Orange County More Than Doubles Footprint at SoCal Office Building

The County of Orange, Calif., is greatly expanding its office presence at a complex in Santa Ana, slowly taking over an entire building for at least the next 17 years. 

The county will more than double its footprint at Drawbridge Realty’s three-story office building at 1700 East St. Andrew Place, growing its lease there by 99,589 square feet. The county inked a 15-year, 70,462-square-foot lease there in February 2024. JLL’s Joe Bevan and Wade Clark represented the county in the lease deal, while CBRE’s Ross Bourne represented the landlord. 

The expansion will occur in two phases. Phase I, in which the County of Orange Health Care Agency will take approximately 59,000 square feet, is expected to begin between Nov. 1, 2026, and Jan. 1, 2027. Information on Phase II was not immediately available. 

Combined with its current lease, the county will occupy the entire building through 2042.

“The county has been an exceptional tenant at 1700 East St. Andrew and we’re thrilled to be able to continue to support their evolving space needs,” Mike Embree, Drawbridge’s managing director and senior vice president, said. “This expansion underscores our commitment to providing flexible, high-quality work environments that align with our tenant’s long-term goals.”

The expansion is the latest high-profile lease deal inked by Drawbridge in Orange County so far this Fall. In October, Drawbridge signed defense contractor Anduril to a three-building, 190,000-square-foot office campus in Costa Mesa, adjacent to Anduril’s headquarters and about six miles southwest of the county’s digs. The landlord’s Anduril deal closed on the same day as its acquisition of the Costa Mesa campus for $77.9 million. 

Nick Trombola can be reached at ntrombola@commercialobserver.com.