It’s in the Bag: Bomel Construction Wraps Up $16-million Parking Structure for Southern California Outlet Center Before Busy Holiday Shopping Season Begins

CABAZON, Calif., Nov. 15, 2013

Continuing its decades-long history of successfully completing challenging projects for large shopping center developers, Anaheim Hills-based Bomel Construction Co. has finished a multi-level parking structure in Southern California’s Inland Empire.

The 1,800-stall, four-level garage greatly increases the number of parking spaces at Desert Hills Premium Outlets in Cabazon, one of the nation’s busiest outlet centers. Desert Hills, about 90 miles east of Los Angeles and 20 miles west of Palm Springs, is owned by Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group Premium Outlets. The 640,000-square-foot parking structure, completed on time and within the owner’s budget, is located on the mall’s east wing. The structure was built in 12 months at a construction cost of $16 million and finished before the start of the year-end holiday shopping season.

The upscale structure was erected amid a buzz of activity, considering the daily flurry of shoppers traversing Desert Hills, a nearly 20-year-old, designer-brands outlet center undergoing a major expansion and renovation. Forty-five brand new stores (totaling 185,000 square feet) now under construction will join a roster of 130 existing shops, 80 of which are now undergoing significant renovations. The new shops and the renovated stores will be completed in April. The size of the expanded outlet center will increase to 650,058 square feet.

The new parking structure was designed to fit seamlessly into Desert Hills’ upscale motif. “I don’t think I’ve built a parking structure with as many colors as this one has. It’s a very nice looking structure,” said Kasey Shay, senior project manager for Bomel Construction, a 43-year-old concrete contractor that has completed hundreds of parking structures in the West, including those at major malls in California for such developers as Simon, Westfield, Caruso Affiliated Holdings and the Irvine Company.

Shay said about one dozen desert-inspired colors is just one attractive aspect of a 700-foot-long parking structure that also sports stained concrete with banding and saw cuts in the lobby. Other high-end features include pendant light fixtures, stone columns at each entrance, a pre-cast colored concrete base and foam cornices. The Desert Hills garage has escalators that quickly transport shoppers between levels, also a feature of the Bomel-built parking structure at Caruso’s Grove outdoor shopping center in Los Angeles.

The most dramatic aspect of construction of the Desert Hills parking structure, according to Shay, was the erection of two vehicle bridges, both 70-feet long, which required a great deal of teamwork and formwork. “One bridge is 30 feet above ground; the other is 40 feet in the air and goes into a hillside. It was quite a sight during construction,” Shay said. One bridge comes off a public street called Millard Pass while the other stems from an adjacent surface parking lot. The bridges vary in width: one is 35-feet wide and the other is 28-feet wide. Despite the challenging work on the bridges and the active site, Bomel completed the entire project free of injuries.

Competition for such a high-profile project was intense, with Bomel beating out four other companies vying for the parking structure’s design-build contract. It didn’t take long before it became clear why Bomel was chosen for the job.

“They hit all of their milestones in the design phase. That’s not unheard of, but it was very refreshing,” said Bob Rabun, executive vice president of Lyle Parks Jr. Construction, the Anaheim-based general contractor for the Desert Hills expansion project. He credited Bomel for creating a design that delivered more parking spaces while maintaining the integrity of the parking structure.

“Bomel was able to give us a couple hundred additional stalls that were required by allowing for parking on the speed ramps,” Rabun added, “and they kept the design intent just like we wanted it. They are definitely an organization that knows how to successfully complete a project like this. We are pleased with the outcome.”

About Bomel Construction Co.: Established in 1970, Anaheim Hills-based Bomel Construction is one of the largest concrete contractors in the United States. The design-build contractor has completed parking structures and performed structural concrete work for municipalities, casinos, stadiums and large-scale commercial, retail and institutional projects throughout the western U.S.

About Bomel Construction Co.: Established in 1970, Anaheim Hills-based Bomel Construction is one of the largest concrete contractors in the United States. The design-build contractor has completed parking structures and performed structural concrete work for municipalities, casinos, stadiums and large-scale commercial, retail and institutional projects throughout the western U.S.

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