BY LOREEN BERLIN: The development at Brookhurst Triangle, designated "Brookhurst Place,” is well underway.
The project is at the junction of Garden Grove Boulevard, Brookhurst Street, and Brookhurst Way.
BY LOREEN BERLIN: The development at Brookhurst Triangle, designated "Brookhurst Place,” is well underway.
The project is at the junction of Garden Grove Boulevard, Brookhurst Street, and Brookhurst Way.
"It's great to see the first phase of 180 rental apartment units coming to market by this summer," said Garden Grove Mayor Steve Jones. "Phase two will be for sale condominiums and then phase three will add 200,000 square feet of brand-new restaurants and retail opportunities at the intersection where Little Saigon, the Korean Business District, and downtown all come together.”
The 180 luxury apartments are on three-acres of the property. When the entire project is completed there will be 670 mixed-use condo/apartments. The last building will contain a retail center, making a total of six buildings on the site, with 272,000 square feet of open space and 65,000 square feet of commercial space.
The project is the city's largest mixed-use development, encompassing 14 acres of 670-plus market apartments along with commercial and open space.
The area at Brookhurst Street, Garden Grove Boulevard and Brookhurst Way has been sitting as a patch of dirt for more than 20 years. Part of that area was formerly a car dealership that was home to the first Isuzu vehicles that came into America in 1981 and another car dealership at the corner of Garden Grove Boulevard and Brookhurst Street.
The final OK to move ahead on the project came in March of 2015. Before that, the city was waiting for the state to release redevelopment property and money it had taken from cities statewide.
Now, there will be a winding path of more than 1-mile for walking around inside the development area and it has been touted as a place where people can go to live and work.
It's a significant project for the Garden Grove community.
Mayor Jones said the project goes back a long time, back to when he was still serving on the Planning Commission.
"I've seen the project go through many hands, so this is an exciting time. I thank city staff for their support in helping with the development."
The City of Garden Grove will sell the rest of the property for $18 million once phase two begins.
However, not all of that money goes to Garden Grove. With the dissolution of redevelopment agencies statewide, Orange County gets a sizable amount of that money to distribute to other agencies.
Still, the project will help the city financially.
”The residential units alone are expected to bring an approximate $550,000 a year in property taxes, “said Senior Project Manager Greg Blodgett with the city’s Economic Development Department.
Blodgett said it's unclear how much sales tax the city will get because no retailers have been finalized, but most of the businesses will be smaller, independent stores and restaurants, some of which may have influences banking off the nearby Korean Business District and Little Saigon.
“Throughout Orange County we see successful mixed-use projects being constructed. It’s a positive for the city," said Blodgett. “We’ve taken a property that was blighted and created an environment with residential and community spaces, and a lot of great things for the city. It’s a starting point for the area.”
