Anaheim’s Platinum Triangle neighborhood is finally showing signs of life following a downturn that mothballed the city’s vision of a new downtown for Orange County.

In the latest example of growing developer interest in the area, a Texas developer plans to break ground Thursday on a 400-unit apartment complex along Katella Avenue near Angel Stadium. The $119-million luxury project will rise on a 7.6-acre vacant plot that the developer, JPI, purchased last month.

“It feels like a great time to be breaking ground in the Platinum Triangle,” said Gus Villalba, the western region executive vice president for JPI, based in Irving, Texas. “It’s just now starting to pick up momentum.”

In all, city plans allow for nearly 20,000 residential units and about 19 million square feet of commercial and office space in the Platinum Triangle, an 820-acre swath surrounding Angel Stadium, the Honda Center and the City National Grove of Anaheim. A street car has also been proposed that would connect the neighborhood with Disneyland and Anaheim GardenWalk.

The recession sidelined plans for a new downtown, but several projects are now underway. As of mid-December, there were 1,038 residential units under construction in the area, according to the city. And last month, Anaheim’s new, glistening $188-million transportation center and train station, known as ARTIC, opened… Read More