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.