Council approves 18-story high-rise
Lolita Harper
Another towering structure will join the South Coast Metro skyline
as the City Council endorsed plans for an 18-story building at Two
Town Center on Monday.
In a 4-1 vote, City Council members approved plans for an 18-story
high-rise and an accompanying five-story parking structure as part of
the Two Town Center master plan, saying the plans seemed to fit the
high standards of the other first-rate developments in the area.
Councilwoman Karen Robinson dissented.
Robinson said she had serious concerns about the parking structure
being so close to the streets. She wanted more of a “buffer zone”
where adequate landscaping could be added to shield the massive
garage.
“This is our opportunity to protect that area and make it an
elegant entrance into the area of the arts,” Robinson said.
Representatives from Commonwealth LLC, the company that bought the
center from the Segerstroms, said the area would be “heavily
landscaped,” but could offer no specifics.
Council members also said the soaring building would not harm the
surrounding area, as it sits in the middle of a busy business
district.
The multistoried building and its accompanying five-level parking
structure is the latest version of what has been a controversial
development. The 18.23-acre center -- bounded by Anton Boulevard, the
San Diego Freeway, Bristol Street and Avenue of the Arts -- houses a
host of office buildings, restaurants, a movie theater, retail and
the outdoor Noguchi sculpture garden.
Representatives from Commonwealth LLC presented their plans for
the area, including an artist’s rendering of the modern structure.
The project’s architect called it “the highest-quality office space
on the market” and pointed out the dramatic, clean glass-paneled
exterior.
The project calls for the demolition of Edwards Cinema and its
existing parking structure on Park Center Drive -- the street that
runs through Two Town Center -- to make way for the construction of a
400,000-square-foot building.
Unlike during the previous legal showdown involving Two Town
Center and the Noguchi gardens, city officials have asserted that
none of the proposed changes in this project will harm the
sculptures.
* LOLITA HARPER covers Costa Mesa. She may be reached at (949)
574-4275 or by e-mail at lolita.harper@latimes.com.
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