By Terence Loose

S

outhern California, despite all its sunshine and joggers and fitness gurus, is still a car society. We need, love, rely on our cars to do everything, whether it’s picking up the Breyer’s or going to the latest Spielberg offering.

Or at least we think we do.

A select few new in-fill (redeveloped) projects, in Corona del Mar, Newport Beach and Santa Ana, are challenging that notion. They’re marketing to those who don’t mind – actually prefer – to walk to Starbuck’s, the market or even just downstairs to their office. And the response has been encouraging, which is a good thing for all – just think of all the parking spaces freeing up.

Sailhouse, Corona del Mar

Take a walk through the Sailhouse development – and you can do this without having to be cleared through a guarded gate – and an odd sensation comes over you. Yes, you verify, you are definitely in production housing. But still, your senses are a bit more intrigued than they would be in most other developments. True, architectural flair is in the eye of the beholder, but one thing is definite: Sailhouse is different.

And that’s exactly what the developers, John Laing Homes, hope you think. “After driving around Corona del Mar, then walking the neighborhood extensively,” says Dan Nahabedian, John Laing Homes’ director of product development, “we knew the default style would be Cape Cod, with gray and white. We knew it would look good and sell all day, but in the end it just wasn’t us. We wanted something that was better, something different.”

They got it. Sailhouse, a community of 89 residences, including 1,400-square-foot Carriage Units, 1,800-square-foot Bungalows, and 2,400-square-foot Cottages, embraces the St. Augustine-style of Seaside and Rosemary Beach, Florida, with a subdued Caribbean flair in its colorful palette, and has won a fistful of architectural and building awards.

Ironically, the architect, Mark Scheurer, is a Corona del Mar local. Scheurer had strong feelings about making the project work in the CdM context, one of walk-ability. As such, Sailhouse is being touted as an example of New Urbanism, but Scheurer is quick to point out that CdM itself is a great example of a New Urbanist town: “The community has a center spine, with commercial buildings on the spine. Straight, walkable streets, labeled after flowers in clear alphabetical order which go to the town center. The clear defining elements of New Urbanist community are here,” says Scheurer.

And if it’s CdM’s charm and “neighborly” feel that has kept it one of the area’s most desirable communities, that fact was not lost on Sailhouse developers. “There are people who can afford to live anywhere,” says Nahabedian, “but they buy a bungalow in Corona del Mar. They do it because they can walk to everything.” Surveys told them the same thing. Balboa Island was also one of the most desirable – because everything was within a charming walk away.

Of course, being able to walk to everything is a double-edged sword. It also means high-density and relatively low-square footage housing, as both CdM and Balboa Island, two of the densest neighborhoods along the Orange County coast, prove. And with only seven acres with which to develop Sailhouse, density issues were a concern. Specifically, to build 89 units meant a 12-unit-per-acre project. Which is considerably higher than the nine-unit-per-acre concern mark. “Over nine units to an acre and one of the key things you have to do is separate vehicles from people,” says Nahabedian. “It’s a safety issue and it also lives better.”

Hence, Sailhouse is a very pedestrian-friendly development, with an emphasis on looking and feeling unique. It was the feel and lifestyle that Sailhouse would need to sell as much as the new home amenities.

Going pedestrian was easier said than done, however. First, alleys were dug out so that garages are accessed below first floor level. This effectively hides most cars once inside the project. Next, a paseo system of boardwalks lines the fronts of the units to encourage foot traffic. Along these wood and slate paths are gathering places, like benches and gazebos, which further draw residents to the outdoors. This boardwalk system is an important key to making Sailhouse work, according to architect Sheurer. “Studies show that smaller square footage works if there are wonderful communal outdoor spaces,” he says. As Nahabedian puts it: “You don’t wall your community in. No walls, no gates. From any point in Sailhouse you can get to the corner of MacArthur and Coast Highway on foot in less than five minutes.”

Perhaps nothing illustrates Sailhouse’s devotion to the car-shedding buyer better than its own marketing campaign. Instead of glossy images of one of the bigger units, ads featured mugs of cappuccino and location maps to cozy CdM haunts. “The idea was walk softly and carry a big mug of cappuccino,” says Marianne Browne, VP of sales and marketing for John Laing Homes, referring to the cappuccino ads. “We definitely took a different approach to marketing Sailhouse than anything before. We’d show distances to flower stands, bagel shops, sushi. We invited people to visit local spots like Sherman Gardens and gave them gift certificates to local restaurants.” And it seems to be working. To date 71 out of the slated 89 units have sold since the grand opening one year ago. Impressive, considering the price range, from the $600,000s to $1 million. Of course, residents save a lot on gas.

Cannery Lofts, Newport Beach

Used to be, no one wanted to take their work home. Now, creating a “lifestyle” is becoming more important than being seen as a “company man.” And with advancements in telecommunications, working from home has become the goal, not the weekend nightmare. Cannery Lofts, a 22-unit development of three-story lofts in Newport Beach’s Cannery Village, on the Rhine Channel, was developed to fulfill that dream, then marketed to architects, artists and other independent professionals who want to live and work in the same airy space. And with half the project’s units sold before even the first foundation has been poured, the concept seems right on. When complete – construction will begin within months – each loft will feature a two-car garage; outdoor parking and commercial space on the ground floor; living room, kitchen, half bath and terraces on the second floor; and bedroom, study, two bathrooms and a loft on the third. Four of the lofts will front the Rhine Channel, with a 30-foot-boat’s-worth of dock space.

Artist rendering of Cannery Lofts.

“I think there was a pent-up demand in Orange County for this type of project,” says Kevin Weeda, Cannery Lofts’ developer. “The fact that we’re selling off bare lots and a vision shows people understand and like the concept.” A lot. The units start in the low-million-dollar range, with the bayfront units priced from the mid-$2 millions.

The warm reception Cannery Lofts is receiving may also be due to the purity of Weeda’s vision and belief in the project. Far from a cash cow to Weeda, Cannery Lofts represents the culmination of a longstanding lifestyle change for the young-looking 44-year-old with a tan and a casual dress code.

Weeda is a lifelong surfer who grew up in Orange County and, except for his many sojourns around the planet chasing waves, has spent his adult life in Newport Beach. He’s been in all facets of the development game, from carpenter to developer of tract homes to builder of high-end estates. But it was a decade ago that Weeda made the decision to stick to Newport Beach. “During the restructuring of the 90s,” he says, “I had to decide between making a ton of money and working all over, or making less money but working and living where I loved, Newport.” He chose the latter, living on Lido Island and doing many of the high-end homes in his neighborhood.

In the mid 90s he went a step further when he built an office-loft in Cannery Village. “My office was in Fashion Island at the time,” explains Weeda. “And although Fashion Island is close to the beach, it was still a major production to get down here for a surf at lunch.” So he built the loft/office and immediately his life became more laid-back and stress-free. His annual mileage sank to well under 10,000 miles and he could run across the street for a surf at lunch and only lose an hour from his schedule. “That hour in the water fed my soul. It’s much better than food,” he says with a laugh.

And people noticed. They began asking Weeda if he were going to build more of the lofts. So Weeda began lining up property. Over a five year period, he quietly acquired an entire block on 30th Street, down to the water at the Rhine Channel. The vision began to take shape.

To get his vision to the drawing board, Weeda traveled north to San Francisco and hired award-winning loft architects Tanner-Hecht. “We wanted someone who knew what they were doing,” says Weeda. “The fact that Tanner-Hecht is environmentally conscious was also important to me as a surfer.”

Tanner-Hecht brought a lot of respect to Weeda’s side of the Coastal Commission table. After noting that Weeda’s project went beyond many Coastal Commission standards, all 11 of the commissioners present at the final hearing approved the project. It made what can sometimes be the most uphill of battles for any California development fairly painless. “We’re proud of that vote,” says Weeda, “and hope it shows other developers that you don’t have to run from environmental issues. There’s a better way to do things, a way where everybody wins.”

Approvals are one thing, selling is another, however, and Cannery Lofts was still anything but a lock. Weeda, after decades in the building business, knew that fact only too well. “Most builders wouldn’t touch this because it’s too out-of-the-box,” says Weeda. “They spend a lot of money on surveys that say most clients are couples with two and a half kids who want four and a half bedrooms, stucco and red tiled roof. That’s why they keep building those. They sell.”

For his part, Weeda went on his gut instincts. He liked Cannery Village’s atmosphere, the fact that great restaurants, grocery stores, quaint coffee houses, even a movie theater, were in easy walking distance. He figured that if half a percent of the population of Newport Beach thought like he did, he could sell out his project.

It seems he was right.

One of the first buyers at Cannery Lofts was Bob Beers, a young empty nester who plans to move from his Lido Isle home into a loft as soon as it’s ready. After retiring from his “real job,” Beers, who has a MFA in art and has had three different studios in Cannery Village over the years, will now live above his art studio. “We’re used to having older homes, with antiques, so this will be an exciting change,” he says, referring to the industrial-contemporary architecture. Beers wasn’t too worried about the fact that there wasn’t a model to view. “I knew [Weeda’s] product from Lido. I know that he does things first class so it wasn’t too much of a leap of faith.”

Buyers aren’t the only ones who now want a piece of Cannery Lofts. Weeda has been approached by builders wanting to buy his project. “We’re like the independent film producer who came up with a great movie, and now the studios want to buy it,” he jokes. After three years in pre-production, Weeda was enticed, but has decided he wants to be around for the wrap party after all.

Artists Walk Lofts, Santa Ana

If you like the Cannery Lofts project, but are a tad more bohemian at heart – in other words you don’t have a million bucks to spend – then Santa Ana’s Artist Walk Lofts may be the place for you. With price tags from $250,000 to over $300,000, this development of 86 live/work residences, encompassing three buildings near the Artists Village in downtown Santa Ana, is also appealing to an artistic crowd, albeit in a less lofty tax bracket. These lofts will also embrace the contemporary, industrial architecture – concrete floors and walls, steel and wood, with an open floorplan – and range in size from 1,473 square feet to 2,236 square feet.

With nothing out of the ground yet, all 18 of the released lofts have sold – mostly to the clientele expected. “We have 11 home-based businesses,” says Lennette Hewitt, director of sales and marketing for The Olson Company, Artists Walk Lofts’ developer. “There will be two ceramics studios, two art teachers, a photographer and an interior design studio, so far.”

With the grand opening set for January of 2003 and a tentative finish-construction date a year later, continued brisk sales are expected. And again, it’s due to the feeling that there is an untapped demand for the loft lifestyle. “People see this kind of architecture and living space all the time, whether it’s on TV or in catalogs, and they love it. But until now there hasn’t been any place to find it in Orange County,” says Hewitt. At least not new.

The seven non-business-oriented buyers are the best indication Hewitt may be right. They bought purely for the aesthetics and loft lifestyle and are not planning to run businesses from the street-level commercial space. They like the energy, says Hewitt, who’s heard one sentence repeatedly regarding the interior design: “We don’t want anything in there that could be found at Home Depot.” þ

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