Torrance Ca Development And Redevelopment

Signaling a major step in plans to redevelop downtown Torrance, a new condominium project could be ready for occupancy in August after receiving final approval from city officials. Groundbreaking is planned for March 1996 for the 44 condominiums, slated to be built on the southeast corner of Cravens and El Prado avenues, city officials said.

Many people would be happy to get rid of an old, rusty water tank towering 130 feet above their homes. Not in west Torrance. Residents of this middle-class enclave harbor warm feelings for their familiar "quiet neighbor"--a white, 750,000-gallon tank visible for miles. "We all use it as a focal point for directions," said homeowner Karen Beverly.

The walls will come tumbling down next week at Torrance's Columbia School, and school officials and firefighters couldn't be happier. The elementary school has sat vacant for seven years, a victim of plummeting enrollment. The Torrance Unified School District planned to sell the site, as it had nine other schools. But residents strenuously objected, calling instead for a lease deal that would yield money for schools.

ProLogis Trust, a major developer and operator of distribution facilities, said it will build an approximately 1-million-square-foot industrial and office park in Torrance. The $50-million project, ProLogis Park Torrance, will rise on a nearly 50-acre parcel on Van Ness Avenue south of 190th Street. ProLogis purchased the property from Nissin Food Co., which moved its operations to Buena Park.

A steep increase in revenue-generating redevelopment projects and new businesses have generated more than $61 million this year, Mayor Dee Hardison said Thursday at the third annual state of the city address. The city has issued more than 2,000 permits this year for new businesses, including several high-tech companies and major retailers, Hardison told more than 400 business representatives at the Torrance Marriott luncheon sponsored by the Torrance Chamber of Commerce and Mobil Oil Corp.

The Torrance Planning Commission has delayed making a decision about whether to allow Price-Costco to build a store near the Lomita border while commissioners look over an environmental review of the controversial project, city officials said. Price-Costco wants to build a 147,000-square-foot store adjacent to the busy Crossroads Shopping Center.

An environmental impact report on a plan to drill for oil beneath a largely residential 560-acre area of southeast Torrance was approved Tuesday night by the City Council. The council action does not constitute final approval for the drilling. The project now will receive an in-depth review from the city Planning Commission. Kelt Oil and Gas Inc.

Torrance's Redevelopment Agency has tentatively agreed to give a development firm $1.95 million to purchase and renovate an apartment building that officials say is a blighting influence on a neighboring downtown redevelopment project. Under the accord, developer Gascon Mar Ltd. would acquire the El Prado Apartments in an effort to make the three-story building compatible with its adjacent Historic Downtown Project, Gascon Mar partner Allan Mackenzie said.

Three separate reception areas will be consolidated during a $105,000 renovation of Torrance City Hall's third floor next month, officials said. City spokeswoman Arlene Barco said the third floor is one of the last areas in City Hall to be refurbished since the building opened in the 1970s. Construction on the third floor will begin Sept. 11 and is expected to take about two weeks.

Now that we have a decision in the Bakker trial, does this mean that the court has defined the true interpretation of the letters PTL to be Push the Lie and Pass the Loot? N. HIRSCH Hollywood

The real estate affiliate of Washington merchant banking firm Carlyle Group has acquired the Gateway Towers office complex and adjacent land in Torrance, longtime home to the local offices of Japanese auto giant Nissan Motor Corp. And Carlyle Realty isn't the only investor demonstrating confidence in the future of the South Bay office market. The purchase--the firm's first in Los Angeles County--is the third $50-million-plus sale in the South Bay within the last 90 days.

A steep increase in revenue-generating redevelopment projects and new businesses have generated more than $61 million this year, Mayor Dee Hardison said Thursday at the third annual state of the city address. The city has issued more than 2,000 permits this year for new businesses, including several high-tech companies and major retailers, Hardison told more than 400 business representatives at the Torrance Marriott luncheon sponsored by the Torrance Chamber of Commerce and Mobil Oil Corp.

The Torrance Planning Commission has delayed making a decision about whether to allow Price-Costco to build a store near the Lomita border while commissioners look over an environmental review of the controversial project, city officials said. Price-Costco wants to build a 147,000-square-foot store adjacent to the busy Crossroads Shopping Center.

City officials are planning to demolish a building that was formerly used as a Nike missile storage site to make room for a car dealership. The city plans to spend $17,815 to remove asbestos from the building and $14,500 to demolish it. The site is adjacent to the Torrance Municipal Airport and was used to store missiles during the Cold War.

Three separate reception areas will be consolidated during a $105,000 renovation of Torrance City Hall's third floor next month, officials said. City spokeswoman Arlene Barco said the third floor is one of the last areas in City Hall to be refurbished since the building opened in the 1970s. Construction on the third floor will begin Sept. 11 and is expected to take about two weeks.

Torrance officials are studying a proposal to build a $22.4-million AirPark at the city's municipal airport. The park would cover about 15 acres on the south side of the facility and include a mall, museum, restaurant, office space and hangars. There also would be a rent-free police and California Highway Patrol station. The proposal was submitted by Eli J. Alexander of AlexAir International, who had been hoping last year that the city would become a partner.

The city of Lomita owns the stretch of Crenshaw Boulevard, but the land on which the Crossroads shopping center sits--and the site of a proposed Claim Jumper restaurant--is in Torrance. And therein lies the problem, says Lomita Mayor Dave Albert. He maintains that the Torrance Planning Commission's decision to allow the chain restaurant will mean more traffic on Crenshaw, which according to the mayor already handles an average of 55,000 cars a day.

Inveterate shoppers will be happy to know that the Del Amo Fashion Center in Torrance is planning to expand. The center hopes to add another department store and an entertainment complex to its 340 stores and 15 movie screens in a mall already considered one of the largest in the United States. The Torrance Co., which owns most of the mall, submitted a proposal to the city Planning Department last week but did not divulge the expansion's cost.

Inveterate shoppers will be happy to know that the Del Amo Fashion Center in Torrance is planning to expand. The center hopes to add another department store and an entertainment complex to its 340 stores and 15 movie screens in a mall already considered one of the largest in the United States. The Torrance Co., which owns most of the mall, submitted a proposal to the city Planning Department last week but did not divulge the expansion's cost.

Signaling a major step in plans to redevelop downtown Torrance, a new condominium project could be ready for occupancy in August after receiving final approval from city officials. Groundbreaking is planned for March 1996 for the 44 condominiums, slated to be built on the southeast corner of Cravens and El Prado avenues, city officials said.