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.
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