"We're not losing the Enderle Center," Tustin Councilmember Lee Fink told the Orange County Register in June. In the same interview, he said the center would probably have to close for about a year while utilities and other infrastructure are replaced. Both statements hold up. The center on East 17th Street, just east of the 55, is staying in place under a new name, Campo on 17th. The version that reopens is being drawn around a town green, fire pits and open lawn, and its best-known restaurant will come back smaller.
For anyone in North Tustin or Lemon Heights who has used Enderle for birthday dinners, framing jobs or a quick stop on the way home, the change is already underway. Each tenant has made its own decision. Some are staying through construction, some have new addresses, and some are gone.
Zov's Stays, at Roughly Half Its Current Size
Zov's has been at Enderle since 1987. According to the Register, it grew from a 1,200-square-foot first space to nearly 14,000 square feet. The restaurant planned for Campo on 17th is 8,200 square feet. Shopping Center Business describes it as fully expanded and remodeled, and as the project's anchor tenant. It is "expanded" compared with a single building. Compared with everything Zov's added over almost four decades, it is about 60 percent of the footprint.
Some of that space reappears as open ground. Fink told the Register that the area where Zov's tent now stands could become an open lawn for events and family programming. According to the City of Tustin's Campo on 17th FAQ, Zov's plans to stay at the center and move into the building El Torito used to occupy. In a social media statement quoted by the Register, the owners said the new restaurant takes its cue from their newest location in San Clemente and is planned to open before summer 2027.
In August, the Register called Zov's the "lone holdout," staying through much of the construction. The Zov's Tustin page still lists the Bistro at 17440 E. 17th St., and the Bakery & Cafe posts its own weekday and Saturday hours. Check both before you go, since the schedule may change once crews arrive.
The Taco Bell on 17th Street is the other confirmed stay. The city says it will get minor cosmetic updates so it matches the rest of the center.
Who Has Moved, and Where
The tenants who are not staying have handled it in different ways. Here is where each one stands as of this week:
| Business | At Enderle since | Status | Where to find it now |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zov's | 1987 | Staying; moving into the former El Torito building | 17440 E. 17th St. for now |
| Taco Bell | Not stated | Staying, with cosmetic updates | 17th Street, same spot |
| Chemers Gallery | 1978 | Relocated | 13911 Carroll Way, Ste. B, Tustin, as of October 19 |
| AA Jewelry | Not stated | Relocated to Old Town Tustin | 462 El Camino Real, Tustin |
| The Crab Cooker | 1992 | Closed by May 31 | No Tustin location |
| El Torito | Not stated | Closed in spring 2026 | No Enderle location |
| Gas station, 17th and Yorba | Not stated | Vacated; pumps and canopy removed | Site set for a new building |
Chemers Gallery is the move to note this week. The framing gallery has been run by the Raab family at Enderle for 47 years. Its site lists the Carroll Way suite as its new address as of October 19, the Monday before this post. Anyone with a framing order placed before the move should call the gallery before driving to 17th Street. The number on its contact page is (714) 731-5432.
The Register reported that AA Jewelry held a moving sale in August and finished at Enderle that month on its way to Old Town Tustin. Its business listing now shows 462 El Camino Real.
Two Unanimous Meetings Started the Clock
The Planning Commission and the City Council finished their approvals about seven weeks apart, and the tenant moves listed above followed that schedule.
- July 28, 2026. The Tustin Planning Commission approved the Campo on 17th design review, tentative map and related use permits, 5–0 on each item.
- August 2026. Burnham-Ward Properties completed its $30 million purchase of the center, which the Rogers family trust had owned for decades, according to the Register.
- September 15, 2026. The City Council voted 5–0 to vacate Enderle Center Drive and directed staff to watch traffic and emergency access, according to Citizen Portal.
- Before summer 2027. Zov's target for opening its new restaurant.
- Fall 2027. The city FAQ's estimate for finishing the commercial remodel, with the residential portion expected by the end of 2028.
The street vacation matters to anyone who drives in from the foothills. According to the Planning Commission minutes from the July hearing, city staff explained that Enderle Center Drive runs over privately owned land and that the city holds only an easement on it. According to the Foothills Sentry, the drive will be shortened into an entrance for the center that also serves a new drive-through restaurant and the Taco Bell. The closed section lets the residential areas along the southern edge connect.
The Lawn Where the Tent Stood
The center started as farmland. The Foothills Sentry, which filed its Campo on 17th coverage under North Tustin, says the property was part of an orchard that Herman Enderle, his brother Frank and his sister Rose began farming in the early 1900s. Herman's grandson, Al Enderle, broke ground on the shopping center in the 1970s.
The new plan uses more of that land for open space than the old center did. Burnham-Ward's description, as reported by Shopping Center Business, keeps retail as the main use and adds landscaping, water features, fire pit areas and a town green intended for gatherings throughout the year. The Foothills Sentry reports the developers intend to keep hosting local events at the center. Planned new buildings include restaurant and retail space along Yorba Street, a car wash next to the 55, and a one-story building at 17th and Yorba that could hold a coffee shop or something similar. Three-story townhomes are planned on the south and east sides, overlooking the retail area.
That is the reason the anchor restaurant is shrinking. Zov's owner Armen Karamardian spoke in support at the July hearing, mentioning the lower commercial intensity and the addition of the town green. In the next version of Enderle, less floor space goes to restaurants and more goes to open areas where people can stay.
This Fall, Old Town Tustin Is the Closer Option
While 17th Street is between versions, the nearest public events on the calendar are in Old Town Tustin, where AA Jewelry also moved. The City of Tustin lists:
Every Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Old Town Tustin Farmers Market, with produce, handmade goods and small-business vendors.
October 24, 6 to 8 p.m. The free Halloween Bash Trunk-or-Treat, with a DJ and games.
Friday, October 30, 4 to 7 p.m. The free Halloween Howl in the Tustin Library Courtyard at 345 East Main Street, with a costume contest, bounce houses, a petting zoo and food trucks.
Saturday, November 7, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The free Veterans Day Celebration and Car Show at Veterans Sports Park, 1645 Valencia Ave., with a ceremony, live music, service booths, a beer garden and food trucks.
Saturday, December 12, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Breakfast with Santa at the Tustin Community Center at The Market Place. Registration opens November 16 at 9 a.m. for residents in ZIP codes 92780 and 92782 and November 17 at 11 a.m. for everyone else. Plan around that second date if your address is outside those two ZIP codes.
For now, a 17th Street errand run means checking first. Zov's is still on site, Chemers is on Carroll Way, and AA Jewelry is on El Camino Real. The open lawn where the Zov's tent stands is planned for a center the city expects to finish by fall 2027.
If you own a home near 17th Street and want to talk through what Campo on 17th and the other projects along the corridor could mean for your plans, Adrian Langley of Skymark Real Estate Group can go over the approved plans and timeline with you. Schedule a Consultation through the contact page.
