Irvine Company Building Thousands of New Apartments in Orange County
The privately owned firm is already one of the largest in the country, with some 65,000 units in its portfolio
By Nick Trombola June 2, 2025 4:45 pm
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Irvine Company, California’s largest owner of multifamily properties, might just single-handedly realize the 10-year housing goal for its namesake city.
Donald Bren’s powerhouse development firm is pursuing a plan to build 1,858 new apartments across four five-story buildings at its Discovery Park campus in Irvine, according to the Orange County Business Journal. The firm’s plan to build 596 studios, 802 one-bedroom units and 460 two-bedroom units at the campus was unanimously endorsed by the city’s Planning Commission last month. The Irvine City Council will vote to approve or reject the proposal next.
Irvine Company’s roughly 130-acre, master-planned campus currently features 28 office properties, though the company has long planned to add residential and retail spaces to the project. The firm is also proposing 5,000 square feet of retail space and a roughly 2.6-acre park at the multifamily development, at the intersection of Laguna Canyon Road and Discovery, per the OCBJ.
Irvine Company’s residential ambitions extend well beyond Discovery Park. The same day that the city’s Planning Commission forwarded the Discovery Park plans, it also approved a zone change that paves the way for the firm to build up to 2,500 new units near the University of California, Irvine (UCI). If ultimately authorized by the City Council, the UCI project would be bounded by University Drive, California Avenue and State Route 73.
A spokesperson for Irvine Company did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the plans.
With roots extending well into the pioneer days of the mid- to late 1800s, Irvine Company is one of the largest privately owned landowners in Southern California and the entire U.S. The company currently owns 125 apartment communities totaling some 65,000 units, mostly in Orange County, along with 590 office buildings, 40 retail centers, five marinas, three golf courses and the Resort at Pelican Hill in Newport Beach, Calif.
One of those golf courses could be on its way out. The company recently submitted a plan to redevelop the 193-acre Oak Creek Golf Club, along with two adjacent parcels, into 3,100 residences, split between 1,600 apartments and 1,500 single-family homes. The project still requires approval from both the Irvine Planning Commission and City Council. The company also submitted plans in December to convert space at its MacArthur Court office complex into 700 apartment units.
As for current development, Irvine Company is actively building 1,261 residences adjacent to The Market Place, its roughly 165-acre open-air shopping center that straddles the border between Irvine and Tustin, Calif.
Nick Trombola can be reached at ntrombola@commercialobserver.com.
