Southland Homes Dominate Judging for 'Best in West'

By RUTH RYON

June 25, 1989 12 AM PT

<i> Times Staff Writer</i>

Two of three production homes judged this year’s “Best in the West” for their design in a competition among home builders are in Southern California.

And the condominiums deemed the “Best Affordable Housing” in the 14 Western states are in Pacoima, in the San Fernando Valley, at a starting price of $71,990.

But it was design--not price--that guided the panel of 14 home building and design experts who were judges in the “Gold Nugget” competition at the annual Pacific Coast Builders Conference, which ended last weekend in San Francisco. With 886 entries, the Gold Nugget is the biggest regional competition in the nation, said Pete Mayer, judging chairman and producer of the show.

The “Home of the Year” in the detached, small-lot category was a plan at Seadrift, a 93-detached-unit project in Laguna Niguel.

Designed by Bassenian/Lagoni Architects of Santa Ana, the home has four bedrooms, 3 1/2 baths, three fireplaces, a bonus room, about 3,200 square feet of interior space and a three-car garage.

Judges, who chose the plan over 137 competitors, applauded the home’s “raised, angled entry” and “sense of interior spaciousness,” particularly for a small site. The category in which Seadrift won was for homes built on lots 5,000 square feet or smaller.

Carol Dann, the marketing director for the builder, A-M Homes of Newport Beach, said, “We’re reusing that plan a lot, because it has been so successful. It sold out in a matter of months.”

The whole project sold out within six months of opening, at $50,000 more per house than when it opened in April, 1988, she said, but you can still find the winning model at two A-M developments.

At Summit Crest in the Orange County community of Dove Canyon, the model is selling for $408,000, and at Bellagio in Calabasas Park, it is priced from $580,000. “The (price) difference,” she explained, “is the cost of the land.”

The “Home of the Year” in the attached category is in Blackhorse, a 121-unit project in La Jolla.

Designed by architects Lorimer-Case of San Diego, the 2,685-square-foot plan has four bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, French doors, 10-foot-high ceilings, arched floor-to-ceiling windows, a circular stairway, skylights and a designer kitchen.

Eve Hager, sales and marketing vice president for Davidson Communities of San Diego, said the plan has been popular because it is “so open and spacious.” Judges, who selected the model over 121 other entries, remarked on the “use of custom features and attention to project streetscaping.”

Las Vegas Home

There is only one of the winning homes remaining to be sold, she said, and it is priced at $594,000, on land leased from the University of California for 65 years.

The third “Home of the Year,” in the detached, conventional lot category, is in Las Vegas.

Designed by McLarand, Vasquez & Partners of Costa Mesa, the house, one of several for the 120-unit Carmel Series at Spanish Trail, has three bedrooms and 2 1/2 baths in 2,500 square feet.

A spokesman for its Las Vegas builder, Spanish Trail Associates, said the eye-catching feature is a stairway with a bridge overlooking the living room. Judges, who chose the plan over 184 other models, called the spiral stairway, which can be seen from the entry, “the centerpiece of this home.”

There are still 90 units to build, and buyers’ preference determines which plan is used, the spokesman said. So far, 45% of the units, not 35% as expected, have been constructed according to the winning plan. Price varies by lot choice from $285,000 to $385,000.

‘Best Affordable’

A 324-unit condo development in Pacoima, Glenoaks by Griffin Homes of Calabasas, was judged the “best affordable housing” in the West. Chosen from 21 entries, the honored design was by Paul Essick Architects of Los Angeles.

Prices range from $71,990 to $116,900 for units available in the second of four phases.

The design calls for two types of condos: some one story, stacked one on top of another; some two stories; all with attached garages. Size ranges from 650 to 1,157 square feet.

“The upstairs, one-story condos have loft areas with lots of light,” said Paul Griffin III, who is proud of his condo development, but for reasons that go beyond its design.

“We do about 1,200 to 1,500 houses (and condos) a year . . . but this is different,” he said. “It’s in a tough neighborhood, and most of our work is not building, but working with the community, trying to get young men and women there to work on our job site and learn about opportunities in real estate development.”

A complete list of Gold Nugget grand award winners follows:

COMMERCIAL PROJECT OF THE YEAR MurrayHill Marketplace, Beaverton, Ore.

Builder: Columbia Willamette Development

Architect: Fisher-Friedman Associates

ATTACHED HOME OF THE YEAR Blackhorse La Jolla, Plan 4, La Jolla

Builder: Davidson Communities

Architect: Lorimer-Case

DETACHED (SMALL LOT) HOME OF THE YEAR

Over 2,500 Square Feet

Seadrift, Plan 2, Laguna Niguel

Builder: A-M Homes

Architect: Bassenian/Lagoni Architects

DETACHED HOME OF THE YEAR

(Conventional Lot)

The Carmel Series at Spanish Trail, Plan 2, Las Vegas

Builder: Spanish Trail Associates

Architect: McLarand, Vasquez & Partners

BEST RECREATIONAL FACILITY

Private, Public, or Retail Facility

Stroh Ranch, Parker, Colo.

Builder: Stroh Ranch Development

Architect: Habitat Design Group

BEST OFFICE/PROFESSIONAL BUILDING

Under 50,000 square feet

French Park Place, Santa Ana

Builder: Hall Moore & Co.

Architect: ML Partners

BEST OFFICE/PROFESSIONAL BUILDING

50,000 to 100,000 square feet

Palmbrook Corporate Center, Ontario

Builder: Gentosi Brothers

Developer: Mission Viejo Business Properties

Architect: Gilbert AJA Associates Architects

BEST OFFICE/PROFESSIONAL BUILDING

Over 100,000 square feet

Rio Vista Towers, San Diego

Builder: Nielsen Construction Co.

Developer: Oliver McMillan

Architect: BSHA/DMJM

BEST COMMERCIAL PROJECT--RETAIL

MurrayHill Marketplace, Beaverton, Ore.

Builder: Columbia Willamette Development

Architect: Fisher-Friedman Associates

BEST REHABILITATED COMMERCIAL

OR INDUSTRIAL PROJECT

Stonestown Galleria, San Francisco

Builder: Rudolph & Sletten

Developer: The Stoneson Development Co.

Architect: Field Paoli Architects

BEST HOTEL OR HOTEL RESORT

The Salish Lodge, Snoqualmie, Wash.

Builder: Lease Crutcher Construction

Developer: Puget Western

Architect: Mithun Partners

BEST INDUSTRIAL PROJECT

Quivira Vineyards Winery, Healdsburg, Calif.

Builder: RCI Construction

Developer: Henry & Holly Wendt

Architect: Rubenstein Architects A.I.A.

McDonnell Douglas Computer Systems Co., Santa Ana

Builder: Saffel & Mcadam

Developer: McDonnell Douglas Realty

Architect: Howard F. Thompson & Associates

MOST INNOVATIVE COMMERCIAL,

INDUSTRIAL OR INSTITUTIONAL

PROJECT OR DESIGN

Washington State Convention & Trade Center, Seattle

Builder: Paschen Contractors

Developer: Washington State Convention & Trade Center Corp.

Architect: Tra & HNTB

BEST CUSTOM HOME

Under 7,500 Square Feet

Selman Residence, Tustin Hills

Builder: Jack P. Selman

Architect: Architects Orange

BEST CUSTOM HOME

Over 7,500 Square Feet

Private residence, Hillsborough, Calif.

Builder: Covert & Associates

Architect: House & House

BEST RENOVATED OR RESTORED

RESIDENTIAL PROJECT

OR SINGLE HOUSE

The Seitz residence remodel, Corona Del Mar

Builder: Rink Kofford

Architect: Dougherty & Dogherty

BEST AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT,

ATTACHED OR DETACHED,

FOR SALE OR RENTAL

Glenoaks, Pacoima

Builder/Developer: Griffin Homes

Architect: Paul Essick & Associates

BEST APARTMENT PROJECT 1 TO 3 STORIES

The Landing at Riverlake, Sacramento

Builder/Developer: Beard Hoshaw & Howard Investment Builders

Architect: Emil Benes & Associates

BEST APARTMENT PROJECT

4 Stories or More

South Beach Marina Apartments, San Francisco

Builder/Developer: SBMA

Architect: Fisher-Friedman Associates

BEST INNOVATIVE HOUSING PRODUCT,

CONCEPT OR FLOOR PLAN

Cottage Row, San Francisco

Builder: Cotter Construction

Developer: Thomas Landers

Architect: Kotas/Pantaleoni Architects

BEST RESIDENTIAL SITE PLAN

Under 25 Acres

Corte Bella, Irvine

Developer: Recreations Group of Companies

Land Planner: McLarand, Vasquez & Partners

BEST “ON THE BOARDS” SITE/LAND PLAN

Commercial

Burbank Gateway Center, Burbank

Developer: The Alexander Haagen Co. Inc.

Land Planner: Leason Pomero Associates Inc.

BEST “ON THE BOARDS” SITE/LAND PLAN

Residential

Eastlake III--Vistas, Chula Vista

Developer: Eastlake Development Co.

Land Planner: Cinti & Associates

BEST SINGLE-FAMILY (SMALL LOT)

DETACHED HOME

Under 1,500 Square Feet

Camellia Park, Plan A, Mountain View, Calif.

Builder: The Greenbriar Co.

Architect: The Steinberg Group Architects

BEST SINGLE-FAMILY (SMALL LOT)

DETACHED HOME

1,500 to 2,000 Square Feet

The Legends at Stroh Ranch, Plan 5520, Parker, Colo.

Builder: Trammell Crow Homes

Architect: Michael Knorr AIA & Associates

BEST SINGLE-FAMILY (SMALL LOT)

DETACHED HOUSE

2,001 to 2,500 Square Feet

The Orchard series at Seven Springs, Plan 3, Cupertino, Calif.

Builder: The Gregory Group

Architect: Bassenian/Lagoni Architects

BEST SINGLE-FAMILY (SMALL LOT)

DETACHED HOME

Over 2,500 Square Feet

Seadrift, Plan 2, Laguna Niguel

Builder: A-M Homes

Architect: Bassenian/Lagoni Architects