Mark Mueller
Editor
Mark Mueller covers commercial and residential real estate for the Orange County Business Journal. His beat also includes title insurers and mortgage lenders, as well as government stories that relate to real estate. He can be reached at mueller@ocbj.com.
Phone: 949-833-8373 Extension: 226
Recent Stories
OCBJ INSIDER
Military Moves
Editor at Large Rick Reiff reports that one of America’s best-known soldiers is now a part-time OC resident
General Counsel Event Draws Crowd of 400+
EVENTS: Erwin Chemerinsky headlines
More than 400 members of the Orange County business and legal community attended the 11th annual General Counsel Awards ceremony on Nov. 18.
Landsea Boosts Local Homebuilding Pipeline
Builder Paid $30.1M For 132-Home SJC Site
Newport Beach’s Landsea Homes Corp. (Nasdaq: LSEA) has kicked off work at its latest Orange County development, a 132-home project in San Juan Capistrano.
OC Housing Vet Stowell Aims Small With New Venture
ADUs for former CalAtlantic exec
With more than 30 years of experience in the sector, OC housing executive Scott Stowell has his eyes on a decidedly smaller type of housing product
Donahue Schriber Sells IE Shopping Center for $121M
722K-SF Countryside Marketplace Trades
Deal among the first transactions the company’s been a part of since new president and CEO Michael Glimcher was hired about a year ago
Home, Land Sales Continue at Great Park Neighborhoods
Developer in Talks With City on Housing Mandate
Great Park Neighborhoods capturing about 23% of the new home sales in Orange County over the last year
General Counsel Event Draws Crowd of 400+
Erwin Chemerinsky headlines
More than 400 members of the Orange County business and legal community attended the 11th annual General Counsel Awards ceremony on Nov. 18
Turning Wireless Into Wine
Gary Jabara Inks Huge Napa Resort Deal After Mobilitie Sale
Jabara under contract to buy The Estate Yountville, a 22-acre collection of upscale hotels, restaurants, wedding facilities, shops, meeting space, a vineyard and other facilities
OCBJ INSIDER
Newport in Napa
Irvine Co. is going big at Fashion Island, announcing plans earlier this month to build a four-story, 80,000-square-foot store for RH
Burnham’s Boulevard: Adds to Westcliff Drive Holdings
Mariners Medical Arts Site Designed by Neutra
Property described as “historically significant” by new owners, noting it was designed by famed master architect Richard Neutra, who worked with Frank Lloyd Wright
Newport Beach’s 1301 Dove Tower Trades for $64M
Alliant Insurance Moving HQ to Irvine Next Year
Ocean West Capital Partners remains on the hunt for local office investments, a month after selling one of its more prominent local towers
220K-SF Industrial Development Adds to Myford Ave.’s Glow
Street Home to Rivian, New American, Avid Bio
Panattoni bought the nearly 7-acre site about a year ago for $32.4 million and has since razed the prior buildings at the property
OCBJ INSIDER
The Sound of Music
The Pacific Chorale, Orange County’s premier choir, gave its first live performance in over 600 days when it appeared Oct. 30 at the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall
Sunstone’s Wine Trip Approaches $440M
Nears 2nd Napa-area acquisition
Sunstone Hotel Investors is back on the acquisition track in a big way and is paying top dollar in the process
No Place Like Home: Big-Box Site Sells for $53M
Home Depot Takes Top 2 Retail Sales
Only two retail properties in OC have sold for more than $20 million this year; both are Home Depot sites
Central Park West Development Enters Final Chapter
285-Unit, 4-Building Site Goes Vertical
Four-building, 285-unit residential project now going up at busiest intersection in Irvine that will largely put a cap on housing development at Central Park West
Amazon Pays $165M For Brea BofA Campus
REAL ESTATE: Call center redevelopment expected
Amazon's largest reported real estate buy in OC, exploring turning the nearly 640,000 square feet site of office space into a distribution center
High-Rise Mixed-Use Project Near Airport Revamped
CAVU Campus Unveiled; Towers’ Future Unknown
Camphor Partners hitting the reset button for site slated to hold one of the more ambitious high-rise mixed-use properties near John Wayne Airport
Women in Business Event Draws Crowd of 600+
Mortgage exec Patty Arvielo headlines
The event honored six OC-based women executives who have made marks in a variety of industries and business sectors
$163M Laguna Niguel Sale as Rentals Stays Hot
2021 activity in overdrive; mega-deals abound
$163 million sale is the priciest reported multifamily transaction for Orange County in a year already heavy with big-dollar apartment deals
IRA Capital Pays $153M For Beverly Hills’ ‘The Post’
Live Nation Hub; Nearly $1,500 PSF
Property sold by a venture between Worthe Real Estate Group and Invesco Real Estate, who paid a reported $77 million for it five years ago
OCBJ INSIDER
Following the Playbook
Adam Coffey’s recent exit from one of OC’s larger and fastest-growing private companies comes shortly after releasing his new book "The Exit Strategy Playbook"
400-Home Project Underway at Tustin Legacy
Brookfield Residential Starts Work for The Landing
After pandemic delay, groundwork is underway for the next big phase of residential development at Tustin Legacy
Burnham’s MV Site Lands Amazon Grocer
Reacquires Best Buy in Orange
First Amazon Fresh grocery store in South Orange County set to open in Mission Viejo at redeveloped retail site
OCBJ INSIDER
Numbers Telling a Story
A No. 23 Dodgers jersey that once belonged to Kirk Gibson is framed on the office wall of Axonics CEO Raymond Cohen
OCBJ INSIDER
In for the Long Haul
Coastal hotel developers face their share of challenges; then there’s Mo Honarkar
OCBJ INSIDER
Segerstrom Stars
If 2021 is the Year of Food at SCP, 2022 might be the Year of Art on the other side of Bristol Street
CFOs Lauded At Business Journal Event
EVENTS: Investment exec Dan Lubeck emcees
Nearly 450 members of the Orange County business community attended the 14th annual CFO of the Year Awards ceremony on Tuesday, Sept. 28
Aerie Pharma Re-Ups In Irvine, CEO Departs
Stock tumbles after clinical trial
Renewed lease a sign of stability for pharmaceutical company that has experienced its share of tumult over the past few weeks
OCBJ INSIDER
First Impressions
Largely positive reviews are beginning to trickle in on EV upstart Rivian’s first consumer offering, the R1T pickup truck
OCBJ INSIDER
Musco’s Requiem
The LA Opera returned to a full season at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on Sept. 18, with a production of Verdi’s Il Trovatore
Aeon Biopharma Preps $75M IPO
Evolus ties; non-aesthetic uses
Potential IPO could help the discovery-phase company solve a few financial issues while working towards commercial product use
Gaming Co. Bandai Moving Base to Irvine
70K-SF office lease at Source H2O
Bandai Namco has struck one of the area’s largest office deals of the year for a newly built development in the Spectrum area of the city
Indie’s $159M Buy Boosts Laser Expertise
New offerings for self-driving cars
Indie Semiconductor is quickly putting some of the nearly $400 million in funds it raised from going public a few months ago to use
OCBJ INSIDER
The Register Goes Remote
The Orange County Register has cut back its local real estate presence, marking one of the more prominent examples of an OC company moving to more of a remote-working strategy
Lugano Gets $300M; Plots New Locations
5.11 parent takes 60% stake in jewelry firm
Expectations for expansion in Lugano’s presence via new markets, new store locations and more event sponsorships and philanthropic work to help build community ties
UST Co-Founder Pillai Preps $200M SPAC
Offshoot of McLaren Strategic Ventures
Sajan Pillai is the latest local executive looking to tap the booming market for special purpose acquisition companies, or SPACs
BioDuro-Sundia Brings Manufacturing to Irvine
Joins Dendreon, Avid Bioservices
BioDuro-Sundia plans for expansion into Orange County with a new facility in the Irvine Spectrum area with commercial service operations starting next year
OCBJ INSIDER
Skate Wins
It’s been a good ride of late for the skateboarding industry, and for Orange County sponsors of the sport
Innovators Take Center Stage at Business Journal Event
E-commerce vet Neel Grover keynotes
Nearly 250 members of the Orange County business community attended the seventh annual Innovator of the Year Awards ceremony last Thursday, Sept. 9
OCBJ INSIDER
Next Steps at NextGen
NextGen Healthcare moved HQ designation from Irvine to Atlanta earlier this year, not long after it listed a portion of its former corporate office for sublease
Business Journal Celebrates Family-Owned Businesses
EVENTS: In-person gathering draws 300
First live event in 18 months for the Business Journal as the 22nd annual Family-Owned Business Awards ceremony was held on August 26
OCBJ INSIDER
Exec Moves; Rinker’s Words
Big exec moves made their share of headlines in OC last week
OCBJ INSIDER
COVID Lessons
Joe Kiani foresaw the potential damage of COVID-19 and took steps before many others in early 2020 to prepare
FivePoint CEO Expects More Irvine Entitlements
REAL ESTATE: $328M sale; affordable housing focus
Potential for seeking additional residential entitlements at Irvine’s Great Park Neighborhoods to increase affordable housing availability
OCBJ INSIDER
By Land or Sea
As readers of our annual OC’s Wealthiest edition late last month can attest, Mark Moshayedi knows his cars
Cushman Taps Newport Local for Top OC Spot
REAL ESTATE: Cannon also to run IE office
Commercial brokerage Cushman & Wakefield has a new head for its Orange County operations
City of Hope Adds Trio of OC Cancer Care Locations
HEALTHCARE: Buys Pacific Shores Medical Group
City of Hope boosted Orange County presence via acquisition of one of the region’s larger oncology and hematology medical groups
Marriott Family Offshoot Adds Trio of Olson Assets
HOTELS: Twin Bridges portfolio tops 1,500 rooms
Twin Bridges name is a nod to Virginia’s Twin Bridges Motor Hotel, the first hotel operated by what would become Marriott International
OCBJ INSIDER
New Launches
Donald Bren is nothing if not a planner, making the timing of the Irvine Co. chairman’s secret donations that started in 2013 and now top $100 million to the California Institute of Technology nearly as interesting as the gift itself
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