I
rvine Company plans to transform its University City office campus into a mini neighborhood with hundreds of apartments. The company will raze two 1980s-era office buildings at the western end of The Plaza campus, opposite La Jolla Village Mall, and replace them with two seven-story apartment buildings containing 552 units.

    The project is part of Irvine Company's broader effort to take advantage of San Diego's updated community plan for University City, which allows for over 30,000 additional residential units. Construction on the new apartments is expected to begin next spring and will take three years to complete.

    Irvine Company's senior vice president of planning and design, Rob Elliott, said the company aims to create a "live, work and play city center" with quality housing connected to office campuses, retail, transit, and open spaces. The Plaza campus, which spans 17 acres, features a direct link to the MTS Executive Drive trolley station and a pedestrian bridge to Westfield UTC.

    The proposed apartment buildings will offer mostly market-rate units ranging from studios to three-bedroom apartments, along with amenities such as a shared fitness center, co-working spaces, and a pool area. Irvine Company also plans to upgrade the campus' central office amenity areas with additional public open spaces, new seating options, and public Wi-Fi.

    The company has declined to share the project cost or provide specifics on the number of units it will set aside for low-income families, citing the city's inclusionary housing policy. The policy requires developers to either set aside 10% of total units for households earning 60% or less of the area median income or pay a fee in lieu of building the units.

    The project exemplifies Irvine Company's new approach to its San Diego assets, with the company retreating from downtown San Diego and focusing on University City. Local real estate expert Gary London said the location at La Jolla Village Drive and Genesee Avenue is the most strategic corner in San Diego right now, making it an ideal spot for a residentially dominated project.

    The Irvine Company redevelopment will likely serve as a catalyst for neighboring land owners to rethink their dated or low-rise buildings, given the area's potential for higher density. The new owner of the shuttered Costa Verde Center is already working on a blueprint for the former strip mall that centers around creating a walkable neighborhood with thousands of residential units and neighborhood shops.