Santa Ana’s Town Square Getting Face Lift

Big changes are underway at the timeworn Metro Town Square in Santa Ana, which is getting its first major face lift in 25 years.

The four-screen Edwards cinema--where tickets for all shows are only $3--will fade out, making way for Bally Total Fitness Center, which should open by October. The cinema--not one of Edwards’ stars--could close within 30 days, the center’s manager, Jackie A. Smith, said Monday.

Other developments include a new Jack-in-the-Box on an empty parcel on the corner of Bristol Street and Callens Common. The other streets bordering the 22-acre site are MacArthur Boulevard and Plaza Drive.

Center owner James A. Carter has purchased the Bombay Bicycle Club and will build an 18,000-square-foot retail strip there. Jewelry Mart will fill 5,000 square feet of that property.

The renovation of the center’s shops will cost about $1.2 million, Smith said.

The center is anchored by a new, 49,000-square-foot Vons.