Visitors touring Azulón at Mesa Verde for the first time may be forgiven for thinking they’ve discovered a chic, new resort hotel. The look and feel of the apartment complex that recently opened in the heart of Cost Mesa’s Harbor Boulevard commercial district is closer in aesthetic and ambience to Santa Barbara’s Bacara Resort or Las Ventanas al Paraíso in Cabo than most market rate apartment developments.
The beige stucco, the undersized landscaping and the unfinished feeling found in new developments is nowhere to be found. Instead, Azulón’s bright, white walls are accented by intriguing architectural details softened by towering palms and sculptural eucalyptus trees, some 50 years old, according to developer Anton Segerstrom. The trees were existing on the property, which once was home to Kona Lanes. Segerstrom had 40 of them boxed, moved and cared for during construction, and then re-planted when the development was completed.
“It makes it feel established, and gives it some character, which is important,” Segerstrom says. He spearheaded the development on behalf of M.V. Partners, a family business entity that includes his cousins and other family members representing the fourth generation of Segerstroms in the business of shaping the future of Orange County.
South Coast Plaza, Segerstrom Center for the Arts and the South Coast Metro business district are the most well-known of the many projects the philanthropic family has developed and donated to Orange County.
Set on Harbor Boulevard in Costa Mesa, Azulón at Mesa Verde is (perhaps surprisingly) an oasis of calm and quiet in the bustling commercial district. The 215-unit, market-rate apartments are dedicated to the baby boomers (the minimum age is 55 for the first occupant, 45 for others). Empty nesters, downsizing homeowners and recent transplants to OC are some of those who have been snapping up the one- and two-bedroom units since rentals became available in October of last year.
The development is designed to offer resort-style living to active adults, not to be confused with assisted living complexes with meal plans and on-site medical staff that caters to those decades older than the tenants of Azulón.
Bustling Harbor Boulevard and the surrounding Mesa Verde neighborhood are a key part of Azulón’s appeal. It’s a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood that scores 79 out of 100 in walkability at walkscore.com, with restaurants, shops and other amenities nearby , including the shopping center next door (also owned by the Segerstroms) that’s connected by a gated walkway.
Azulón incorporates California’s indoor-outdoor design aesthetic. There are fountains, courtyards, a pool and spa, an organic garden and other gathering places around the property. Breezeways, arched windows and broad corridors take advantage of the climate, with the result being a noticeable cooling effect in the corridors.
Segerstrom says the choice of a Spanish Colonial theme for Azulón was influenced by The Estancia, the nearby Diego Sepulveda Adobe built in the 1800s that the Segerstrom family once owned, and donated to the city of Costa Mesa in 1963. Azulón’s take on the Spanish Colonial aesthetic is as much Moorish as Mexican. Some may detect the influence of architect Luis Barragán (a favorite of Henry Segerstrom, Anton’s father) in the use of light, shadow, angles and scale in the design. The effect is even more dramatic after dark: the exterior lighting was designed by South Coast Repertory’s theatrical lighting expert.
Residents, neighbors, city officials and his family all seem pleased with how the project came out, Segerstrom says. As is he, though his conclusion is characteristically understated. “It’s nice to imagine what could be, put the effort in, and then, I think, accomplish it.”
Azulón at Mesa Verde – 1500 Mesa Verde Drive East, Costa Mesa
:: azulonapts.com :: 855.371.8844
