436-Unit Development Open Near A Line’s Monrovia Station

by Steven Sharp | Urbanize LA

Alexan Marmont, located on a 6.77-acre site at 1625 N. Magnolia Avenue, is a five-story complex that features 436 studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, ranging between 491 and 1,545 square feet in size Parking for residents is located in an eight-level, 798-car garage at the center of the property

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South Downtown to Get 345 New Homes Despite Ground-Floor Active-Use Concerns from Planning Commission

by Luke Garrott | Building Salt Lake

The Salt Lake City Planning Commission approved a two-building project just east of the Central 9th district at its meeting last night despite commissioners’ concerns about the buildings’ design. The Boyer Company had asked for nine exceptions to D-2 zoning requirements that required both a planned development and a design review process for both buildings. Of the adjustment requests, planning commissioners were most concerned with Boyer’s failure to meet ground-floor active use requirements and provide relief for the long facade length of the north building.

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Top 200 Architecture Firms for 2024

by Building Design + Construction

Gensler, HKS, Perkins&Will, Corgan, and Populous top Building Design+Construction's ranking of the nation's largest architecture firms for nonresidential building and multifamily housing work, as reported in BD+C's 2024 Giants 400 Report.

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Discarded Building Shell Becomes Seniors Housing in Southern California

by Donna Kimura | MFE Awards

A half-built nine-story structure stood as an eyesore for more than a decade in Garden Grove, California. Known as the “rusty skeleton,” it was intended to be condominiums, but the project was abandoned in 2011 before it could be completed.

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Mixed-Use Community Rises on Former Shopping Center Site

by Vincent Salandro | MFE Awards

Located near the heart of North Hollywood, Alexan NoHo West is a mixed-use development that blends residential, commercial, and recreational space over 25 acres. Built on the site of a former shopping center once anchored by a Macy’s, the project features two residential buildings and a two-story exterior mall that redefines modern urban living.

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On The Move: AO Welcomes Lara McKissick as Chief Financial Officer

by Sydney Kerl | Orange County Business Journal

AO is pleased to announce the return of Lara McKissick as Chief Financial Officer. With nearly 20 years of expertise in the architecture and engineering industry, McKissick brings a wealth of experience in managing finance, accounting, and administrative teams. In her role as CFO, McKissick will collaborate closely with AO’s partner group, overseeing financial strategy, risk management, budgeting, and financial reporting. Her leadership will be instrumental in continuing AO’s legacy of 50 years of financial success and resilience.

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Ruba Awad-Moran, Partner at AO Shares How Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Arizona Crafts Space More Than Just a Dining Destination with Natural Beauty and Culinary Diversity

by Travel and Tour World

The Crystals at Sky Harbor food court, a newly unveiled culinary hub at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, offers travelers a unique blend of local and national dining experiences. Spanning an impressive 7,500 square feet, this food court has been meticulously designed by AO, a full-service architecture firm. Drawing inspiration from the natural crystal formations and geodes of the Sonoran Desert, the space features organic and calming elements, with natural wood finishings and geometric shapes that reflect Arizona’s rugged mountain landscapes.

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OC Firms Illuminate Oklahoma City Skyscraper

by Yuika Yoshia | Orange County Business Journal

An Orange County Firm is getting closer to constructing what may become the tallest building in the U.S. Newport Beach developer Scot Matteson has enlisted the help of Orange County's biggest architectural firm, Orange-Based AO, for the $1.6 billion project called Legends Tower in Oklahoma City.

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Meeting Today for 2400 Salvio Street, Downtown Concord

by Andrew Nelson | YIMBY SF

The Concord Planning Commission is scheduled to review plans for over two hundred apartments at 2400 Salvio Street in the downtown core of Concord in Contra Costa County. The proposal would replace a vacant parcel next to BART tracks and two blocks from Todos Santos Plaza. Washington State-based Marginal Properties Concord LLC is responsible for the application.

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City Council Approves Seely Avenue Masterplan, San Jose

by YIMBY SF

Master plans for a mixed-use residential project have been approved for development at 0 Seely Avenue, along Coyote Creek in North San Jose, Santa Clara County. The project will replace the current farmland and orchards with over a thousand apartments and retail space. Hanover Company, Pacific Companies, and SummerHill Homes are jointly responsible for the development.

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The DoubleTree Hotel Near The John Wayne Airport Has Been Completely Redesigned

by New Santa Ana

Leading OC architecture firm, AO, completed a redesign at Hotel Zessa – a Hilton hotel located near John Wayne Airport, at 201 E MacArthur Blvd., in Santa Ana. The redesign infuses vibrancy and zest to the 192K square foot DoubleTree hotel, emulating the brand spirit and Orange County’s ambiance. AO’s work can be found throughout the seven-story hotel as the rebrand was completed in guest rooms, lobby, fitness center, and other shared spaces.

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Purposeful Innovation: Smart and Feasible Solutions for Multifamily Development

by RC Alley, Managing Partner, AO

As the year progresses, the challenges confronting California’s real estate landscape persist, casting a shadow on the prospect of accessible and affordable housing. At AO, we view these challenges not as insurmountable obstacles, but as opportunities for purposeful innovation — a commitment to developing practical multifamily solutions to pressing issues faced by our developer clients, cities, and the communities which we serve.

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Santa Ana’s $650M Row at Red Hill on Track for Completion in 2025

by Steven Sharp | Urbanize LA

With its 2025 completion date now on the horizon, Greystar has announced that leasing is underway for its largest development ever: the Row at Red Hill, a sprawling mixed-use development on the border between Santa Ana and Tustin. Located on 14.5 acres of land at 2300 S. Red Hill Avenue in Santa Ana, the project will include 1,100 rental apartments, as well as 40,000 square feet of commercial space and four separate parking structures.

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166-Unit Senior Housing Complex Breaks Ground at 1800 E. La Veta Ave. in Orange

by Steven Sharp | Urbanize LA

USA Properties Fund. and Safehold, Inc. have commenced construction on a senior affordable housing complex in the City of Orange. The Orion, planned at 1800 E. La Veta Avenue, will consist of 166 apartments catering to low-income renters aged 55 and up - including eight permanent supportive housing units. The site is located near shopping centers, medical offices, regional parks, and in proximity to Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, and Disneyland, according to a news release.

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Creating Connections Through Design

by Nellie Day | Shopping Center Business

It's a fact of life that online shopping and the omnichannel approach have altered the way people shop. They've also altered the function of today's shopping centers. So has COVID. What was once a place for transactions has now become a place for connection, escape, and the ability to recharge.

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Big Apartment Complex Planned at 1941 White Ave. in La Verne

by Steven Sharp | Urbanize LA

Novipax, an Illinois-based company which makes absorbent packaging for food and healthcare products, currently operates out of a 100,000-square-foot facility located at 1941 White Avenue in La Verne. The proposed project, which would rise across the street from the Fairplex in Pomona, calls for razing all existing improvements to make way for a new five-story residential building featuring 367 homes and 1,588 square feet of retail space, as well as a six-level parking structure at the rear of the site adjacent to a Metrolink right-of-way.

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Rebar Cages Rise for New Modular Development at 1457 N. Main Street in Chinatown

by Steven Sharp | Urbanize LA

Just east of L.A. State Historic Park in Chinatown, rebar now protrudes above street level at the future site of a modular apartment complex from Thrive Living. The project, which replaced a food processing facility at 1457 N. Main Street, calls for the construction of a six-story building featuring 376 studio and one-bedroom apartments above 6,448 square feet of ground-floor commercial space. Plans also call for a 104-car garage.

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How to Fail at Delivering a Modular Project

by Nick Gomez | AO

Top ten lists are everywhere. It is a simple way of taking vast information and distilling it into 10 simple bullet points. While the list can often be subjective, the aim is to help you further explore a subject in depth. Most lists are about things to do or see, but I have decided to look at the repetitive mistakes people make that can derail a modular project.

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How an Old Nevada Office Park Is Getting a Retail Makeover

by Madalina Pojoga | Commercial Property Executive

In Henderson, Nev., some 16 miles southeast of Las Vegas, a joint venture is investing $30 million in redeveloping a former 100,000-square-foot, two-building office campus into an open-air retail center. And many could see this office-to-retail conversion as a bold move considering the retail industry has been facing its own set of challenges over the past decade. But the team behind the project is banking on local metrics and the fact that residents don’t have access to similar centers in the immediate area.

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Element Hotel Shares Site with Marriot Hotel Mission Valley

by Ray Huard | San Diego Business Journal

A seven-story, 150-room hotel tower is under construction in Mission Valley adjacent to the existing Marriott Hotel Mission Valley. Designed by AO, with R.D. Olson Construction as the general contractor, the 98,000-square-foot Element is part of the Marriott family of hotels and The Mission Valley Element will share an outdoor courtyard, swimming pool, amenity deck, restaurants and an existing parking garage with the Marriott Mission Valley.

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