SAN DIEGO — What's going on with the old China Max restaurant property in Kearny Mesa?
You may remember the restaurant caught on fire in April of 2020. That fire caused $4.5 million worth of damage to China Max and neighboring businesses in the strip mall.
If you've driven by the property lately, you'll notice some activity.
"Because of the pandemic, nobody was onsite, they were actually in Hong Kong, once the fire started it actually became an insurance issue," said Brien Prescott, who is the project manager working on the old China Max building for DZI Construction said.
This building may have been an eyesore in the community for a while, but the delay is not uncommon.
"It is normal. The biggest thing is, especially during the pandemic, you couldn't really be in a hurry because procurement changes every day,” said Prescott.
Back in 2020, San Diego Metro Arson Strike Team said the fire was caused by a faulty electrical wire. And when you're dealing with a fire at a business of this size during a pandemic, that makes things move even slower.
"It took them a while to come out here and assess the fire damage and then bring on a company, who's behind us, ATI who does the fire restoration," said Prescott.
He also had some good news to share. However, if you’ve ever remodeled your home, you know speed bumps should be expected.
"July is when I think we're hoping to get the tenants back in. Part of that is bringing the building up to code,” said Prescott. “When they had the original restaurant, it wasn't a factor but now, you're going to need a sprinkler system throughout the entire building."
Chris owns Green China Grill in the strip mall next door to the China Max property. He says, his restaurant has been open for nearly 7 years.
"Our restaurant is pretty popular in the Chinese community because we're the only restaurant that provides hand-pulled noodles,” said Chris. “Before the fire we were busy and after the fire and the business burned down, our business has actually been better. More people get to know our restaurant and we have more customers coming."
But Chris says, he’s still excited for the entire community to be restored.
"I mean, we love everybody. I'm all about love and kindness,” said Chris. “If we make money, I want everybody to make money, so we can all come in together."
CBS 8 reached out to the owners of China Max and they're still unsure about restoring the original restaurant. But property managers say all the other tenants and possibly a new restaurant could be on the way as well.
Expect to see more activity and construction in the area. If restoration and construction go well, there could be businesses back in action at the China Max location by the end of the year.
WATCH RELATED: Fire break outs at the China Max Seafood Restaurant in Kearny Mesa (April 2020)