By james art Construction of The James, a luxury senior apartment complex in Irvine, is underway, with developers currently working on the excavation. James, the city’s first senior living project in 28 years, is expected to be completed in 2027, according to developers.
James will be located at 1001 Gates Ave., across from The District at Tustin Legacy, a shopping and entertainment center located between Irvine and Tustin. The eight-story complex will include 350 independent living, assisted living and memory care units on a three-acre site. The senior campus will also feature luxury amenities such as patios, a dog park, an indoor spa and theaters.
James will include 210 independent living units, 110 assisted living units and 30 memory care units designed to meet the various needs of seniors. Unit sizes will range from luxury studios to two-bedroom apartments, with an average of 837 square feet.
Harbert South Bay Partners, the project’s developer, began working on the design and permitting process in 2018, according to Harbert South Bay managing director Adam Arnold. In March 2023 the developer announced in a press release that construction is planned. Arnold told New University that WE O’Neil Construction, the project’s general contractor, received a notice to proceed in November 2024 confirming the 30-month construction schedule.
Developers completed demolition of the site in December 2024. and are now looking to continue the excavation, fortification and dewatering processes, according to Arnold. The site was previously a SmartHome facility, as reported by the Orange County Business Journal (OCBJ).
To finance the project, JLL’s Seniors Housing Capital Markets group and HJ Sims worked on behalf of the interested parties to secure financing. In December 2024 JLL announced that it had arranged $473 million in tax-exempt and taxable bond financing, calling it “the largest not-for-profit bond issue in the history of a single location for seniors.”
JLL’s press release noted that $442.1 million was publicly offered as tax-exempt bonds, along with $12.93 million in taxable senior bonds. An additional $18 million was included in a tax-exempt subordinated series.
According to Arnold, the independent living units — designed for seniors who don’t need additional care and are looking for community — will have more space with full-size kitchens.
Assisted living and memory care units will not include cooking facilities and will provide residents with additional or specialized care. Memory care units will be smaller than independent and assisted living units and will have common spaces.
Organizers of The James also aim to offer residents free transportation, excursions and extracurricular activities outside the complex. On site, residents can join a gardening club and dine at three upscale restaurants.
“As a developer, all we do is live in old age. So we’re constantly renovating our buildings,” Arnold told New University. “We’re constantly trying to improve, constantly get better, and constantly bring something to market that didn’t exist in the last iteration of the build, whether it’s ours or someone else’s.”
Upon completion, The James will be owned by the P3 Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on philanthropic missions. Momentum Senior Living will manage the property, overseeing staff and day-to-day operations.
Momentum Senior Living CEO Josh Johnson talked about the resources and luxury amenities planned for The James, describing the project as a way to reinvest in the senior living community.
“In addition to being newer, typically our apartments are a bit larger than the average senior community,” Johnson told New University. “We’re also more vertical in nature, so what it does for seniors is it allows them to not have to walk as far to all the different amenities that we have, like our dining rooms, swimming pools. .. This is a little different from the average .”
Monthly rent at The James will range between $8,000 and $25,000, according to OCBJ.
The building’s leasing office is expected to open in spring 2026, with occupancy beginning in 2027.
Katherine Nava is a news writer. She can be reached at [email protected].
Edited by Ben De Guzman