Considered the largest capital improvement project in the city’s history, C.W. Driver has broken ground on a $25M, 30K SF community center that will be a gathering spot for residents of Laguna Niguel for generations to come.

Designed by LPA Inc. the three-story midcentury modern-style building in Laguna Niguel will cap the final phase of the city’s three-tier Crown Valley Community Park improvement and renovation plan that began five years ago.

C.W. Driver has already performed some soft work around the area and started construction Monday.

“We’re getting the band back together for another successful project,” C.W. Driver Project Executive David Amundson said. C.W. Driver and LPA designed and built Laguna Niguel’s City Hall in 2011.

The Laguna Niguel City Council adopted the Crown Valley Park Master Plan in 2013. The master plan sets out a 10-year guide for park improvements and other enhancements.

Tier 1, completed in 2015, was the renovation of a playground and amphitheater and the development of a splash pad and restrooms. Tier 2 added a new bridge entrance, parking lots and an electronic marquee display.

C.W. Driver was not part of the first two phases but Tier 3, the development of the Crown Valley Park Community Building, will serve as the recreational anchor that glues everything together.

The three-story building will feature offices for staff and several multipurpose rooms and classrooms the public could rent out for special events.

New locker rooms, classrooms and changing areas will be on the ground floor, which opens to an ADA-compliant pool deck. There will be a rooftop patio on the third floor overlooking the pool and park. As part of its agreement with the city, C.W. Driver will also make exterior improvements to an existing YMCA nearby.

“The Crown Valley Park Community Building will serve many different age groups — from children to adults to seniors — through a myriad of common spaces, state-of-the-art classrooms and fitness facilities,” Amundson said.

Mayor Elaine Gennaway wrote in the Orange County Register the community building would bring the community together and serve residents of all ages “to engage in educational, social, and recreational opportunities.”

“Our remarkable city will have a remarkable new community center with amenities that we have not had in the past that will serve our remarkable residents for many years to come,” Gennaway wrote.

The project is slated to be completed by spring 2020.