Posted July 2026 | By Eric Engelbert | Updated as the project progresses.
Cabrillo Crossing: 35 New Townhomes Near Completion on East First Street in Santa Ana
Brandywine Homes' Cabrillo Crossing community is one of the few new for-sale ownership projects in Santa Ana that is essentially finished and ready to close. As of early 2026, construction was reported at 98% complete on all 35 units at 1814 and 1818 East First Street. The project brings three and four-story attached townhomes to a pair of previously vacant parcels in Santa Ana's Ward 3, with floor plans ranging from 1,385 to 2,476 square feet and prices starting from the mid $800s.
What makes Cabrillo Crossing stand out among Santa Ana's new construction pipeline is the inclusion of six live/work units specifically designed for remote and hybrid workers, a program that is relatively uncommon in attached townhome communities at this price point. Four of the 35 homes are reserved as affordable units under the city's density bonus program. The remaining 25 homes are market-rate for-sale ownership product available without income restrictions. Tustin Unified School District serves the area, which is a meaningful distinction for families comparing Santa Ana addresses.
The Site: Two Vacant Parcels on East First Street
The Cabrillo Crossing site at 1814 and 1818 East First Street consists of two parcels that were listed as vacant at the time of application. The property was held by The Provider Fund, LP prior to Brandywine Homes' acquisition through its entity Brandywine Acquisition Group, LLC. Unlike several other Santa Ana infill projects that required the demolition of operating commercial buildings, these parcels came to Brandywine without a prior tenant or operating business, which simplified the environmental baseline and pre-construction timeline.
The parcels sit in Santa Ana's Ward 3 along East First Street, a corridor that has become increasingly active with new residential development as the city works toward its Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) obligation of roughly 3,000 units for the current planning cycle. The address falls within the Tustin Unified School District boundaries rather than the Santa Ana Unified School District, a distinction that buyers with school-age children consistently ask about when evaluating homes in this part of the city. Nearby major employers include UCI Medical Center, Children's Hospital of Orange County (CHOC), and Orange County Global Medical Center, making the location practical for healthcare and medical sector workers.
The site's proximity to the 5 and 55 freeways via First Street provides commute access in multiple directions. Old Town Tustin, MainPlace Mall, The Outlets at Orange, Honda Center, and Angel Stadium are all within a short drive.
Floor Plans, Live/Work Units, and Pricing
Cabrillo Crossing offers multiple floor plans across its 35 homes, spanning three and four stories with tuck-under parking at ground level. Unit sizes run from 1,385 square feet on the compact end to 2,476 square feet on the largest plans, with two and three bedroom configurations available throughout. The building design steps between three and four stories depending on the unit type, which creates variation in the streetscape and allows for some units to have additional floor area not achievable on a uniform roofline.
Six of the 35 homes are designated as live/work units. Plan 4, marketed as the Cabrillo plan, features an oversized first-floor office space with an adjacent powder bath, designed specifically for buyers who work from home or operate a small client-facing business. The office is positioned at the street level with a separate entry, which gives these units a practical functionality that a standard bedroom-converted-to-office setup cannot replicate. For buyers who have been working remotely since 2020 and want their home to reflect that reality, these plans address the need directly.
2 to 3 bedrooms
1,385 to 2,476 SF
3 to 4 stories, tuck-under parking
First-floor oversized office
Separate entry, adjacent powder bath
Ideal for remote/hybrid workers
Income-restricted per city program
Separate qualification process
Contact city for availability
| Community Name | Cabrillo Crossing |
|---|---|
| Address | 1814 and 1818 East First Street, Santa Ana, CA 92705 |
| Ward | Ward 3 |
| Total Homes | 35 for-sale attached townhomes |
| Market-Rate Homes | 25 |
| Live/Work Units | 6 (Plan 4 / Cabrillo plan) |
| Affordable Units | 4 (income-restricted) |
| Bedrooms | 2 to 3 bedrooms |
| Square Footage | 1,385 to 2,476 SF |
| Stories | 3 to 4 stories |
| Parking | Tuck-under |
| Starting Price | From the mid $800s |
| School District | Tustin Unified School District |
| Developer / Builder | Brandywine Homes (Brandywine Acquisition Group, LLC) |
| Prior Site Use | Vacant parcels |
| Construction Status | 98% complete (as of February 2026) |
| City Planner | Pedro Gomez, AICP, Principal Planner |
Entitlements, Community Process, and Approvals
Brandywine submitted the Cabrillo Crossing application to the City of Santa Ana's Planning Division and was assigned to Principal Planner Pedro Gomez. The project required a tentative tract map for condominium purposes, which is the standard entitlement mechanism for a for-sale townhome community built on what begins as a single developable area.
In compliance with Santa Ana's Sunshine Ordinance, Brandywine held a public community meeting on November 30, 2021 at Avila's El Ranchito restaurant on East First Street, approximately two blocks from the project site. The meeting was offered in both English and Spanish, consistent with the demographics of the surrounding neighborhood. This type of bilingual outreach is required for projects of this scale and reflects the city's approach to ensuring neighbors have meaningful access to the planning process regardless of language.
The project also went before the Planning Commission for a public hearing and then proceeded to City Council for a density bonus agreement consent review. The density bonus agreement is what formalized the four affordable units in exchange for the additional development flexibility the density bonus program allows. No significant organized opposition to the project was documented in publicly available records. The site's prior vacancy, the inclusion of affordable units, and the live/work designation all contributed to a relatively straightforward path through entitlements compared to projects involving occupied commercial demolition.
Because the parcels were vacant at the time of application, the environmental review process was more streamlined than it would have been for a former gas station, dry cleaner, or industrial site. No documented soil contamination or hazardous materials remediation requirements were identified for this project in available city or state records.
About the Developer: Brandywine Homes
Brandywine Homes is an Irvine-based, family-owned homebuilder founded in 1994. The company was started by its founder after building a small subdivision on the banks of Santiago Creek in Orange County with minimal staff, growing from that single project into one of Southern California's most recognized infill specialists. Over three decades the company has built or developed nearly 1,500 homes across 45 communities in Orange, Los Angeles, and San Diego counties.
Brandywine's business model is built around converting underutilized urban properties into ownership housing. Their portfolio includes former strip malls, surface parking lots, and vacant parcels in established communities where larger national builders typically do not compete. Renaissance Plaza in Stanton, a 10-acre pedestrian-friendly development that required consolidating more than a dozen separate ownership interests, is among their more complex infill projects. In Orange County specifically, past projects have included Seabright in Costa Mesa with 26 townhomes, Covington in Yorba Linda with 51 units, and numerous other smaller communities across the region.
Cabrillo Crossing reflects Brandywine's standard approach: find an underutilized site in a well-located urban neighborhood, design a product that fits the scale and character of the street, include the affordable component required by city policy, and deliver homes that appeal to buyers priced out of coastal new construction. The live/work component at Cabrillo Crossing is an evolution of that approach, adapting the product type to reflect how buyers actually use their homes in the post-2020 work environment.
What Buyers Should Know
With construction at 98% completion as of early 2026, Cabrillo Crossing is one of the closest-to-delivery new construction opportunities in Santa Ana. Buyers who act quickly will have the advantage of selecting from remaining homes before they are gone; buyers who wait risk the community closing out before they engage. Brandywine was offering a $50,000 incentive package that could be applied toward price reduction, rate buydown, closing costs, design upgrades, or HOA dues. Whether that program is still available depends on remaining inventory at the time of your inquiry, so confirming directly with the sales office is essential.
The Tustin Unified School District assignment is a significant factor for families. Tustin Unified consistently outperforms Santa Ana Unified on state metrics, and homes assigned to TUSD within Santa Ana city limits tend to command a premium in resale as a result. That dynamic is already built into the Cabrillo Crossing pricing and is likely to support values over time.
The four affordable units at Cabrillo Crossing are administered through a separate process involving income verification and city program requirements. Qualified moderate-income buyers interested in those units should contact the City of Santa Ana Planning Division or Brandywine directly for eligibility guidelines and availability.
For buyers drawn to the live/work plans, it is worth confirming with your lender early in the process. Some loan programs treat live/work units differently than standard residential condominiums for underwriting purposes. Getting lender pre-approval specific to this unit type before falling in love with Plan 4 will save time and prevent surprises at the contract stage.
Want to Buy at Cabrillo Crossing or See What Else Is New in Santa Ana?
We track Cabrillo Crossing and every other new development across Orange County. Whether you want to confirm availability, understand the live/work unit process, or compare this community to other new construction options in Santa Ana, we can walk you through every step from initial interest to close of escrow.
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