The Enderle Center sits at East 17th Street and Enderle Center Drive, beside the 55. The bistro is still serving there, but most of its neighbors are dark. The Orange County Business Journal described Zov's as remaining open "surrounded by shuttered shops and restaurants such as Crab Cooker and El Torito." Zov's has anchored the center since 1987. The gas station at 17th and Yorba has already lost its pumps and canopy, and its tenant has moved out.
The site is becoming Campo on 17th, a project from Burnham-Ward Properties with Intracorp handling development. The City of Tustin approved it in July. The developer describes the project as about 60,000 square feet of "revitalized" commercial space. In practice, the center North Tustin uses for dinner and errands is being redesigned around fewer stores and more places to gather. For the next year, those gatherings happen a short drive south in Old Town Tustin.
The Number Behind "Revitalized"
The city's project record has the real figures. The state's CEQA Notice of Determination, posted July 31, 2026, describes the center as it stands now and as it was approved.
| Today's Enderle Center | Approved Campo on 17th | |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial buildings | 14 | 11 |
| Commercial square footage | 132,345 | 56,359 |
| Buildings demolished | 8 | |
| Existing buildings kept, with minor improvements | 6 | |
| New commercial buildings | 5 | |
| Where commercial sits | Across the site | Northern portion |
That's roughly 76,000 fewer square feet of commercial space, a drop of more than half. The shops move to the north end of the site. The southern portion gets 31 residential buildings holding 100 condominium townhomes, with a dog park, a community pool and open space. The approved commercial uses are still a broad list: restaurants, retail, grocery, drive-thru service, an automated car wash and offices.
The plan also adds things the old center never had. The city's FAQ lists two outdoor amenity spaces, an event lawn, shaded walkways and paths designed around pedestrians. According to the Orange County Register, Burnham-Ward promises "lush landscaping, mature specimen trees, water features, soft‑seating fire pit areas and a new town green." The developer has also named live music, farmers markets and art walks as uses for that space. Put simply, the project gives up store space to make room for events.
What Is Still Open at 17th and Enderle
Two businesses are confirmed to stay. The city's FAQ says Zov's will remain but move into the former El Torito building, and the existing Taco Bell will stay with cosmetic updates like paint and landscaping.
- Zov's Tustin Bistro, 17440 E. 17th St., still listed with daily hours and reservations on Zov's own site.
- Taco Bell, 17502 E. 17th St., still listed with drive-thru and online ordering.
Several longtime tenants have left. El Torito closed earlier this year. The Crab Cooker followed on May 31 after operating at Enderle since 1992. The Crab Cooker's Newport Beach restaurant is still operating, but there's no announcement of the Tustin location reopening anywhere else. AA Jewelry held a moving sale and left in August. Its business listing now gives 462 El Camino Real in Old Town Tustin.
How long Zov's stays at its current address depends on the construction schedule, and published estimates differ:
- October 2026: the demolition start Burnham-Ward partner Stephen Thorp said the company hoped for, according to the Business Journal in late August.
- "Many months": how long Zov's will stay in its current space while its new building goes up, per Thorp.
- Before summer 2027: Zov's own target for the new restaurant, as reported by the Register.
- Fall 2027: the city FAQ's estimate for the commercial remodel. The residential portion follows by the end of 2028.
- The 2027 holiday season: when Thorp hopes to reopen the commercial area.
All of these are targets, not fixed dates. In June, before approval, the Register reported Councilmember Lee Fink's expectation that the center might close for about a year for utility and infrastructure upgrades. Later reports have Zov's operating through much of construction. Treat the coming year as a phased period with its own timing, not a single shutdown date.
The Shops Aren't Coming Back One for One
People asking which stores will fill the new buildings haven't gotten a list yet. The city says tenants are up to the property owner and that its information on future tenants is limited. At the July 28 Planning Commission meeting, Thorp said SusieCakes had expressed interest and a boutique coffee operator was under consideration for one of the two drive-thrus. He also said restaurants, personal-service businesses, and fashion and fitness companies have shown interest. The commission approved permits for two drive-thru restaurants, at 17280 and 17480 E. 17th St., without naming operators.
At that meeting, residents and commissioners raised concerns about traffic, parking and the proposed car wash. Chair Amy Mason still called the plan "thoughtful and well designed," the Business Journal reported. Fink had already framed the trade-off in June:
"We're not losing the Enderle Center."
That's how the Orange County Register quoted him. He described retail as the primary use, with the townhomes limited to the south and east sides. The site stays mostly retail, but there's far less of it. With half the shop space, the center needs other draws, and the developer has chosen the town green, the fire pits and the farmers market. Thorp's stated goal is to make Campo on 17th a community gathering place "just in time for the holidays next year."
Old Town Tustin Already Runs That Calendar
Until then, the kind of events Campo on 17th is designed for are already happening in Old Town Tustin, where AA Jewelry relocated. In May, the city announced a weekly Old Town farmers market every Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., with produce, handmade goods and small-business vendors. The city called it a new community tradition. Here's the rest of the season, in order:
- OC Book Fair, Saturday, Nov. 14, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., on El Camino Real between Main and Second streets and on Third Street between C Street and Prospect Avenue. Organizers list author talks, signings, panels, children's activities and vendors. Details at theocbookfair.org.
- Tustin Mayor's Thanksgiving Breakfast, Thursday, Nov. 19, 7 a.m., at Salvation Army Tustin Ranch, 10200 Pioneer Road. The 29th annual breakfast includes the 2026 Tustin Community Foundation Community Grants awards. Event page.
- Patchwork Show Tustin, Sunday, Nov. 22, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., at 245 El Camino Real. Confirm on Patchwork's Tustin page closer to the date.
- Christmas Tree Lighting, Friday, Dec. 4, 6 to 8:30 p.m., at Main Street and El Camino Real, per the city calendar.
- Tustin Pride Holiday Display Awards judging, Dec. 14 to 16, per the Tustin Community Foundation.
The other big holiday draw is up the hill at Irvine Regional Park. The Irvine Park Railroad Christmas Train runs Nov. 27 through Dec. 23, with weekday and weekend hours. The railroad scheduled online ticket sales to open Nov. 2 at 10 a.m. Next door, at 1 Irvine Park Road, the OC Zoo has a preschool program on Nov. 13 and an Animal Enrichment Family Workshop on Nov. 15.
Zov's, Beyond 17th Street
Zov's runs three other kitchens: San Clemente at 155 Avenida Del Mar, which opened this year, Irvine at 3915 Portola Parkway, and Newport Coast at 21123 Newport Coast Dr. The Daily Pilot covered the San Clemente opening as a step ahead of the redesigned Tustin restaurant. The Karamardian family has said on social media that "a brand-new transformed Zov's restaurant experience is coming to Tustin." For now, the Tustin Bistro at 17440 E. 17th St. is still serving in its original spot.
When Campo on 17th opens, the center down the hill from North Tustin will have a different mix of shops and a town green it never had. If you'd like to understand what changes like this mean for a home nearby, Summer Perry Group offers a complimentary valuation. We'll walk you through your home's value with the 17th Street corridor's next chapter in mind.
