By Eric Engelbert
On June 23, 2026, the City of Irvine and Brookfield Residential broke ground on Gateway Village, a 70-acre residential community taking shape at Portola Parkway and Jeffrey Road in North Irvine. This is one of the more significant new housing announcements in Orange County in recent years, and the backstory of how it came together makes it an even better story than the headline numbers suggest. Here is everything you need to know about what is being built, who is building it, and what it means if you are considering buying in Irvine.
What Was There Before: A $285 Million Problem Solved
The northeast foothills of Irvine had a long-running issue that most people outside the immediate area did not know about. The All American Asphalt plant had been operating in that part of the city since the early 1990s. For years, nearby residents complained about air quality, odors, and the general impact of having a major industrial operation sitting in what should have been one of the most scenic stretches of North Irvine. Mayor Larry Agran described it plainly, calling it "the largest industrial polluter, not just in Irvine, but in the whole county."
In 2023, the City of Irvine bought the asphalt plant for $285 million and shut it down. That acquisition cleared the path for what is now Gateway Village and the adjacent Gateway Preserve. It was an expensive decision, but it transformed a chronic neighborhood complaint into what will become one of the most desirable addresses in North Irvine. The groundbreaking in June 2026 is the direct result of that 2023 investment.
A Public-Private Partnership: Irvine Company, Brookfield, and the City
Gateway Village is not a standard developer-buys-land-and-builds story. It came together through a public-private partnership between three major players. The City of Irvine acquired and removed the asphalt plant. The Irvine Company then dedicated 91 acres of land for the residential village and the extension of the Jeffrey Open Space Trail. The City selected Brookfield Residential as the development partner responsible for designing and building the homes.
Brookfield Residential is not a small regional builder. It is one of the largest homebuilders in North America, with a long track record in master-planned communities across California and the Southwest. The City's stated reasons for selecting Brookfield were its high-quality neighborhood design, attainable price points, and the thoughtful integration of affordable housing into the overall plan. The fact that the Irvine Company contributed the land rather than selling it at market rate is a meaningful piece of this story. It allowed the project to incorporate a genuine affordable housing component at a scale that would be difficult to finance if the land had been purchased at current Irvine prices.
What Is Being Built: 1,138 Homes Across Six Neighborhoods
Gateway Village will include 1,138 total homes spread across six distinct neighborhoods. Of those, 851 will be market-rate homes for sale and 287 will be affordable housing apartments, representing 25% of the total unit count. That affordable component is meaningful in a city where most new housing comes in well above what moderate-income households can reach.
The homes range from 1,050 to 2,600 square feet, with options spanning one to five bedrooms across multi-story layouts. That range is notable because it covers a wide spectrum of buyer needs, from smaller first or second homes to larger family configurations, all within the same master-planned community. Parks and recreational amenities are included in the site plan alongside the residential neighborhoods.
Pricing has not been released yet. The City described Brookfield's approach as offering "attainable price points," but specific numbers will not be public until model homes open, which is expected in summer 2027. If you want to be among the first notified when pricing comes out, that is something I can help with. I track new construction in Irvine closely and will have that information as soon as it is available.
The Gateway Preserve: 700 Acres of Open Space Next Door
What makes Gateway Village stand out from a typical Irvine new home community is what sits directly adjacent to it. The broader Gateway Project includes a 700-acre Gateway Preserve, overseen by the Irvine Ranch Conservancy, which will feature approximately 10 miles of new hiking and biking trails through preserved native landscapes and habitat mitigation areas.
The preserve serves as an entry point to the 20,000-acre Northern Open Space Preserve, connecting residents to Limestone Canyon, Black Star Canyon, and eventually the Cleveland National Forest. A new pedestrian bridge spanning Portola Parkway will extend the Jeffrey Open Space Trail into the preserve, linking Gateway Village directly to the broader trail network that runs through North Irvine.
For buyers who value proximity to outdoor recreation, this is a meaningful differentiator. Most Irvine communities offer parks and greenbelts within the development. Gateway Village offers a direct connection to one of the largest contiguous open space networks in all of Southern California.
Timeline: What to Expect and When
The groundbreaking was June 23, 2026. From there, the expected milestones look like this:
- Summer 2027: First model homes open. This is typically when Brookfield will release pricing, floor plans, and begin taking interest lists or reservations for the first phases.
- Early 2028: Community and open space features, including the Gateway Preserve access and trail connections, are expected to be open to the public.
That timeline means buyers interested in Gateway Village have roughly a year before they need to make any decisions, but interest lists for desirable Irvine communities tend to fill quickly. Brookfield projects in master-planned communities often have waitlists for premium lots well before model homes open. If this is on your radar, it is worth getting on a list sooner rather than waiting for the grand opening weekend.
What This Means for Buyers Looking at Irvine
Irvine is consistently ranked among the safest cities in America, has top-rated schools in the Irvine Unified School District, and remains one of the most in-demand real estate markets in all of Orange County. The challenge has always been inventory. Gateway Village adds over 850 market-rate homes to a city where supply has been chronically tight, and it does so in the northeast foothills, an area that has historically offered some of the most scenic settings in Irvine without the premium price tags of communities closer to the coast.
For buyers who have been priced out of coastal OC or who have been circling Irvine and waiting for the right opportunity, Gateway Village is worth watching closely. The combination of a quality builder, Irvine Company land, a City-backed project, and 700 acres of adjacent open space is not something that comes together often.
While you are waiting for Gateway Village to open its model homes, there are strong opportunities available in Irvine right now across a range of price points and property types. The current market offers more negotiating room than buyers had two or three years ago, and days on market have extended enough to allow for more deliberate decision-making.
I Am Watching This Project Closely
Gateway Village is the kind of development that does not happen very often in a city as built-out as Irvine. When a project combines this much new inventory, open space, an established builder, and a City-backed land contribution, it tends to move quickly once model homes open. If you want to be in the first wave of informed buyers when pricing is released in summer 2027, I would be glad to put you on my list and reach out the moment details are available.
