Orange County Business Journal
Transcription
Orange County Business Journal
Mastering the Plan: Share Sales Rise for OC’s Big Three FEBRUARY 23, 2015 Irvine Ranch, Pavilion Park, RMV Counter Nat’l Trend By MARK MUELLER Sales at Orange County’s best-selling masterplanned residential developments showed no signs of slowing last year and are poised for more growth this year, despite a cooling trend across much of the country. Sales increased in 2014 at Irvine Ranch, Rancho Mission Viejo, and Pavilion Park at Great Park Neighborhoods, with builders on the developments’ land posting a combined 2,307 sales, a 14% increase over 2013, according to a new report by John Burns Real Estate Consulting LLC. Each of the projects placed among the top 20 best-selling masterplanned communities in the country, according to the Irvinebased consultancy’s data. The brisk sales are the latest evidence that homebuilders see OC as one of the best locations to be in the country, particularly for projects that target move-up and higherend homebuyers. That trend likely won’t change anytime soon. Each of the three communities has ambitious new phases of construction in the works, with nearly 7,000 homes planned over about the next three years that could keep their sales strong for the foreseeable future. OC Up, Elsewhere Down Only Houston, which has six projects listed in the top 20, had more entries than OC, but sales by that city’s crop of entries dropped 12% year-over-year in 2014. The cumulative 14% year-over-year increase for the three largest OC projects contrasts with the 10% decline for the country’s 20 largest masterplanned communities on the whole, according to the report. Sales for the other 17 best-selling communities in the country fell nearly 14% last year. The only other masterplanned community in California to crack the top 20 on the list was Valencia in Los Angeles County, which ranked ninth. That project, whose sales increased 33% last year, is overseen by FivePoint Communities Management Inc. in Aliso Viejo, the master developer of Great Park Neighborhoods. The trend of sales declines at large projects outside California resulted from a slower sales market in some areas, higher prices in others, and delays in lot availabilities, the John Burns report said. “Although numbers are down, most topselling communities do not report a reduction in demand, but rather other constraints that are adversely affecting their ability to deliver new product,” noted a recent report by Bethesda, Md.-based-based RCLCO, which publishes its own data on masterplanned communities. OC’s big three communities appear to have avoided any fallout from any such challenges in 2014. Irvine Ranch retained its No. 2 position among the country’s top 20, with 1,431 home sales in 2014, up about 1% over 2013 levels. The Irvine Company-overseen development has been California’s best-selling masterplanned community for several years but likely lost some sales last year due to local competition from other projects under way, according to the John Burns report. Rancho Mission Viejo placed No. 13 in Local breaking news: www.ocbj.com the country, with 451 sales, up 25% over year-ago levels. Pavilion Park in Irvine, which is nearing sellout, ranked No. 18 with 425 sales, a 73% increase—the second-biggest jump of any project among the top 20. Another notable local project that kicked off last year, Baker Ranch in Lake Forest, reported 309 sales since it opened last February. That placed the venture between Shea Homes Inc. in Walnut and Horsham, Pa.-based Toll Brothers Inc. at No. 33 for sales among all masterplanned communities in the country. The timing of the openings of Baker Ranch, Rancho Mission Viejo, and Great Park appear to have been well-measured, according to John Burns officials. 佡 Homes 28 Amelia: home model at Orchard Hills on Irvine Ranch ORANGE COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL 17 Infill Projects Keep Big and Small Builders Busy 18 ORANGE COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL Local breaking news: www.ocbj.com FEBRUARY 23, 2015 Less Risk, Fast Sales Appeal to Publicly Traded Firms By MARK MUELLER Orange County’s largest masterplanned developments are driving a bulk of the recent new-home sales in the region, but plenty of builders are also finding success buying land for residential projects off the beaten path. Half of the county’s top 30 builders by sales last year generated at least a portion of their 2014 sales from infill land sites in existing urban communities where land has been dedicated to new uses, according to Business Journal data (see list, page 20). Notable entries on this year’s list include Brandywine Homes, No. 17 on the list, an Irvine-based builder that specializes in infill development and has projects moving ahead in land-constrained markets, such as Yorba Linda and Costa Mesa. Likewise, Irvine-based City Ventures Inc., No. 14, a 6-year-old builder whose business strategy embraces taking on hardto-entitle infill sites larger builders tend to shy away from, notched 75 sales in the county last year and has projects for sale or in development in Garden Grove, Santa Ana, Costa Mesa and Yorba Linda. Large builders, including some of the country’s biggest publicly traded ones, have occasionally been tapping OC’s infill development sites for a portion of their recent sales, although their strategies in the area differ. Miami-based Lennar Corp., the country’s second largest homebuilder by sales last year, ranked No. 6 on the Business Rendering: Brandywine Homes Seabright project in Costa Mesa Journal’s list for sales last year. A large part of the sales came from the massive development going on at Great Park Neighborhoods, where it’s an initial investor. The company, which has large operations in Aliso Viejo, also had a significant number of sales last year at Central Park West, a 43-acre site near John Wayne Airport that was the first big infill redevelop- ment site in the Irvine Business Complex to feature for-sale homes. On the other end of the spectrum, Irvinebased Standard Pacific Corp., the largest builder based in Orange County, made a bulk of its sales last year at new, largescale communities in Brea and Rancho Mission Viejo. The company ranked No. 3 on this week’s list but currently isn’t sell- ing homes at infill sites. Best of Both Worlds Infill development is a key component for The New Home Co., according to Larry Webb, chief executive of the Aliso Viejo-based builder. “We’ve looked at tons on infill,” Webb 佡 Infill 26 20 ORANGE COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL " # ' $"% #+ #</@ $+85 Local breaking news: www.ocbj.com $% G)/,=3>/ G 7+36 G ..</== FEBRUARY 23, 2015 $( ! (( ( GC/+<6C $" ' '$! # # (( GC/+<6C $" ' '$! -2+81/ ( GC/+<6C $" ' '$! -2+81/ "%!$+ ' GC/+<6C -2+81/ & #( $"% #+ $% !$ ! $ , !' G /+.;?+<>/<= G&3>6/ G#298/ 0+B +8 /.31+8 :</=3./8> <@38/ 97:+8C -977?83>C ./@/69:7/8> +8. <@38/ #+-3E- -2+81/ &* # , !/A:9<> /8>/< <3@/ (1) !/A:9<> /+-2 1 3<@38/:+-3E- -97 3809 3<@38/:+-3E- -97 <@38/ 97:+8C !/A:9<> /+-2 $" ' </+ +8C98 $9+. 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(3) (1) *:5@? ?;80 5:/8A01? 18 ,1.. -:0 1:@1D A?5:1?? ;A>:-8 1?@59-@1 u Continued on page 24 Researched by Dana Truong 24 ORANGE COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL Local breaking news: www.ocbj.com FEBRUARY 23, 2015 HOMEBUILDERS u From page 22 *' Prev. Rank +), *3 •Address •Website •Email +/ ( %+)". .+(! // %"! *! !"/ %"! &* // %"! %+)". .+(! !"/ %"! %+)". .+(! "),(+3"". -"*/ +), *3 +, (+ ( +#5 & ( . •yearly % change •yearly % change •yearly % change •Headquarters •Title •Phone/fax •yearly % change -)&*$/+* -+0, +# +. 3090 Pullman St. (21) Costa Mesa 92626-5901 homesbywarmington.com [email protected] 72 227% 34 NA 38 73% 99 7% Warmington Group of Cos. Costa Mesa Jim Warmington Jr. CEO/president (714) 557-5511/(714) 641-9337 16 kbhome.com [email protected] 70 -60% 6 50% 64 -62% 0(1) NA KB Home Los Angeles Jeffrey Mezger CEO/president/director (310) 231-4000 17 - *!32&*" +)". 16580 Aston (21) Irvine 92606-4805 brandywine-homes.com [email protected] 67 205% 0 NA 67 3,250% 15 -12% Brandywine Homes Irvine James Barisic chairman (949) 296-2400/(949) 296-2420 18 & %)+*! )"-& * +)". 5171 California Ave., Ste. 120 (19) Irvine 92617-3036 richmondamerican.com [email protected] 65 110% 0 NA 65 110% 85 21% M.D.C. Holdings Inc. Denver Leonard Miller regional president, Irvine division (949) 467-2600 19 +)". 4 Park Plaza, Ste. 1000 (28) Irvine 92614-2552 mbkhomes.com [email protected] 55 -42% 0 NA 55 162% 51 24% Mitsui & Co. Tokyo Timothy Kane CEO (949) 789-8300/(949) 789-9300 %-&./+,%"- +)". 23 Corporate Plaza Drive, Ste. 246 (11) Newport Beach 92660-7944 christopher-homes.com [email protected] 52 -42% 50 -44% 2 NA 21(1) NA PLC Land Co. Newport Beach Christopher Gibbs chairman (949) 721-9777/(949) 729-1214 21 nwhm.com [email protected] 42 -64% 21 NA 21 -82% 119 18% The New Home Co. Aliso Viejo Larry Webb/Tom Redwitz CEO/COO (949) 382-7800/(949) 382-7801 22 +1* *& * +)". 2525 Campus Drive (23) Irvine 92612-1503 khov.com 40 90% 0 NA 40 90% wnd Hovnanian Enterprises Inc. Red Bank, N.J. Steve Kabel division president (949) 222-7700 22 "-&/ $" +)". +-, 1250 Corona Pointe Court, Ste. 210 (NR) Corona 92879-2099 meritagehomes.com 40 900% 0 NA 40 900% wnd Meritage Homes Corp. Scottsdale, Ariz. wnd (951) 547-8300 24 " +0*/-3 +)". 2235 Encinitas Blvd., Ste. 111 (NR) Encinitas 92024-4356 seacountryhomes.com [email protected] 36 NA 0 NA 36 NA wnd SeaCountry Group Encinitas Robert "Buck" Bennett president (760) 436-8404/(760) 436-8410 25 +-/+* * 2280 Wardlow Circle, Ste.100 (20) Corona 92880-2879 drhorton.com 34 21% 34 21% 0 NA 0 NA D.R. Horton Inc. Fort Worth, Texas Jonathan Smith division president (951) 272-9000/(951) 272-9797 26 " 4"- +)". 1800 E. Imperial Highway, Ste. 200 (NR) Brea 92821-6072 beazer.com 31 NA 0 NA 31 NA wnd Beazer Homes Atlanta wnd (714) 285-2900 27 +)". 13821 Newport Ave., Ste. 120 (23) Tustin 92780-7803 hqthomes.com [email protected] 30 43% 30 43% 0 NA 3 0% HQT Homes LLC Tustin Donovan D. Huennekens owner (714) 508-3990/(714) 508-3999 28 * "(" +)". 2900 Adams St., Ste. C-25 (23) Riverside 92504-8312 vandaele.com [email protected] 22 5% 0 NA 22 5% 65(1) NA Van Daele Homes Riverside Michael Van Daele CEO (951) 354-2121/(951) 354-2996 29 +* **& "1"(+,)"*/ 5500 Bolsa Ave., Ste. 120 (30) Huntington Beach 92649-1188 bonannidevelopment.com [email protected] 20 43% 20 43% 0 NA 2 0% Bonanni Development Huntington Beach Ed Bonanni CEO/president (714) 892-0123/(714) 892-0122 ". & +*./-0 /&+* "1"(+,"-. * (28) 2040 S. Santa Cruz St., Ste. 115 Anaheim 92805-6821 [email protected] 20 33% 15 7% 5 400% 5 0% Desai Construction & Developers Inc. Anaheim Chirag Desai VP (714) 940-0040/(714) 940-0050 15 +)" 10990 Wilshire Blvd. (6) Los Angeles 90024-3913 20 %" "2 +)" + 85 Enterprise, Ste. 450 (7) Aliso Viejo 92656-2680 29 +0- ". Metrostudy, a Hanley Wood Company, Irvine and the homebuilders +/". OC units sold is determined by 2014 escrows closed, not contractual sales. -"1& /&+*. NA: not applicable; NR: not ranked; wnd: would not disclose List may not be reprinted without permission of the editor (1) Business Journal estimate Researched by Dana Truong Infill 26 ORANGE COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL Local breaking news: www.ocbj.com FEBRUARY 23, 2015 佡 from page 18 said, with local projects as small as a few dozen home lots. The company can also go large, as evidenced by Arantine Hills, a 1,200-home project it bought last year just over the Riverside County line in Corona. New Home, which is selling the highestpriced homes at the new Orchard Hills community in Irvine, ranked No. 21 on this week’s list with 42 sales in OC last year. The company’s strategy is a combination of larger communities and smaller infill sites, Webb said. “We want to be in land-constrained areas.” New Home has one of the area’s more prominent—and expensive—infill developments under way in Meridian, a 79-unit condo project being built next to Fashion Island in Newport Beach. The project, which Webb: infill developis going up on land ment key for New next to the Newport Home Co. Beach Marriott Hotel & Spa, previously held a tennis club. It began sales late last year with home prices at about $2 million. Among the smallest stand-alone projects on New Home’s plate is Oliva, a 40-home project in San Juan Capistrano being built on 17 acres just off Del Obispo Street. Home count doesn’t play too much of a part in the company’s decision-making when looking at infill sites, Webb said. “It has less to do with the number of lots and more the amount all the houses will sell Las Brisas: apartment complex to be raised to make way for Taylor Morrison infill project in Newport Beach for,” he said. For a smaller project such as Oliva, where homes will be priced from $1.6 million, the sales generated will justify the company’s investment in the project, he said. In general, larger builders looking at infill locations in OC and other coastal markets in Southern California are searching for sites that can accommodate 50 or more homes or that will generate at least $25 million in total sales, according to recent data from Sal Provenza, a senior land adviser at Irvine-based brokerage WD Land. Land sales in the area are currently trading at a finished lot price of 45% to 50% of the future home’s price, but for some small local infill sites, public builders are willing to pay as much as 60% of the ultimate home price to acquire the land, Provenza said. That’s due in part to a reduced market risk for the infill projects resulting from a shorter time to market and sales period, in addition to public builders’ ability to drive down construction costs because of volume discounts, vendor relationships, and other factors, according to WD Land research. Recent Deals Among national builders developing a sizable portfolio of smaller local infill sites is Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Taylor Morrison Home Corp., which has been snapping up properties along Costa Mesa’s westside and in Newport Beach. The company, which ranked No. 4 on this week’s list, recently closed on land on Whittier Avenue and West 16th Street next to Banning Ranch, property records show. Plans call for the land, previously used by an aerospace manufacturer, to be converted from an industrial site to an 89-unit residential project. The site’s prior owner, a Beverly Hillsbased entity listed in property records as MW Bluffs Owner LLC, worked with the city to get the Lighthouse project of 49 residential units and an additional 40 livework units. Taylor Morrison bought the site last month from MW Bluffs. Terms of the sale were not disclosed. The land was assessed at a little more than $11 million last year, according to property data. A time frame for the project hasn’t been disclosed. Taylor Morrison has two other infill communities in Costa Mesa under way and also has what looks to be one of the area’s priciest infill developments currently on the books, a 24-home project called Echo Beach less than a block from the ocean in Newport Beach. The site, just off Pacific Coast Highway, is now home to a midsize apartment complex called Las Brisas, which will be razed. Taylor Morrison bought the property late last year from a seller with ties to Newport Beach-based developer Brooks Street. A time frame for the project hasn’t been disclosed. The property last traded hands in 2013 for about $25 million. ■ 28 ORANGE COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL Local breaking news: www.ocbj.com FEBRUARY 23, 2015 OC Data Drill New-home sales in Orange County haven’t hit the 10,000 mark since 1997. In the 1980s, 15,000 sales per year was the norm. Those levels aren’t expected to be reached anytime soon, thanks to a dwindling supply of developable land for new homes, but sales have rebounded from the darkest days of the last recession. 2014 new-home sales— 4,027— were the highest here in 10 years. —Mark Mueller Homes 佡 from page 17 A key theme in the latest rankings is that “several communities with infrastructure started early in the recovery came out of the gate strongly in 2013 and experienced phenomenal sales in 2014,” according to the consultancy. Baker Ranch, along with the three large OC masterplanned communities that ranked in the top 20, were responsible for 65% of the sales reported on this week’s Business Journal list of the top local homebuilders (see list, page 20). Seventeen of the 30 builders on the list, including each of the top 10, had sales in at least one of the four large local communities. Buyer Types Asian buyers were a key source of sales for the Great Park and Irvine Ranch projects, while retirees bought a lot of the homes at Rancho Mission Viejo. About a third of sales at the latter were at Gavilan, a community geared for older residents. The Villages in Florida, a community that, like Gavilan, gears sales to those 55 and older, retained the No. 1 spot in the country for sales last year, though its sales fell 24% to 2,601. That project is believed to have about two years of land remaining if it continues to sell at its current pace, which would appear to give Irvine Co. in Newport Beach an opportunity to grab the top spot in the next few years if it keeps up its current pace Rendering: Pavilion Park at Great Park Neighborhoods nearing sellout of home development. Next on Tap Irvine Co., in addition to ongoing large projects including Orchard Hills, Cypress Village, and Portola Springs, has a 1,900home project in the works on Jeffrey Road in North Irvine. The as-of-yet unnamed project, described by the company as “Planning Area 5B,” was previously occupied by garden and plant company Hines Nurseries LLC. Sales at Hidden Canyon, a smaller highend project on Irvine Ranch that’s being led by Toll Bros., will also begin this year. Also on tap in Irvine: Beacon Park, the second phase of development at Great Park Neighborhoods. Nine homebuilders were selected in January to build at the 960home development next to Orange County Great Park. The project, on land between Trabuco Road and Irvine Boulevard, is scheduled to open for sales this year as the second batch of home development at Great Park Neighborhoods. Tony Moiso’s Rancho Mission Viejo LLC—OC’s second largest land owner after Irvine Co.—is preparing for the second phase of its development, which will ultimately include about 14,000 homes. Grading work is under way at the 2,700home project, called Esencia, which has a late 2015 opening date. The 860-acre project is about three times the size of the developer’s first phase of construction, Sendero, which includes the Gavilan community. Baker Ranch’s developers are prepping for a second round of construction at their 372-acre Lake Forest community, which will ultimately hold close to 1,800 homes and more than 400 apartments. ■