55 million.

“Sales started out high and continued increasing at a pace higher than any other center in the United States,” Sim said. The center also generated about $500,000 in sales tax revenue for the city last year.

The center’s second phase was modeled after the Spanish castle Alhambra in Granada, Spain. It will consist of a series of courtyards connected by walkways and overshadowed by a large bell-tower. It was designed by Los Angeles-based RTKL and will be built by its original contractor, Irvine-based Snyder Langston.

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Phase Two

The second stage of the Irvine Spectrum Center is underway. A look at what’s being added, including signed tenants. More are scheduled to be announced in coming weeks:

The Numbers

Addition: 250,000 square feet will double the center’s total retail and entertainment space to 500,000 square feet

Value: $65 million

Highlights

Dave & Buster’s: 55,000-square-foot restaurant with a special events theater, billiards, arcade with midway games, virtual reality simulators, a golf simulator and casino-style games

Places to Eat

* Cheesecake Factory

* Johnny Rockets

* Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

* Hansen’s Juice Creations

* Wetzel’s Pretzels

Retail shops

* Skechers (shoes)

* Dapy (gift shop)

* Glow (gift shop)

Source: Hollis & Associates

Researched by JANICE L. JONES / Los Angeles Times