Irvine Company Approved to Build 1,800 Homes in Santa Clara

The Irvine Company has received a green light to build nearly 1,800 apartments in north Santa Clara.

The Newport Beach-based developer was approved by the City Council to build a 1,792-unit complex at 2518 Mission College Boulevard, at Freedom Circle, the San Jose Mercury News reported.

It will replace a dozen office buildings at Santa Clara Park.

Plans for the 26-acre project include five five-story, Mediterranean-style apartment buildings, with a tree-lined promenade leading to a cafe and more than 9 acres of parks and open space.

Some 269 homes, or 15 percent of the development, will be set aside as affordable housing.

The complex will connect to San Tomas Aquino Creek trail, allowing residents access to Santa Clara Square and Levi Stadium.

The sole issue with the project involved the installation of a new traffic signal at Great America Parkway and Hichborn Drive. Mayor Lisa Gillmor said the new signal would back up traffic, especially during events at nearby Levi’s Stadium.

The council decided to further review the signal.

Over the past several years, Santa Clara has altered its general plan for its 108-acre Freedom Circle Focus Area from commercial to a high-density, mixed-use neighborhood of 3,600 homes.

In 2022, South Carolina-based Greystar was approved to build a 1,100-unit complex on a 13-acre lot at 3905 Freedom Circle, next to the Irvine Company site. Plans include 2,000 square feet of shops and a 2-acre park.

Greystar has since sold the undeveloped land to New York-based Cerberus Real Estate Management for $50 million.

Irvine Company is the largest office landlord in California, with more than 560 buildings that span more than 53 million square feet.

In Silicon Valley it’s the third-largest property management firm with 7.2 million square feet of leasable commercial space, according to the San Francisco Business Journal. The No. 1 firm is the Jay Paul Company, followed by Prologis, both based in San Francisco.

— Dana Bartholomew