More stores to open at Seacliff Village Shopping Center

A children’s clothing store, Rascals to Rebels, Starbucks Coffee,

Aaron Brothers Art Mart and a Togo’s/Baskin Robbins store are the latest

tenants to open at the reconstructed Seacliff Village Shopping Center at

Main Street and Yorktown Avenue, which has been under construction for

two years, said principal city planner Mary Beth Broeren.

Shea Business Properties of Aliso Viejo owns the center and is

building the stores.

Also opening at the center are Pick Up Stix, Pizzarito and Sango

Sushi, which are scheduled to open by next month with a Hallmark gift

shop slated to open sometime in the spring, said Broeren.

The center was completely torn down and rebuilt from the bottom up,

and now boasts a an appealing modern style in stone and stucco. There are

still a few spaces available for lease, but businesses that are up and

running include Albertson’s, Staples, Blockbuster Video, Seacliff Florist

and Facet 58, a jewelry store.

Merchandise will start to hit Wal-Mart shelves

Distributors can now begin bringing in their merchandise to the

almost-completed Wal-Mart store at 8230 Talbert Ave.

The store is nearing completion after 10 months of work but still

needs all permits and conditions of approval finalized before it can open

its doors to the public, which is scheduled later this month.

Civil engineering firm Hall & Foreman, with offices in Santa Ana,

Upland and Chatsworth, is building the store.

Although many residents fought the construction of the store, 54.1% of

voters in March cast their ballots defeating Measure I, an effort by

community-based Crest View United to rezone the former Crest View School

site to a residential zone that would have blocked construction of the

Wal-Mart store.

The group claimed the 135,000-square-foot store would bring increased

noise, traffic and air pollution to the neighborhood. Save Our Schools

and Save Our City united to counter the effort because of the expected

revenue the store will bring.

Ocean View School District will receive $400,000 annually from lease

income to go toward school facility improvements.

The city is expected to get the same amount in sales tax revenue to be

used from everything from sports and recreational facilities to a senior

center.