Construction to begin soon on Plaza de Acacias in Rancho Santa Fe Village

By Karen Billing

Construction on the new village commercial center Plaza De Acacias will kick off in the next couple of weeks. Located at the southeast corner of Avenida de Acacias and El Tordo in the RSF Village, the two-story, 6,170-square-foot project is expected to be complete by May 2013.

The project came before the Rancho Santa Fe Association board on Oct. 4 for the last of three reviews — it was conditionally approved in October of 2011.

Only small changes have been made to the project since last year, all driven by the county approval process, according to developer Mike Grehl. The changes include a set of stairs deleted from the front of the building and replaced with a planter, a mechanical equipment screen and an ADA-accessible elevator added in the lobby.

Developers Brad Geier and Mike Grehl, who both grew up in the Ranch, hope not to disrupt the community during the estimated seven-month-long construction.

“We want to make every effort to make it a smooth construction process,” Grehl said, noting that they have worked out an off-site parking plan for construction vehicles and worked with the school and the RSF Patrol on best routes during peak school times. “We will try very hard not to get in anybody’s way, Grehl said.”

The existing parking lot adjacent to their site, located behind Wells Fargo and Union Bank, will remain and Plaza de Acacias will utilize 68 parking spaces.

The architect on the project is Doug Mansfield, a former RSF Association Lily Award winner.