John Laing moves out of Newport Beach

Paul Clinton

Homebuilder John Laing Homes has left its office here, signing a

lease with the Trammell Crow Co. for space in a new building in

Irvine.

John Laing, a division of WL Homes LLC and one of the top

homebuilders in Orange County, moved into its 17,000-square-foot

space to the Park Place section of the Irvine Business Complex late

last month, said Alette McKenzie, a spokeswoman for owner Trammell

Crow.

“They have an absolutely beautiful space that overlooks the

entry,” McKenzie said. “They’ve moved in already.”

The homebuilder signed a lease for the space, on the second floor

of a six-floor building, about two months ago, McKenzie said, and

moved in on June 27. It’s part of the business complex at 3121

Michelson Drive, which has 146,700 square feet of rentable space.

John Laing was previously at 895 Dove St., near Bristol Street.

Parent WL Homes still occupies space at the building.

Newport Beach leaders said they weren’t worried about WL Homes’

ability to fill the space left by the departure.

“[Newport Beach] is a very desirable business address,” said

Richard Leuhrs, the president of the Newport Beach Chamber of

Commerce. “It does better than other areas of the county.”

Cushman & Wakefield of California Inc. is directing leasing for

Park Place, which is the newest office building at the sprawling

business complex.

The building includes nearly 10-foot ceilings with see-through

glass to allow natural light inside. The large floor plates are more

than 25,000 square feet. It’s equipped with so-called “plug and play”

electrical and fiber optic capabilities and a centralized nerve

center that precisely controls lights and temperature.

A number of shops and eateries dot the 105-acre Park Place

landscape. Those include Houston’s, Ruth Chris Steak House and

California Pizza Kitchen.