Lessons From California’s Largest Multi-Unit Development
When a project reaches the scale of The Row at Red Hill in Santa Ana, it’s more than just another development. It’s a statement of what’s possible when vision, persistence, and coordination come together under pressure. For commercial real estate developers across California, it’s also a reminder that no matter how experienced we are, the path from entitlement to occupancy is rarely linear.
The Row at Red Hill, developed by Greystar, is one of the largest multi-unit projects in California in recent years. It includes roughly 1,100 apartment units spread across a 14.5-acre site, with 40,000 square feet of retail and four structured parking garages. It represents the kind of bold infill development the state needs: high-density housing near job centers, on a site once dominated by industrial uses. But the journey to completion was anything but simple.
Reimagining a Site and the Complexities That Follow
Transforming a former industrial property into a livable, walkable mixed-use neighborhood is no small feat. The existing infrastructure on the Red Hill site wasn’t built for this type of use, and that meant nearly every utility, connection, and grading plan had to be re-engineered from the ground up.
Developers faced the kind of logistical puzzle that comes with layering modern systems over decades-old infrastructure. Utility coordination became a full-time project in itself. Sewer tie-ins had to meet strict Orange County Sanitation District standards, stormwater management needed creative solutions, and the site’s fire access requirements required multiple redesigns. Each adjustment had downstream effects on parking, landscaping, and even floor elevations.
What helped the team push through these hurdles was relentless coordination. Rather than treating engineering challenges as isolated events, they pulled every consultant into the same conversation early and often. Weekly coordination meetings with city engineers, fire officials, and utility providers kept the process moving. It’s a simple but often overlooked truth in large-scale development: consistent collaboration saves months down the road.
The Maze of Entitlements and Environmental Review
Entitlement challenges are nothing new in California, but for a project this size, they become magnified. During the environmental review phase, the neighboring city of Tustin raised formal objections about cumulative traffic and environmental impacts along the Red Hill corridor. In essence, Tustin argued that the analysis for one project didn’t adequately account for the domino effect of others being proposed nearby.
For developers, this is a familiar tension. Balancing the need to move forward while responding to new layers of scrutiny that weren’t initially part of the scope requires both patience and adaptability. What Greystar and its team did right was to engage those concerns head-on instead of fighting them. They reopened conversations with surrounding municipalities, provided updated traffic analyses, and expanded their community outreach to show how the project would contribute to local infrastructure and jobs.
That proactive posture helped defuse what could have been a protracted standoff. The takeaway for other developers is clear: when your project becomes a regional talking point, it’s better to lean in than to wait for someone else to define the narrative.
The Phasing Dilemma
Building a project of this size is never a single-phase exercise. The Row at Red Hill was developed over multiple phases spanning more than two years, with early move-ins starting even as other sections remained under construction. Managing that balance, keeping residents comfortable while heavy equipment still operates nearby, required a level of operational precision usually reserved for resort developments.
Greystar’s team reportedly coordinated more than one hundred consultants throughout the process, from civil engineers and landscape architects to retail planners and leasing staff. Each decision affected five others. Parking garages had to open in sequence with building occupancy, retail spaces needed to be activated early enough to create a sense of community, and landscaping had to be installed in phases without compromising access for construction vehicles.
Phased delivery is always a balancing act between financial timing and practical execution. The key lesson here was transparency. Clear communication between the developer, contractors, and city inspectors helped anticipate delays before they became costly. Phasing also allowed the developer to start leasing earlier, creating revenue flow while final stages were still underway.
The Traffic Question That Never Goes Away
No California infill project escapes the conversation about traffic. Residents and council members inevitably worry that new density will overwhelm existing roads. At Red Hill, as in similar projects across the state, developers faced repeated calls to address intersections, signals, and local congestion patterns.
These debates can easily stall a project, but the team managed to turn them into an opportunity. By commissioning updated traffic modeling and committing to improvements beyond the project’s immediate boundary, they built goodwill with both city staff and nearby residents.
It’s a good reminder that traffic mitigation isn’t just a regulatory requirement. It’s a chance to demonstrate responsiveness. When developers treat it as a community investment rather than a checkbox, it often becomes a catalyst for smoother approvals in future phases.
Balancing Scale with Community Fit
Another recurring challenge for large developments is finding the right balance between ambition and local context. Critics of The Row noted that while the project’s density was impressive, the ratio of residential units to commercial space felt modest. Others pointed out that large residential communities need more than coffee shops and gyms to function as integrated neighborhoods.
Greystar’s approach was to design public promenades, install public art, and program outdoor gathering spaces that invite both residents and the broader community. While those elements don’t replace the need for more retail or service uses, they help soften the perception that big projects are disconnected from their surroundings.
For developers, the lesson is straightforward but powerful. Community integration can’t be an afterthought. Whether through art, public space, or partnerships with local organizations, the details that connect a project to its neighborhood often determine how it’s remembered.
What Success Looks Like After the Struggle
By late 2024, the first residents moved into The Row at Red Hill. Construction continued into 2025, but the early occupancy signaled that the most difficult hurdles had been cleared. The project now stands as a benchmark for large-scale, high-density development in Southern California, a testament to what can happen when challenges are anticipated rather than avoided.
There were no publicized lawsuits, liens, or stop-work orders along the way. Instead, what marked this project was the sheer volume of coordination and the willingness to adapt to new information midstream. Every developer who’s managed a complex entitlement or multi-phase buildout can relate to the chaos of keeping hundreds of moving parts aligned.
The Row’s completion doesn’t just add housing units. It adds a case study in how to navigate California’s regulatory maze while keeping the project’s spirit intact.
The Bigger Message
The story of The Row at Red Hill isn’t about one company’s success. It’s about what it takes to bring ambitious ideas to life in a state that demands both creativity and endurance from its developers. Every major project begins with a vision that feels almost impossible at the outset. What separates the ones that get built from those that stall isn’t luck. It’s persistence, preparation, and a willingness to turn obstacles into design solutions.
For developers working on their next big idea, The Row is a reminder that even the most complex projects can move forward with the right mindset and team structure. There will always be new regulations, infrastructure challenges, and competing public opinions. But as this project shows, when you face those realities head-on, the end result can redefine an entire neighborhood.
Because dreaming big in real estate isn’t just about the skyline. It’s about the determination to see it through.