The Irvine Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve a entitlement application from homebuilder KB Home to construct a 108-unit townhome development in the Irvine Business Complex, as The Korea Daily reported, citing coverage from real estate outlet The Real Deal. The commission's vote allows the residential project to advance without requiring a separate City Council review, provided no appeal is filed against the commission's decision.
The development site is located at 16842 Von Karman Avenue, an approximately 5-acre property within the district currently known as the Von Karman Tech Center. Under the approved entitlements, KB Home will demolish existing office and industrial structures totaling 99,000 square feet to clear the land for new housing construction.
In place of the commercial buildings, the homebuilder plans to erect 16 three-story residential structures. The overall program call for 108 townhomes, comprising 97 market-rate residences and 11 units reserved as affordable housing for low-income households. The planned floor plans for the individual townhomes will range in size from approximately 1,240 square feet to 2,290 square feet.
The project site sits within the Irvine Business Complex, an approximately 2,700-acre economic center long dominated by commercial, office, and industrial uses. In recent years, the district has experienced a sustained trend of redevelopment projects that convert older, aging commercial facilities into higher-density residential developments to expand the local housing supply.
Data for the Irvine Business Complex indicates substantial residential activity across the area. As of April, the existing housing stock within the district stood at approximately 11,280 units. At that same time, another 1,870 units were under construction throughout the complex, with an additional 542 units already approved by municipal authorities.
With the addition of the 108 units proposed in the KB Home plan, the overall projected housing capacity within the Irvine Business Complex is expected to reach approximately 13,800 units upon full buildout of the approved and ongoing pipeline projects.
Because the planning commission approved the development plan without dissent, the project moves to its next administrative phase. Unless an appeal is lodged against the decision, KB Home can proceed with site preparation and the permitting process necessary to begin the demolition of the 99,000-square-foot Von Karman Tech Center facility and advance toward construction.
