Regional Furnishings Center Planned

An Orange County developer hopes to turn Costa Mesa into a hot spot for home remodelers across Southern California.

Birtcher Development announced plans Monday to build the 20-acre South Coast Home Furnishings Centre, an outlet with up to 14 buildings and about 40 showrooms.

The proposed location at South Coast Drive and Hyland Avenue is a short distance west of IKEA, which opened last year.

“Right now, when you drive down I-405, you see a mosaic of different home furnishing companies,” said Birtcher vice president Shannon Hondl. “The new building will centralize everything.”

The proximity to IKEA is a plus, company officials said, and shouldn’t pose competition for the new center.

“IKEA targets young, first-time buyers,” Hondl said. “We’re going after a different crowd -- the thirtysomethings who want to spend money on high-quality furnishings.”

Birtcher is buying the 20.5 acres from State Farm Insurance, based in Bloomington, Ill. The Costa Mesa office was one of four operation centers in California, said Scott Smith, a State Farm spokesman.

The closure, he said, is part of a two-year plan by State Farm to cut costs by shutting two of four main operation centers in California, and 40 of 60 claims centers.

Birtcher executives hope to obtain city permits and close escrow on the land by summer. If approved, they plan to finish construction by fall 2005.

The current market is good for opening a new home furnishing center, said Genevieve Morrill, vice president of Pacific Design Center, a million-square- foot center in West Hollywood that opened in 1975.

“We’re dealing with higher-end homes, so a lot of times even a bad economy doesn’t impact us as much,” she said.

“Right now, the market is exploding.”