Ground Broken for Upmarket Apartments in OC

By Dees Stribling, Contribution Editor

Santa Ana, Calif.—Newport Beach-based Lyon Communities has broken ground on the Marke @ South Coast Metro, a 300-unit property in Santa Ana. The property will be aimed at an upmarket, renter-by-choice demographic.

The property’s units will range from 720 square feet to 1,470 square feet. Marke @ South Coast Metro will include almost an acre of rooftop space that includes various amenities, such as a spa with private cabanas, an outdoor sports bar, 7,600-square-foot clubhouse with fitness center, movie theater, billiards and card room, video game area, two bowling lanes, a demonstration kitchen and Internet cafe.

The units will include open floor plans with nine-foot ceilings, kitchens with quartz countertops and European-style cabinetry, and designer fixtures and hardware. The apartments will feature oversized tubs (in most units), an in-home washer and dryer, and will be high-speed data ready.

The developers also stress the location as an attraction for renters-by-choice, which is an increasingly important demographic, especially in prosperous Orange County. The area is, among other things, home to the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, including Segerstrom Hall and the intimate Founders Hall—and the expansive 46,000-square-foot community plaza that connects the venues. The Samueli Theater, South Coast Repertory, Pacific Symphony, Pacific Chorale and the Philharmonic Society of Orange County all call this area home.

The project is slated for completion in 2013. Newport Beach-based Lyon Communities has acquired more than 21,000 units since its founding. It has also developed and renovated 12,500 units in California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia and Nevada.