Southern California retailing icon demolished to make way for housing

The wrecking crew has come for one of Orange County’s most visible retail relics.Demolition work began this past week on a boarded-up, 80,000-square-foot former JCPenney building at the Village at Orange mall at 1500 E Village Way in Orange, California, to make way for housing. San Clemente, California-based development firm Integral Communities plans to replace the long-vacant property with a 167-unit condominium project featuring resort-style amenities such as poolside lounges and a bocce ball court. Other retailers on the property remain open.The move comes as residential property takes over an increasing number of traditionally retail parcels across Orange County and the United States. A housing shortage in markets across the country is particularly acute in Southern California, making these types of projects a more familiar sight.At the Village at Orange property, the apartments will bring activity to a site abandoned by retail users, according to John Stanek, principal at develop...