Plans to convert ocean-facing land – about a mile north of the Huntington Beach Pier – into lots with 10 luxury homes priced at $7 million to $8 million each are finally going forward.
Irvine-based WJK Development Co. earned its final bureaucratic approval earlier this month, as the California Coastal Commission denied an appeal from a Huntington Beach resident who hoped to prevent the project from going forward.
Coastal Commissioners found no substantial issue with the WJK Development project.
“The main concern raised by the appellant is that the proposed development would not be compatible with the character of the surrounding neighborhoods. As described in this staff report, the project will have no impact on the character of the community,” according to Coastal Commission staff.
“The development as proposed is consistent with the development standards of the Local Coastal Program.”
WJK Development CEO Grant Keene confirmed the 10-luxury-home project on Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach is going forward, with grading slated to start at some point in October.
Keene added that the project could be completed before the end of the first quarter of 2026.
The WJK Development chief executive told the Business Journal the tone of the Coastal Commission, in recent months, has become friendlier to developers.
Ocean Facing Lots for Up to $8M
The 10 detached luxury homes would range in size from 3,800 to 4,100 square feet. Each home would rise three levels, or 35 feet, tall and may include a rooftop deck, pool and spa. Designed by Irvine-based architectural firm Danielian Associates, the homes will offer unobstructed views of Catalina Island.
Homes would have three or four bedrooms and a two- to three-car attached garage. Four of the 10 lots would include ground-level accessory dwelling units (ADUs), ranging in size from 412 to 458 square feet.
Keene told the Business Journal each home would sell for at least $7 million, with some potentially reaching $8 million.
WJK Development bought the property, located at 1810 Pacific Coast Highway, for about $10 million in 2024.
The company bought the property, located a little more than a mile north of the city’s pier, from Long Beach-based California Resources Corp. (NYSE: CRC).
Keene previously told the Business Journal that the sale closed in just 30 days, during which WJK Development simultaneously raised $12 million in equity for the project.
WJK Development also bought a 4.2-acre site at the intersection of Crown Valley Parkway and Playa Blanca for $6 million last year. Construction on the 22 homes slated for the site began last year.
Keene added WJK Development has several more projects on deck in Huntington Beach.
Land use attorney Sean Matsler of Cox, Castle & Nicholson assisted in the Coastal Commission process.
