Idea separates half of Square for housing

After a long struggle to attract and keep tenants, Triangle Square could gain permanent residents, under a plan to add residential units that will be presented to the Costa Mesa City Council next week.

The 190,000-square-foot mall was built in the early 1990s as part of a city-driven redevelopment project, but it has struggled for several years and is now less than half occupied.

The council on Tuesday will decide whether to tentatively approve the residential concept, and developers will return later with more detailed plans. So far, the gist of the proposal is to replace about half of the retail space with condos, said Patrick Strader, vice president of Irvine-based Starpointe Ventures.

Strader said his firm is representing a company that is under contract to buy Triangle Square from the current owner, Triangle Square Investments LLC. He would not disclose the potential buyer, but Costa Mesa City Councilwoman Katrina Foley said she discussed the project with representatives of developer Greenlaw Partners of Newport Beach.

The redevelopment plan would not drastically change the mall or its tenants, Strader said.

“A lot of it would stay,” Strader said. “The concept is to reduce it by about half and to utilize the existing structure as much as possible.”

The number of residential units and whether they would be for sale or rent have not been determined. City planner Kimberly Brandt said the mall is in a part of the redevelopment zone created before state law required affordable housing, so no affordable units would be necessary.

City Council members said Tuesday that they are excited about the prospect of new ownership for the struggling mall.

“Ultimately what I’m looking for is ? something that is going to improve the image of not only Triangle Square but 19th Street and the Westside in general, and if this takes us in that direction, I want to give it a serious look,” Mayor Allan Mansoor said.

With the addition of housing at Triangle Square, the area around Harbor and Newport boulevards may become a residential hub. Nearby, workers are building a parking garage that will serve the a future 145-condo project at the 1901 Newport development.dpt.28-trianglesquare-2-CPhotoInfo5J1SDNHV20060628ib5l8okf KENT TREPTOW / DAILY PILOT(LA)Original tenants such as Niketown have left Triangle Square, which is now less than half-occupied.