3 bedroom Apartments in Irvine, larger than 1500 sq ft? (Huntington Beach, Santa Rosa: apartment complex, city hall)

[New2Cali]

We are reviewing apartments in Irvine and most of the luxury apartments in Irvine are no larger than 1,400 sq ft.
We are looking to pay a max. of $3,500 for 3-4 bedroom apartment/townhome with 2 car garage. We have 2 children (5 & 1 yr old) and two cocker spaniels.
The best so far we have found is SANTA MARIA APARTMENTS which is walking to a 10 rated school (Plaza Vista School) and is a 3 bedroom with 2 car garage BUT only 1,230 sq ft! It got 100% recommendations on apartment reviews.com.
We currently live in a 1,700 sq ft in Miami and are relocating to South California.
We prefer an apartment to a home just because its more lively and not too quiet.
Any great recommendations?

[masalamomma]

You may want to take a look at Turtle Rock Canyon Apartments. They are really beautiful apartments, and I think Turtle Rock is the absolute best part of Irvine (others may disagree).

They have a bedroom townhome style apartment. It is not bigger, but is on two levels, so feels roomier.

Turtle Rock Canyon – Apartment Rentals in Irvine

Some units have 2 car attached garage.

This one is 1434 square feet:

Santa Rosa – Irvine, California Apartment Homes

Not sure about proximity to the school.

Good luck

[OC Investor2]

Look for a private rental - townhome or condo - you'll get more for the money. Plus for $3.5k You can probably get a Single Family. And private owners may be more flexible on pets. There are alot of townhomes and entry level houses in Westpark that feed Plaza Vista school. Just look at the area bordered by Barranca, Irvine Center Drive, Harvard and Culver. Not sure if the area between Barranca and Alton goes to Plaza Vista or not, But that's got alot of attached housing as well - condos, Townhomes & IAC Apartments.

Santa Maria is a nice apartment complex - I live right around the corner & walk by it all the time. Most Apartments in Irvine are smaller, so expect less footage. Some of the older complexes - Park West on Culver & Michealson comes immediately to mind, have much larger floorplans, but are a bit more worn.

Lastly - Plaza Vista is a GREAT school, but just so you know, it is Year around, meaning their breaks are at odd times. Check the schools website for details. Entering Kintergardeners start in late July. Just an FYI....

Good luck!

[New2Cali]

Thanks masalamomma and OC Investor2.
Santa Rosa got some bad reviews from apartment ratings.com and actually had the largest sq ft from all the Irvine Company apartments.
Turtle Rock looks nice.
We also checked out the Calypso Apartments at 2801 Alton Parkway and they are fairly new and have sq ft of 1,448 for 2 bedroom with a loft with a max of $2,950 rent.
The other reason i liked the Santa Maria is that its 1.9 miles to Tustin Metro. If I wanted to take the train instead of driving to Commerce, that is an option.
We are also going to call the Plaza Vista since we did not realize that school starts in July and there is a waiting list to get in.
We will also find an agent to show us condos/homes that are newer and closer to schools/freeways.

[OC Investor2]

Originally Posted by New2Cali

Thanks masalamomma and OC Investor2.
Santa Rosa got some bad reviews from apartment ratings.com and actually had the largest sq ft from all the Irvine Company apartments.
Turtle Rock looks nice.
We also checked out the Calypso Apartments at 2801 Alton Parkway and they are fairly new and have sq ft of 1,448 for 2 bedroom with a loft with a max of $2,950 rent.
The other reason i liked the Santa Maria is that its 1.9 miles to Tustin Metro. If I wanted to take the train instead of driving to Commerce, that is an option.
We are also going to call the Plaza Vista since we did not realize that school starts in July and there is a waiting list to get in.
We will also find an agent to show us condos/homes that are newer and closer to schools/freeways.

I'd reconsider Calypso. It is right on - and by that I mean 10 feet from - Jamboree road, A very heavily travelled arterial road that becomes a divided highway about 400 yards further north. Its tucked in between the road and the beginning of the Irvine Busines District. OK spot for Dinks and Empty nesters, but bad location for kids. Calypso is around no parks, pools or any of the other amenities Irvine neighborhoods are known for. You'd have to walk thru an office park to get to the nearest parks around city hall which would be 800-1000 yards away.

[New2Cali]

Thanks!
What about Huntington Beach? There are some newer condos (2000+) on realtor.com that range from 2,100 - 2,500 sq ft and have Ocean View. Right off Pacific Coast Hwy. Rentals are from $2,800 to $3,500. There is a school (Agnes Smith Elementary School, rated 9/10) less than 2 miles from these properties. Don't know about their dog policy.
Plus the commute to Commerce is 50 mins in traffic according to Google maps. Irvine is 1 hr 20 mins in traffic.
Is HB for families? Is it crowded?

[bhcompy]

HB is nice for families, but stick to the Huntington Harbor area I would say if you're looking at condos, but I don't have great knowledge of HB.

If you're considering HB, then you may find something nice in Seal Beach though. You said you wanted something lively and the houses and condos are right on top of each other in Old Town Seal Beach. Commute would be better. There are some newer condos and plenty of houses that can be rented, probably in your range. The houses are damn near on top of each other, so it will feel like you're in a condo. Small yards if any, and basic patios for back yards for many of the houses on or around Electric Ave and off the beach itself. McGaugh Elementary is an awesome school.

Neighboring Los Alamitos has plenty of new condos along Apartment Row as well. There are plenty for rent. Many of the apartment properties along Apartment Row have fronthouses as well, so you'd have a full house in front with apartments in the back, not sure if that appeals to you but it should meet your size standards. Check with Westside Rentals, The Sun(Seal/Los Al paper), and the Pennysaver for condo rentals. Major property management companies in the city are BJ Properties and Ray Roberts Realty if you want to check directly. The apartments themselves in the city are older and probably won't meet your size standards. Rossmoor has condos, but I'm not sure if they will be to your standards either, eventhough the neighborhood is awesome and they're built right on the back of the shopping center(though the theater and bowling alley that was once a perk are long gone). Same district as McGaugh and pretty much all are rated very highly(10s and 9s).

[OC Investor2]

Originally Posted by New2Cali

Thanks!
What about Huntington Beach? There are some newer condos (2000+) on realtor.com that range from 2,100 - 2,500 sq ft and have Ocean View. Right off Pacific Coast Hwy. Rentals are from $2,800 to $3,500. There is a school (Agnes Smith Elementary School, rated 9/10) less than 2 miles from these properties. Don't know about their dog policy.
Plus the commute to Commerce is 50 mins in traffic according to Google maps. Irvine is 1 hr 20 mins in traffic.
Is HB for families? Is it crowded?

HB is OK for Families. My perception of it is more suitable for young Dinks. Just be pretty granular on your research on the city it has a pretty diverse range of people & housing options. As the city in general is older and older generally equals more sq. Footage, you may have better luck finding something in the size/price range you are looking for. Having said that, just know that HB is not very freeway friendly. If you live down by the water, you are looking at a 15-20 minute surface st. drive just to get to & from the freeway.

You mentioned you are going to be working in Commerce. I would ask why you are looking mostly in OC to relo to for a job up there. Quality of life in SoCal is inverse to length of commute. An OC-Commerce commute is a long drive into the heart of the rush hour beast and will grind on you pretty hard. You may want to look at the Pasedena/ San Gabriel Valley area for some better options. If you are intent on OC, check out Fullerton/Brea/LA Mirada/La Habra. They are closer to the East LA area and each has some nicer parts with good schools.

[New2Cali]

Seal Beach has only 4 homes for rent in the max $4,000 rent range. Plus they are older.
Fullerton shows 19 miles to Commerce but 50 mins in traffic which is the same from Huntington Beach (28 miles / 50 mins traffic).
The reason we are looking at Irvine/Huntington Beach is due to the fact we are looking for newer condos with great schools nearby and malls and beaches not too far.
We live in Miami Beach right now and are looking to maintain/better that lifestyle in South California.
My husband realizes that the commute will be hell but he wants to make sure we are in a great area with everything so I don't get home sick

[bhcompy]

There will be older homes in Seal Beach, but you are right on the beach essentially. You trade off newness for character, beach weather(A/C only needed maybe one week a year if that), and the old town Seal Beach environment, which is awesome for raising kids. You pay a major premium for that kind of stuff in So Cal. Surfside next door is just as old in places and is one of the most expensive and exclusive areas in OC. Old definitely doesn't mean bad in the coastal cities, and it's really the norm in anything north starting around Balboa Island