Office Park to Rise in Diamond Bar : Work Starts This Week on Gateway Corporate Center

Construction will begin Monday on the first building in Gateway Corporate Center/Diamond Bar, a $200-million, 255-acre office project at the intersection of the Pomona (60) and the Orange (57) freeways.

The center is a joint venture of Los Angeles-based Zelman Development Co. and Boston-based Copley Real Estate Advisors.

The first building will be the 51,800-square-foot, two-story headquarters of Kelley-Clarke Inc., food brokers. The firm signed a 10-year lease valued at $6 million. Completion of the building is scheduled for Feb. 1, at which time the firm will move its 275-member sales force from its City of Industry offices to Diamod Bar.

Later this week, work will begin on two other buildings; one will be two stories and the other three.

Both will be in the 51,000-square-foot range and are scheduled to be completed in seven months.

All three buildings were designed by Hill-Pinckert Architects of Irvine. General contractor is Oltmans Construction Co. of Whittier. Landscape design was by POD Inc. of Irvine.

Gateway Center, according to the developer, will be the largest corporate office park in East San Gabriel Valley, with a potential for building in excess of 1.5 million square feet. It is expected to be completed in 1993.

The center will include a hotel, restaurants and retail services.

Gateway is Zelman’s largest project, according to Ilaine Denslow, executive vice president.

“Because it involved grading part of a hillside, about 5 million yards of dirt had to be moved. Fortunately, we were able to use it all on the site.”

More than 100 acres of the site were left in their natural state covered with trees and shrubs.

“We also had to put a 54-inch storm drain under the Pomona Freeway without closing the freeway.”

To give the hillside a natural look, 1.6 million square feet of land will be sprayed with a mixture of grass and flowers.

Denslow said that the project was made easier because of the cooperation of the community, the Diamond Bar Municipal Advisory Council and County Supervisor Peter Schabarum’s office.

Zelman and Copley are also co-owners of Puente Hills East, a $72-million, 125-acre mixed-use office and retail development.

Wells Fargo Bank provided more than $30 million in development and construction loans.

The Seeley Co. of City of Industry, is exclusive agent.