Construction Completed on Residential Complex in Little Italy

Construction was recently completed on a 240,000-sq.-ft. mixed-use project in the Little Italy district of downtown San Diego.

The project, called Allegro Towers, encompasses a 28-story tower with surrounding eight-story and 12-story towers. The 28-story tower contains 201 residential units ranging in size from about 800 to 1,200 sq. ft. The development also includes 9,000 sq. ft. of commercial space and four levels of underground parking for 265 vehicles.

Allegro Towers, LP, is the owner and developer of the $46.7-million project

San Diego-based Gafcon Inc. was construction manager; Redwood City-based DPR Construction was general contractor; and San Diego-based Austin Veum Robbins Partners was the architect of record.

Swinerton Signs Off on $64-Million Stockton Arena

San Francisco-based Swinerton Builders completed construction of the $64-million Stockton Arena in time for the Dec. 2 opener of the Stockton Thunder, a semipro hockey team.

The project architect was 360 Architects of Kansas City, Mo.

Swinerton also constructed a seven-story, 592-space parking structure and 17,000 sq. ft. of office/retail space. Both the garage and the office/retail space opened in November.

The arena includes 20 luxury suites, 4,000 sq. ft. of meeting rooms and administrative offices.

The arena is a public/private development by the city of Stockton and developer Regent Development Partners.

Swinerton Builders completed the adjacent Stockton Ballpark last summer.

Urban West Associates of La Jolla recently broke ground on two condominium towers that will have 709 units in a 9,800-sq.-ft. footprint (rendering courtesy of Urban West).

Webcor to Begin Construction of Office Building in San Francisco

San Mateo-based Webcor Builders plans to break ground next month on Foundry Square I, a 10-story, 335,000-sq.-ft. office building in downtown San Francisco. The building will serve as the global headquarters for Barclays Global Investors.

Construction is slated for completion by December 2007.

Chicago-based Equity Office is the developer and San Francisco-based Studios Architecture is the architect.

The new building will be at 400 Howard St., in the city's South of Market sub-market. Barclays has leased 96 percent of the space. Building plans also include ground-floor retail space and parking for more than 270 vehicles.

Construction Starts for Office/Club Combo in Carlsbad

San Diego-based Lusardi Construction has construction underway in Carlsbad on the new corporate office for 24-Hour Fitness. A 39,000-sq.-ft. health club will occupy the ground floor of the 89,000-sq.-ft. building.

Construction is scheduled to be completed in the fall.

Biltmore Holdings LLC is the developer of the 13.4-acre site. San Diego-based Smith Consulting Architects is project architect. Project consultants include Hope Engineering (structural engineer), Walsh Engineers (mechanical and plumbing) and MPE (electrical design).

Evans Co. Picks KKE for Euclid Plaza in Chino

The Pasadena office of KKE Architects Inc. has been awarded the design contract for Euclid Plaza in Chino by the Evans Co. of Palm Desert.

The $20-million project, near the Ontario border, is proposed as a 107,000-sq.-ft. neighborhood shopping center.

KKE will provide conceptual designs and imaging for the project as well as represent Evans for entitlement processing. Initial schematic designs have been submitted to Chino's design review committee for approval.

Once conceptual design and entitlement are approved, construction should begin in the spring and is expected to be completed by the end of the year or early 2007, said Brian Arial, KKE's managing director for California and Las Vegas.

Barnhart Begins $45-Million Fontana Library Project

The general contracting division of San Diego-based Barnhart Inc. has begun construction of a $45-million library resource/technology center for the city of Fontana.

The Los Angeles offices of the JCM Group and RNL Design are the construction manager and architect, respectively.

Construction is slated for completion in spring 2008.

The 93,000-sq.-ft., two-story library will be built above a 200-vehicle parking garage on a 2.1-acre site and will apply for LEED certification.

The existing city library operated by the County of San Bernardino, now serves an estimated 180,000 people out of a 13,000-sq.-ft. building originally built in 1963.

Work Begins on Meritage Condominium Project in Oakland

Arbor Building Group Inc. recently broke ground on a 78-unit condominium project in Oakland for owner Meritage Homes.

The four-story project, dubbed 1511 Jefferson St., is being constructed on a .58-acre site immediately adjacent to Oakland's central business district. It will include one-, two- and three-bedroom units ranging in size from 616 to 1,544 sq. ft.

Arbor Building Group Inc. is the construction manager for the $20-million project, which is slated for occupancy in November.

Meritage Homes has established a separate general contractor entity--California Urban Builders Inc.

Allied Housing Sets Spring Start for Livermore Project

Hayward-based Allied Housing, which develops affordable housing and shelters throughout the Bay Area, has set a spring start on Carmen Avenue Apartments in Livermore, a project seeking LEED certification.

Kodama Diseno Architects of San Francisco completed the design of the 33,000-sq.-ft., 30-unit building. Chico-based Sunseri Construction is the general contractor.

The rental property will have a mix of two- and three-bedroom apartments for low-income households. The property is a demonstration project in the city of Livermore designed to promote infill development, universal design and green building concepts.

The project will have specific target populations, including farm workers, persons with physical disabilities and victims of domestic violence.

This is also a case study development in the Alameda County Waste Management Authority's Multifamily Green Building Guidelines that was established in 2004.

Construction Begins on Ludwick Emergency Care Pavilion

Foothill Presbyterian Hospital in Glendora has broken ground on the $13-million Arthur and Sarah Ludwick Emergency Care Pavilion and elevator tower.

The project team includes Taylor & Associates Architects and Questar Construction, the general contractor.

The new facility will expand the hospital's emergency department to 15,000 sq. ft. and double the number of patient treatment stations. The project also includes a new 3,000-sq.-ft., four-story elevator tower, which will replace the hospital's existing elevators and also provide seismic structural improvements to the hospital's four-story patient wing.

Completion in scheduled for spring 2007.