The Santa Anita Companies are slowly making their way around Arcadia City Hall preparatory to construction of a $12 million, 70,000 square foot medical office building on race track property across Huntington Drive from Methodist Hospital.
Groundbreaking ceremonies were held Monday for Santa Anita Medical Plaza, an 86,000 square foot medical office building located on a portion of the Santa Anita Park race track property, across from the Methodist Hospital of Southern California.
Arcadia City Council gave preliminary approval for a proposed $18.5 million, four-story medical office building to be constructed near Methodist Hospital on about 4 acres of Santa Anita Park's expansive southern parking lot. Dick Hale's development firm Hale Corporation, has a joint venture with Santa Anita Park's owner The Stronach Group, to use part of the race track's under-used property at 289 W. Huntington Drive for the roughly 70,000 s.f. building.
Engineering-Science Companies' new $5 million headquarters building, located in Arcadia, houses a national computer center and one of the firm's regional laboratories. The firm designs air and water pollution control, water supply and solid waste management projects.
Construction has started on the expansion of the Westfield Shoppingtown Santa Anita. There will be two parking structures to replace current surface parking, 104,400 square feet of retail space, 18,400 square feet of restaurants, a 7,800 square foot food court, 45,000 square feet of specialty stores, 54,300 square feet of movie theaters, and a 5,400 square foot auto center. The tenant list includes an AMC theater, Borders bookstore, and a Sports Chalet. The expansion is scheduled to be completed September 2004. City manager Bill Kelly said Arcadia will proceed to expand Fire Station 105 to serve as the new fire department headquarters and will rebuild Station 106. The city is considering building a new City Hall and youth center from city revenues from Santa Anita Park. The new police station, the first city facility partly financed through bonds, will be open this fall. A $1/2 million project to remodel City Council Chambers is finally complete, with the opening of the council conference room.
The architectural firm of Sevar and Associates and Dave Szany and Associates have relocated their offices in the restored and remodeled Southern Counties Gas Building. The building, constructed in 1926, is one of the original buildings on First Avenue. It was the home of the Gas Company for 33 years.
Santa Anita Companies have submitted a down-scaled entertainment complex with the new proposal for developing the South parking lot of the Santa Anita Park race track property.
Architectural drawings and the design for the new Arcadia City Hall have drawn criticism from the City Council. The new City Hall building is estimated to cost $11 million.
The Arcadia City Council has approved a design review process for the upcoming addition to the Santa Anita Park race track. The procedure adopted requires review by the Planning Commission and the City Council of all preliminary site plans, floor plans, exterior architectural improvements, and new construction.
Officials with the Santa Anita Companies, owners of the race track and Santa Anita Fashion Park, have filed a formal application with the City of Arcadia to build a new 100-acre entertainment center on its property.
Magna Entertainment Corp., owner of Santa Anita Park race track, which is in bankruptcy reorganization hearings, filed a plan that would cancel its 2005 agreement with Rick Caruso to develop the 830,000 square feet Shops at Santa Anita on the race track's south parking lot. Caruso filed an objection to the move in bankruptcy court, citing "substantial economic harm" to Santa Anita Associates, LLC, the legal entity that was going to develop the project. Santa Anita LLC has so far invested over $25 million to the project's development. Caruso is committed to developing the project in Arcadia. If the contract is indeed terminated between the parties, Magna would have to start from scratch with new plans, new environmental impact reports, and new hearings to propose another development.
Advocates and opponents of a proposed Target Department Store are having their arguments for what should be a lively discussion before the Arcadia Redevelopment Agency on December 4. The most controversial aspect of the proposed project is that, if approved, the city would buy property in the development area for $16-18 a square foot and resell it to the developer, Beech and Associates, as $12 a square foot.
On a 4-1 vote, with Councilman Jeff Dring dissenting, the Arcadia City Council Tuesday night approved General Plan and zone changes to allow construction of and $11 million medical office building on Santa Anita Park race track property directly across Huntington Drive from Arcadia Methodist Hospital.
Medical offices to be built adjacent to Arcadia Methodist Hospital. Developer Dick Hale will create a new 4 story, 72,000 square feet, state of the art medical office building. It is a joint venture between Hale Corporation and The Stronach Group, owner of Santa Anita Park Race Track. Groundbreaking slated for 2013, with space available for tenants in 2014.
H&M, the Swedish chain store, had its grand opening in Old Pasadena. Later in November, a 17,000 square foot H&M will open in Arcadia's Westfield Shoppingtown Santa Anita.
A Los Angeles-based investment firm will infuse the Santa Anita Cos. with $138.3 million to transform the race track and shopping mall business into a broad-based sports, leisure and entertainment company.