HOUSING STARTS : Renaissance-La Jolla to Emulate Italian Villages
Construction has begun on the model homes of Avanti and La Florentine, two of several townhouse villages planned for Renaissance-La Jolla, one of the nation’s largest master-planned multifamily housing communities.
The 114-acre project of McKellar Development of La Jolla and Ahmanson Development will be built over the next decade and is located in the “Golden Triangle” area of San Diego, bounded by Towne Centre Drive and Nobel Drive in University City.
At build-out, Renaissance-La Jolla will have 2,500 residential units, including townhouses, condominiums, apartments and senior housing, on about 80 acres. The plan includes about 50,000 square feet of retail space.
The master plan, developed by senior architect Johnannes Van Tilburg of Santa Monica, provides a grouping of Italian-style villages, reminiscent of Florence or Pisa in northern Tuscany.
An Old World feeling will be reflected in graceful arches and columns, tile roofs, pale-washed walls and cobblestone streets.
Focal point of the project will be an elaborate clock tower and numerous creeks that will meander under pedestrian bridges, along walkways and through courtyards.
The Avanti townhomes, designed by Bassenian-Lagoni, will feature two and three bedrooms, with 2 1/2 baths, ranging from 1,452 to 2,050 square feet and will sell in the mid-$200,000s. Prices at La Florentine townhouse village, designed by Van Tilburg & Partners, will start in the low $300,000s. Both projects will begin sales in June.
A new 29.1-acre community city park will be built next to the project at the corner of Nobel and Judicial drives. The $4-million playground will have a softball field, tennis courts, basketball courts, a playground and a 5,000-square-foot recreation building.
Gordon Ranch
“A taste of the country where four counties touch,” is how William Schulz of the Covina-based Anden Group describes his firm’s new 481-acre project in Chino Hills.
The $128-million, master-planned community of Gordon Ranch, just east of Diamond Bar at the intersection of Eucalyptus Avenue and Chino Hills Parkway, will offer residents a balanced mix of open space and housing, Schulz said.
The residential development, close to six regional shopping malls and nearby Ontario International Airport, will occupy 156 acres. About 290 acres are earmarked as open space; 6 acres of parks and a neighborhood commercial site will complete the master plan.
There will be a broad spectrum of home sizes and designs, the Anden Group spokesman said, with anticipated purchase prices ranging from the low $100,000s to more than $300,000 for two to four-bedroom homes. The project is targeted for completion by 1992.
Hidden Hills Estates
Horse trails will be a key component of Hidden Hills Country Estates, a 115-acre complex of 62 estate homes under construction in the western San Fernando Valley.
The custom-built homes will range from 5,000 to 10,000 square feet and start at about $1.7 million. Buildable lots range from $550,000 to $1 million.
Most of the properties border riding trails and include paddocks and corrals.
Buyers in the gated community near the intersection of Burbank and Valley Circle boulevards can select a design from one of the architects chosen by builder Continental Communities Inc. or can commission their own architect.
Alicante Hills
Model homes have opened at Alicante Hills, a $15-million community of 38 upscale, single-family homes at 2803 Torry Court in Carlsbad.
All of the Mediterranean-style, two-story houses overlook the La Costa Country Club and provide views of Batiquitos Lagoon and the Pacific Ocean, according to the developer, Hills of Alicante Ltd. Each home has at least three bedrooms and two bathrooms and ranges from 2,228 to 2,570 square feet in size.
Prices in the first phase range from $395,000 to $455,000.
Rancho Sierra Estates
Boczanowski Inc. has put up for sale its first 12 homes at Rancho Sierra Estates, a community of 35 luxury homes in the Lake Hodges area of Escondido.
The average lot size in the community is 20,000 square feet, according to Amy Forte, Boczanowski’s director of sales and marketing. Each of the Mediterranean-style homes have four bedrooms and range from 2,500 to 3,251 square feet.
Prices range from $329,900 to $382,500.
The complex covers 19 acres, with the sales office at 1865 Citricado Parkway.
Montecito Village
Ground has been broken on Montecito Village, a $16.5-million luxury condominium apartment development in Ivey Ranch, a 380-acre master-planned community in Oceanside.
When completed in September, the project will have 234 one- and two-bedroom rental units, ranging in size from 642 to 1,055 square feet. Rent is expected to range from $625 to $975 a month, depending on size and amenities.
The development was designed with a Spanish Mediterranean theme, with exterior features including large arched windows and entryways, tile roofs, textured stucco walls, heavy wood frames, spacious balcony areas and breezeways.
Montecito/Ivey Ranch Partners is the developer of the project on an 11.6-acre site located between Old Grove Road and Via Rancho Road. It will include a 3.200-square-foot recreation building with lounge and kitchen facility. Additional private recreation facilities will include a pool, spa, volleyball court, saunas and tot lot.
San Rafael Duplexes
Calprop Corp. has announced its $27.5-million acquisition of 28 acres in the new residential development of San Rafael in Glendale, 9 miles from downtown Los Angeles.
Wayne Avrashow, vice president and general manager of the Los Angeles division of Calprop, said the firm plans to build 131 single-family duplex homes with selling prices starting at $400,000. Construction is scheduled to begin in May.
“We are enthusiastic about the location of this project. It’s right off the Mountain Street exit of the Glendale (2) Freeway and offers good canyon and city views,” Avrashow said.
“Demand for housing in this market area remains very strong, especially from the move-up buyer and the empty-nester in the 50-65 age group with significant equity in a present home,” he added.
Moreno Valley Ranch
Moreno Valley Ranch, a new 4,000-acre community by the Warmington Co. in the city of Moreno Valley, is under development, with home sales scheduled to begin this summer.
The focal point for the new community is the $5-million, newly completed Moreno Ranch Lake that covers 35 acres of Moreno Valley Ranch.
Along its 134,500 feet of shoreline will be private homes, apartments, a recreation center with a marina and boat launching ramp, and three commercial centers with restaurants, offices and stores.
The design and engineering of the lake was done by J. Harlan Glenn & Associates of Orange; a program to stock the lake with edible fish will start this spring.
The project’s second focal point will be a 27-hole public golf course, designed by Pete Dye and built and operated by Landmark Land of California.
Moreno Valley Ranch will include 1,664 acres of permanent open space plus 76 acres of parks and hiking and equestrian trails.
Home builders in the 544-acre first phase of construction will include projects by 14 major Southern California developers.
North Beverly Park
North Beverly Park, under construction north of the Beverly Hills Hotel, is a joint venture of Brian D. Adler, president of the Adler Development Group, Jon Douglas, president of Jon Douglas Co., and John Aaroe, executive director of Douglas Properties, the firm’s estate division.
About 50% of the 64 level lots, each consisting of two acres, already are reserved, with starting prices at $2.8 million. Most of the homes will encompass 12,000 to 16,000 square feet and will be valued in the $8-million to $10-million range.
Lot purchasers at North Beverly Park may choose their own architect and contractor, with all plans subject to approval by the project’s architectural review board.
The guarded and gated enclave will have a 4-acre park and tree-lined streets leading to the estate sites, each of which is provided with mountain or city views and ample room for tennis court, pool and guest house.
The new edition of Beverly Park follows completion of the first section, South Beverly Park, consisting of 16 lots of which 15 already have homes.
Casablanca Villas
Construction has started on Casablanca Villas, a master-planned neighborhood of 348 detached patio homes for seniors located in Sun City, 75 miles southeast of Los Angeles.
The 1.5-acre Casablanca Community Center includes a 25-meter lap pool, physical therapy spa, tennis courts, putting green and barbecue area as well as a recreation building with a dance floor, stage, billiard room and arts and crafts facilities.
Active seniors, 55 and older, have a choice of five different one-story floor plans ranging from 959 to 1,116 square feet. The Mediterranean-style homes with stucco exteriors and tile roofs are priced from $79,900. Models open in May.
Hillsborough Homes
The city of Santa Paula recently approved a residential development with 69 units, to be known as Hillsborough. It will be located on a 50-acre hillside, west of 10th Street and east of Monte Vista Drive.
The McKevett-Jones Partners’ project will feature homes with 3 and 4 bedrooms, 2 1/2 to 3 baths, 2 fireplaces and 3-car garage. Five different floor plans will range from 2,200 to 3,000 square feet.
Casienda Homes
San Diego-based Davidson Communities is the latest home builder to stake a claim in Corona Ranch, a large master-planned community under construction in San Diego.
Davidson purchased 45 acres in the 712-acre project from Corona Development Co., developer of the complex, for $11.4 million. Davidson will build Casienda, a neighborhood of 198 Mediterranean-style, detached homes averaging 2,400 square feet.
Homes in Casienda will have three to five bedrooms and are expected to range in price from about $240,000 to $290,000 when initial sales begin this summer.
Corona Ranch is about one-half mile north of the intersection of McKinley Avenue and California 91. It will have more than 3,000 homes, apartments and estate lots when completed in about 10 years, as well as an elementary school, commercial center, and several acres of parks and other open space.
Developer Corona Development Co. is a joint venture of Buie Corp. and Home Capital Development Group, both based in San Diego.
