Newport Beach — one of America’s most scenic and luxurious stretches of coastline — looks and feels as it does today in large part due to Irvine Company’s decades-long partnership with the city, county and community.

From the Italianate architecture at Fashion Island, Orange County’s premier seaside shopping destination; to Fortune 500 companies in the city’s financial core, Newport Center; to the permanently protected wilderness at Upper Newport Bay, Crystal Cove and Buck Gully, Irvine Company’s master planning, attention to detail and devotion to quality is at the core of all we do.

The partnership dates back to 1864, when our company incorporated, its principal asset being the 93,000-acre Irvine Ranch. The property — six times the size of Manhattan — stretches for nine miles along the Pacific Coast and 22 miles inland to the Cleveland National Forest. The historic ranch encompasses remote canyons, mountain watersheds, oak woodlands, coves and beaches, including most of the area that now makes up the cities of Irvine and Newport Beach.

Instead of proceeding with piecemeal developments, we made the historic decision to create a master plan for the Irvine Ranch to guide our long-term planning. The plan included large parts of Newport Beach, where our headquarters are still located today. “We heartily agree with the policy you have adopted in determining land use on a grand scale, and we endorse your efforts,” then-Newport Beach Mayor James Stoddard wrote to Irvine Company Vice President W.H. Spurgeon in 1960.

The heart of the master plan in Newport Beach is its city center, poised on a bluff overlooking Newport Beach’s harbor. Newport Center today is a thriving business and entertainment hub, which includes the world-class shopping at Fashion Island. Newport Center also showcases our continuous reinvestment to maintain properties with the highest standards, attract the biggest and best brands, and create places residents love to visit.

In 1963, we established the planned residential neighborhood of Eastbluff with its breathtaking views and mix of single-family homes, townhouses and condos, it became a model for other high-quality local communities we’ve designed since then, such as Spyglass, Big Canyon and Newport Coast.

In 2008, our master-planners created another local treasure: the Resort at Pelican Hill, offering five-star accommodation in a Mediterranean village perched on 504 acres with panoramic ocean views. Highlights of the glamorous resort include its circular Coliseum Pool, bedecked with more than a million hand‑cut mosaic tiles and flanked by Palladian columns, and its two world-class golf courses designed by Tom Fazio.

In 2010, we invested $100 million in a major renovation of Fashion Island, including 20 new upscale stores and restaurants and dramatic new architecture, pathways and fountains.

Still, Newport Beach’s main attraction is the pristine open space that surrounds it, including such natural gems as the Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve, Crystal Cove, and Buck Gully. Each of these landscapes was protected and transferred to public ownership through close collaboration with city and county officials and community groups, as part of our commitment to permanently preserve more than half of the historic Irvine Ranch.

In Upper Newport Bay, we partnered with several jurisdictions to create a network of tributaries, wetlands and ponds to reduce sediment that had been draining off from local mountains and threatening to destroy wildlife habitat. The $150 million investment has helped conserve tidelines and protect the largest natural estuary in Southern California, where on any given day you may see as many as 35,000 migrating birds.

Crystal Cove, with its 3.2 miles of coastline and 2,400 acres of backcountry, was also transferred to public ownership, in 1979, as part of our long-term master planning, becoming a popular state park.

Finally, just north of the Resort at Pelican Hill is the lush Buck Gully coastal canyon, another large piece of the original ranch preserved for wildlife protection and public recreation.

As is true with our residential, retail and office properties, we never relinquish our stewardship of the lands we’ve helped preserve. In 2005, we provided $50 million to establish the Irvine Ranch Conservancy, which manages much of the land we’ve preserved and promotes public access opportunities.

In Newport Beach, you can dine at some of Southern California’s most elegant restaurants, work or shop in the city’s compact, gleaming downtown, and to enjoy the serenity, beauty, and refreshment provided by untrammeled nature. It’s a luxurious, sophisticated ambiance found few other places.

Newport Beach

Master Planning Milestones

1964

East Bluff opens as the first of our many acclaimed communities, including Big Canyon and Newport Coast

1967

Fashion Island debuts as the anchor for the Newport Center master plan.

1979

Over 2,700 acres are transferred to the state of California, establishing Crystal Cove State Park.

1982

In a landmark agreement, 7,300 acres of Newport Coast coastal canyons and bluffs are preserved.

1990

Over 114 acres are donated as part of our long-term commitment to transfer nearly 800 acres of Upper Newport Bay habitats.

2005

The 22-mile Mountains to Sea Trail opens, crossing The Irvine Ranch from Cleveland National Forest to the coast.

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“Master planning is a matter of determining not only
what is built upon the land, but what is not.”

The Irvine Ranch Master Plan, 1961

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2006

Irvine Ranch Open Space is designated a National Natural Landmark. Left to right: Irvine Company Chairman Donald Bren, National Park Service Director Fran Mainella and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

2008

The Resort at Pelican Hill opens, which Forbes describes as one of the most audacious and stunning resorts ever completed.

2010

A $100 million renovation of Fashion Island is completed, including dramatic new architecture and outdoor gathering spaces.

2014

520 Newport Center opens and becomes a centerpiece of the city’s economic hub.

2017

Villas Fashion Island debuts, offering luxury apartment homes within Newport Center.

2024

Balboa Marina Public Pier is dedicated, a result of our partnership with the city and county.