Platinum Triangle of Anaheim

September 22, 2018 by Edwin Baloloy

Lewis + Mason introduces Model Homes at its Grand Opening

As the 2nd community to feature residences for sale in the Platinum Triangle, Lewis and Mason introduced its model homes through a grand opening on September 22nd.

A total of 153 residences will be built and pricing starts in the high $500s.

The exterior of the building has vibrant colors and modern styling cues.

What I liked

Modern styling throughout, rooftop decks, large island counters in kitchen, “barn doors” for master bathrooms and laundry areas, convenience of direct access garage, and plenty of visitor parking. The location is right off the 5 freeway and there are plenty of restaurants, lounges, shopping, and parks nearby. Disneyland is about 1 mile away.

Almost perfect, but..

As someone in pretty good shape, I have to admit the 4 flights of stairs to reach the rooftop had me a bit fatigued. If you can imagine entertaining up there, that’s a lot of stair climbing especially if you have little ones. Either way, an evening between Disneyland and Anaheim Stadium can be quite the backdrop with the city lights and fireworks while enjoying the year-round Orange County weather.

A special assessment at approximately 2,000 – 3,150 is mentioned in Trumark Homes’ FAQ sheet.

Lastly, the surrounding area of commercial buildings wasn’t too appealing:

While some units face Disneyland in the distance, Lewis and Mason is surrounded by industrial buildings on the north side.

Overall, I feel Trumark Homes has built a good product which is centrally located and will appeal to many homebuyers in the segment. As a local resident, it’s refreshing to finally see more homes for sale.

September 18, 2018 by Edwin Baloloy

“Lewis and Mason” Grand Opening this Saturday in Anaheim’s Platinum Triangle

Trumark Homes will be introducing Lewis+Mason’s models this Saturday 9/22 from 11 am to 3 pm

Address: 1700 S Lewis Street, Anaheim, CA 92805 (near Katella and the 5 freeway)

Date: 9/22/2018

Time: 11 AM to 3 PM

The “Mason” floorplans with the rooftop decks are expected to be $673,000 to $740,000.

The grand opening will feature food trucks, refreshments and a live DJ with a model tour. More information provided on the Lewis and Mason website including RSVP form.

Your can read MidRiseLiving’s prior blog on the community here.

September 4, 2018 by Edwin Baloloy

Anaheim Gardenwalk – What could have been…

Today, it seems Gardenwalk is only mentioned by local friends when they want to use their parking structure. When the place first opened more than 10 years ago, most didn’t even know there was an entire mall behind Cheesecake Factory and McCormick and Schmidt’s on Katella.

As a Real Estate guy, the first thing that stood out to me after the mall was more than 2 years old were the vacant dirt lots immediately on the outside. I became even more curious when taking a walk on the 2nd level and saw that an elevated path lead to a dead end wall.

There had to be something bigger that was planned, right?

Just like the debacle of Anaheim’s “A-Town” near Anaheim Stadium, the Real Estate crash of 2007/08 made developers delay or cancel many lavish projects. Prior to that, the City of Anaheim was undergoing a huge transformation with the Disneyland Resort District (which includes Gardenwalk), A-Town, and revamping the Downtown area. The initial concept was so big, Disney saw it as a threat to their newly built Downtown Disney.

From what I understand, these are the original highlights for Gardenwalk from Anaheim.net:

590,265 gross square feet of specialty retail/dining/entertainment uses, including movie theaters
1,628 hotel rooms/suites (including up to 500 vacation ownership units)
278,817 gross square feet of hotel accessory uses
4,800 parking spaces
7,700 gross square foot bus terminal/transportation center for airport transport and to/from sightseeing venues

*With 3 hotels and a vacation rental building, the mall section of Gardenwalk would’ve been a natural extension for hotel guests and residents after visiting nearby Disneyland or a convention.*

Today’s Gardenwalk has empty lots of dirt where the hotels were supposed to be built and just a normal parking garage. Please excuse the poor image as I had to use my iPhone to get a 3D rendered view.

*In this concept drawing, House of Blues & Disney Way would be at the top of the image with Cheescake Factory, Bubba Gump, and Roys being cut off at the bottom facing Katella Ave.*

What went wrong?

When the Real Estate market tanked, the developer David A. Siegel for the condos that were supposed to be built on top of the parking structure abandoned the project and tried to auction the rights. I don’t know what happened to the hotel projects.

For the mall, my guess is that the mall portion was never meant to be on it’s own without 1,628 hotel rooms and vacation rentals. At 50% occupancy, that’s an additional 800 or so walking through to use the restaurants and lounges. That’s 24,000 people per month. Without that source of foot traffic, you’re left with locals and Disneyland guests.

As a local, I can think of numerous reasons why driving to Gardenwalk would be a pain with their expensive parking (I’ve been charged every single time on top of my validation), confusing layout, and restaurants that I can find elsewhere. Additionally, the traffic from Disneyland, Anaheim Convention Center, and nearby Angel Stadium can make the commute frustrating.

For Disneyland tourists and convention goers, while many are drawn in from the restaurants off Katella, most don’t have any incentive to venture further into the ghost town of empty shops. The entrance off Disney Way is not a highly traveled street for both cars and pedestrians. For someone seeking nightlife, you’re far better off going to Downtown Disney.

September 2, 2018 by Edwin Baloloy

Anaheim A-Town 1.0 – What could have been

The original plans of “A-Town” in the Platinum Triangle had locals very excited as plans were unveiled for a “gas lamp-like” vibrant area just west of Angel Stadium. The first condominiums for sale Stadium Lofts were built in 2005 and even had a display in their main lobby showcasing the concept drawings of the dirt field across Katella Ave.

Mimicking the famed gaslamp quarter adjacent to Petco Park in San Diego seemed like a realistic idea back in 2005 — when Anaheim City Council approved 2,681 residential units and 150,000 square feet of commercial use space for A-Town Metro.

Then the Real Estate crash of 2007 happened and nothing but apartments were built. A building called “Vivere” was completed just west of Stadium Lofts and went as far as having models displayed in order to sell their luxury condos. Vivere ended up converting to rental apartments.

The dirt on the south west corner of Katella and State College sat empty while the foreclosure crisis plummeted Real Estate values. Then, after 5 consecutive years of market appreciation, plans were scaled back significantly when City Council adopted Ordinance No. 6345 in 2015.

From Orange County Register’s 2013 article:

“Cutting this project way back in size makes a lot of sense because it was oversized to start with,” said Walter Hahn, an independent economist from Irvine who analyzes real estate values. “It has the potential to be successful, given its location,” Hahn said.

Additionally, Kelly said Lennar ditched plans to attract large-scale retailers that would draw visitors from across the region, focusing instead on meeting the needs of A-Town’s residents with a grocery store, pharmacy and moderately priced restaurants.”

Today, it appears another change will be take place continuing the trend in the area of “more rentals, less condos for sale” as investors remain skeptical at Real Estate values in the short term. Details are a bit sketchy at the moment while under review by City Planning. With the recent failure of nearby Anaheim Gardenwalk, I see Lennar likely headed in the opposite direction of just a low key shopping center to service local residents.

What Could Have Been…

Just like the original Westcot Concept for Disneyland’s second theme park, I’m fascinated at what might have been if things went as planned with having a “Gaslamp District of Orange County”. I was really looking forward to a lively area where just about everything was within walking distance of nearby condo residents: public transportation, a pro hockey team, a pro baseball team, bars, lounges, shopping, and restaurants — just like a real downtown. The “cool” factor, energy and convenience are usually what makes the inconvenience of high density living worthwhile.

*Original concept artwork of Anaheim’s A-Town showing 3 high rise residential buildings to the west of Anaheim Stadium.*

The original plans called for 35-story towers that would dominate the Anaheim skyline. Residents and office tenants would have a view of nearby Angel Stadium and the countless retail establishments down below.

*Park-like areas would’ve created a more artistic flair as opposed to the cookie-cutter construction which usually stretches a builder’s margin.*

Modern styling cues from Lennar’s “Central Park West” is likely to carry over to A-Town Metro.

“Large scale retailers” would’ve meant a retail district that would’ve rivaled LA Live next to Staple’s Center. The creators of A-Town had the idea of leveraging the 35,000 fans that attended Angel games and other big events by extending their visits before and after games, perhaps even make an overnight stay as part of their experience.

The towering Ritz Carlton Residences dominates the skyline for Staple Center — a giant retail complex of movie theaters, bowling alley, bars, restaurants, a JW Marriott Hotel, Courtyard by Marriott, and luxury residences with the Ritz-Carlton at LA Live.

*High floor lounges would’ve been a no-brainer as nightlife for the after-game crowd. (Photo from The Altitude Sky Lounge of San Diego website)*

Just how tall is 35 stories?

For Downtown LA, that’s nowhere close to the US Bank Tower. But for the Anaheim/Orange area, this will give you a comparison of where it would stand relative the tallest buildings according to Emporis.com:

A-Town tallest proposed residential tower: 35 stories
City Tower (near Outlets of Orange): 21 stories
Doubletree Hotel (near Outlets of Orange): 20 stories
Palms Tower, Anaheim Marriott – 18 stories

The tallest A-town structure would’ve dwarfed The City Tower which currently stands at 21 stories. (photo from Regus.com)

What to expect with A-Town 2.0

With the housing market headed into an inevitable slump and the recent brakes put on Disney’s newest hotel, expect the project to get even further away from the original plans. possibly 3-5 years from now, I expect a project more on the scale of Brea’s La Floresta development where a Whole Foods and a few retail spots were opened next to a mix of high / med density apartments and residential homes.