ASCE Los Angeles Section

Anaheim - Orange County, California

The Packing District project, located in downtown Anaheim on South Anaheim Boulevard, is comprised of several components, including the Packing House, Packard Building, Farmers Park, Brookfield Homes multi-family residential complex, Claudina parking lots and Anaheim Boulevard street and pedestrian improvements.

The Packing District was the site of a citrus packing zone that harkens back to Anaheim’s agricultural roots. This urban infill mixed-use project has positively transformed this primarily commercial/industrial neighborhood. The five-acre site showcases the adaptive reuse of the historical Anaheim Citrus Packing House and adjacent Packard Building into an upscale commercial/retail venue featuring restaurants and shops. A pedestrian paseo, Farmers Park, links the two structures and provides easy access for residents of a multi-family residential complex also developed within the Packing House District. Brookfield Homes’ eight three-story residential buildings are comprised of 88 live/work and residential condominium units. 

The Packing District’s reuse of architectural elements has reclaimed the historic flavor of this distinctive neighborhood that had provided the economic engine at the core of the city’s early success: orange cultivation and packing. Unfortunately, over the years this historical locale deteriorated to a handful of faded, neglected structures and parking lots. The City of Anaheim’s redevelopment strategies, achieved in collaboration with designers, engineers and developers, have wrought dramatic improvements and now The Packing District is in the full flower of restoration.  The Packing District has successfully transformed into a viable, vibrant place for people to live, work and play in a setting that pleasingly combines the modern and the historic, the built and the natural.

The Fuscoe team provided comprehensive engineering and survey/mapping services for all of The Packing District projects.  These services ranged from:

• Topographic, Boundary and Supplemental Surveys
• Base Map
• Preliminary Grading and Utility Study
• Precise Grading Plan
• Retaining Wall Plan
• On-Site Utility Plan
• Public Street Improvement Plans
• Utility Composite Plan
• SWPPP and WQMP

Rather than tearing down historic structures, the City wisely chose to honor its distinctive heritage and “recycle” two Mission Revival-style buildings instead. The five-acre site is now a unique retail and dining hub with sustainably designed features and landscaping, but with a vintage twist. The Packing District includes the adaptive reuse of the historic 42,000 s.f. Anaheim Citrus Packing House. Southern Pacific Railroad tracks still run adjacent to The Packing House, built in 1919, which has been transformed into an upscale “food hall” venue featuring 20+ boutique artisan food and drink stalls. Two antique flatbed railcars form an outdoor terrace. The adjacent Packard Car Showroom, which dates back to 1923 and is on the historic building register, was also restored to its former glory and altered to accommodate trendy Umami Burger and the Anaheim Brewery. These historic remodels were led by Thirtieth Street Architects, Inc., which strictly adhered to the State Historic Preservation office’s historical rehabilitation guidelines.

Both of these landmark structures are dynamically linked by the avant-garde two-acre Farmers Park, designed by renowned landscape architect Ken Smith of Ken Smith Landscape Architect as a venue for both local residents and produce vendors. In keeping with its historical context, Farmers Park brightens the neighborhood with a welcome stretch of urban greenery, graced with Valencia orange and olive trees, concrete benches, a community garden, small amphitheater, outdoor fireplace and a striking redwood boardwalk shaded by metal awnings. Farmers Park is easily accessible for residents of a 2.78-acre multi-family residential complex developed on two adjacent parcels.

SPECIAL RELATIONSHIPS GENERATED
The City of Anaheim, in its quest to redevelop and revitalize an outdated neighborhood, uniquely collaborated with retail developer The LAB Holding Company and Brookfield Homes to create an urban district that revitalizes the downtown area while preserving Anaheim’s historic past.  The multi-disciplinary team worked closely with historic preservation consultants and the SHPO (State Historic Preservation Office) to sensitively integrate new uses into the historic site. Brookfield Homes, the historic buildings restoration developer, worked in concert with the historic buildings restoration architect, 30th Street Architects. Ken Smith Landscape Architect provided site and landscape design. The well-seasoned engineering team included structural engineering by Structural Focus; mechanical/electrical/plumbing services by Linwood Engineering; and civil engineering and land surveying/mapping services by Fuscoe Engineering, Inc.

OBSTACLES OVERCOME
While providing comprehensive engineering, survey/mapping and water quality assurance services for all of The Packing District redevelopment projects, Fuscoe worked with the City of Anaheim to resolve challenging sewer and stormwater technical issues. Additionally, critical street improvements were made to Anaheim Boulevard on the northbound side from Santa Ana Street to Broadway. To make the project pedestrian-friendly, the parkway was enlarged/widened to accommodate pedestrian right-of-way and landscaping. This infrastructure work completely upgrades The Packing District’s outdated facilities and brings them up to the City’s demanding downtown design standards, ensuring efficient functioning for years to come.

Anaheim Public Utilities offers a “Green Building Program” to promote green/sustainable building design and construction in the City of Anaheim. The program accelerates plan and permit approval and provides financial incentives for green building achievement. To qualify for program benefits, projects must either be certified under the guidelines of the U.S. Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®), or successfully rated with a recognized green building rater. Fuscoe Engineering assisted the builder in meeting these guidelines. Native drought-tolerant plantings, shade structures, dark sky lighting and permeable pavers for stormwater infiltration all enrich the site’s environmental quotient. Additionally, the Fuscoe team devised a unique pilot project consisting of a water quality alley, composed of rock, gravel, sand and pavers, in the public right-of-way.

OTHER ACCOLADES RECEIVED
2013 California Preservation Foundation Design Award, Rehabilitation Category
2013 National Design Award, Smithsonian/Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum

Please see Additional Information below.

The Packing District, an urban infill adaptive re-use project, transformed a historic citrus packing neighborhood into a distinctive entertainment and retail hub. Located in downtown Anaheim, The Packing District’s components include The Packing House, Packard Building, Farmers Park, Brookfield Homes multi-family residential complex, parking lots and Anaheim Boulevard street/pedestrian improvements.

The Packing District project, located in downtown Anaheim on South Anaheim Boulevard, is comprised of several components, including the Packing House, Packard Building, Farmers Park, Brookfield Homes multi-family residential complex, Claudina parking lots and Anaheim Boulevard street and pedestrian improvements.

The Packing District was the site of a citrus packing zone that harkens back to Anaheim’s agricultural roots. This urban infill mixed-use project has positively transformed this primarily commercial/industrial neighborhood. The five-acre site showcases the adaptive reuse of the historical Anaheim Citrus Packing House and adjacent Packard Building into an upscale commercial/retail venue featuring restaurants and shops. A pedestrian paseo, Farmers Park, links the two structures and provides easy access for residents of a multi-family residential complex also developed within the Packing House District. Brookfield Homes’ eight three-story residential buildings are comprised of 88 live/work and residential condominium units. 

The Packing District’s reuse of architectural elements has reclaimed the historic flavor of this distinctive neighborhood that had provided the economic engine at the core of the city’s early success: orange cultivation and packing. Unfortunately, over the years this historical locale deteriorated to a handful of faded, neglected structures and parking lots. The City of Anaheim’s redevelopment strategies, achieved in collaboration with designers, engineers and developers, have wrought dramatic improvements and now The Packing District is in the full flower of restoration.  The Packing District has successfully transformed into a viable, vibrant place for people to live, work and play in a setting that pleasingly combines the modern and the historic, the built and the natural.

While providing comprehensive engineering, survey/mapping and water quality assurance services for all of The Packing District redevelopment projects, Fuscoe worked with the City of Anaheim to resolve challenging sewer and stormwater technical issues. Additionally, critical street improvements were made to Anaheim Boulevard on the northbound side from Santa Ana Street to Broadway. To make the project pedestrian-friendly, the parkway was enlarged/widened to accommodate pedestrian right-of-way and landscaping. This infrastructure work completely upgrades The Packing District’s outdated facilities and brings them up to the City’s demanding downtown design standards, ensuring efficient functioning for years to come. Additionally, the Fuscoe team devised a unique pilot project consisting of a water quality alley, composed of rock, gravel, sand and pavers, in the public right-of-way.