The Irvine Company has set its sights on building nearly 1,800 apartment homes in Santa Clara.
The Newport Beach-based developer has filed plans to build a 1,792-unit complex at 2518 Mission College Boulevard, at Freedom Circle, the Silicon Valley Business Journal reported.
It would replace a dozen office buildings at Santa Clara Park at Freedom Circle.
Plans for the 26-acre project include five five-story, Mediterranean-style apartment buildings, with a tree-lined promenade to a café and more than 9 acres of parks and open space.
Some 269 homes, or 15 percent of the development, would be set aside as affordable housing.
The complex would connect to San Tomas Aquino Creek trail, allowing residents access to Santa Clara Square and Levi Stadium.
The city’s review process is expected to finish this year, according to the Irvine Company. The cost of the development was not disclosed.
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.
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 Business Journal. The No. 1 firm is the Jay Paul Company, followed by Prologis, both based in San Francisco.
— Dana Bartholomew
