The Irvine Business Complex project includes 97 market-rate homes and 11 homes reserved for qualifying lower- and moderate-income buyers.
An Irvine office property has been cleared for redevelopment into 108 for-sale townhomes.
The Irvine Planning Commission approved plans for the residential project at 16842 Von Karman Avenue on September 17. The approximately five-acre property is currently developed with a commercial office building and associated parking.
Developer KB Home proposes 97 market-rate townhomes and 11 affordable homes. Six of the affordable units would be reserved for very-low-income households and five for moderate-income households.
From office space to housing
The project is located within the Irvine Business Complex, an area originally shaped by offices, commercial properties and industrial uses that has gradually added more residential development.
The townhome plan represents another conversion of commercial land into housing as Irvine works to accommodate population growth and state housing requirements.
City planning documents address the project’s master plan, subdivision map, density-bonus provisions, park requirements and environmental review. The approved homes would be individually owned rather than operated as rental apartments.
Affordability requirements
The 11 affordable homes are a central component of the project. Long-term affordability restrictions are intended to keep those units available to buyers whose household incomes fall within designated limits.
The city and developer will still need to administer qualification, pricing and resale requirements. Public documents reviewed for the approval did not establish final sales prices or announce when applications for the affordable homes might open.
What happens next
Planning approval does not mean construction begins immediately. KB Home must complete remaining permitting, engineering and preconstruction work before demolishing the existing commercial property.
A final construction schedule, expected opening date and pricing for the market-rate homes have not been publicly announced.
Residents can review the official Planning Commission agenda and the city’s master-plan resolution.
