Planning for Huntington Center near completion

Bryce Alderton

Design plans are in the final stages for the much anticipated

redevelopment of the Huntington Center Mall into an Italian outdoor

entertainment center.

Every two weeks since October, Huntington Beach Planning Director

Howard Zelefsky has met with architects from The Jerde Partnership and

co-developers at The J.H. Snyder Co. and The Ezralow Co., in hopes of

getting mall plans approved by April. “We’re going layer by layer and

it’s in the last stage of design of the site,” Zelefsky said.

The developer and architect must still present an environmental

review, most likely at a future City Council meeting, before Zelefsky

approves the mall. A public hearing before is not necessary, however,

because the council has already approved the general plan requirements,

Zelefsky said.

“Council outlined what it wanted to see with the style of architecture

so as long as [architects and developers] follow that plan [the mall] can

be approved without a public hearing,” he said. “It’s similar to a house.

You don’t have a public hearing if you follow all the rules.”

The environmental review studied additions to the plans that included

as an offramp from the San Diego Freeway and drainage areas, Zelefsky

said.

The outdoor mall will be reminiscent of an Italian village with a

series of smaller buildings like one might see in a town center with

plazas and entertainment zones, said Mark Welz, project manager with

Jerde.

Construction is still slated to begin this summer on the $150-million

project that has not eluded conflict along the way.

City council first approved plans for the mall in October of 2000, but

Ezralow wanted to oust Burlington Coat Factory and Ward’s Department

store by use of eminent domain claiming that those businesses didn’t fit

plans for a glitzy Italian village-style mall.

But City council did not turn out the necessary votes to approve the

use of eminent domain at the mall and Ezralow reduced its more expansive

plans for the center.

Burlington Coat Factory has since remained at its location, but Ward’s

went bankrupt at the end of 2000.

Business owners in the current mall such as Mervyn’s and Staples have

voiced its support of the mall renovation it thinks will increase

business and help the area become more of a community destination.

Plans for the mall include construction of an 80,000-square-foot movie

theater with 16 to 18 screens and full service restaurants such as

Islands, Elephant Bar, California Pizza Kitchen and Ruth Chris

Steakhouse.