Newport Beach Skyline Watch, Part 2: How the New High-Rises Will Change Newport Beach

by Dar Mardan

Fashion Island courtyard in Newport Center, Newport Beach, where new high-rise condo towers are planned

See what's coming: official renderings of The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Newport Beach and Related California's twin towers at Big Newport (both open in a new tab).

How will the new high-rises change Newport Beach? They bring a full-service, luxury condo lifestyle Orange County has rarely offered, along with construction and service jobs, more professionals living near Newport Center, and a new kind of buyer for the city.

In Part 1 of this series, I walked through the towers themselves: the Ritz-Carlton Residences, the twin towers replacing the Big Newport theater, and the smaller projects around Fashion Island. That post has become one of the most-read on our site, and the question I keep hearing afterward is a bigger one: what happens to Newport Beach once these buildings are actually standing?

My honest answer is that this is good news for the city. Not because Newport Beach needs to become Miami or Century City, but because it adds something Orange County has been missing, and it brings people, jobs, and investment along with it. Here is how I see it playing out.

Orange County Has Never Really Had This Way of Living

Orange County is built on single-family homes, townhomes, and low-rise condos. If you wanted true high-rise living, with a concierge downstairs, valet, and hotel-level service, you usually had to look to Los Angeles, San Diego, or out of state. Newport Center is about to change that.

The Ritz-Carlton Residences. A 22-story tower with 159 for-sale residences at the VEA Newport Beach campus, overlooking Fashion Island. According to the Orange County Business Journal, the residences will be run by dedicated Ritz-Carlton staff, separate from the hotel operation.
The twin towers at Big Newport. Related California's two 22-story towers at 210 and 300 Newport Center Drive will hold 150 for-sale homes with 2 to 4 bedrooms and roughly 2,100 to 6,400 square feet, sitting on a podium with café or retail space and small live-work offices, per the city staff report covered by OCBJ. In April 2026 the City Council unanimously denied the appeal that tried to stop the project.

These are not apartments with a nice lobby. They are homes the size of many single-family houses, stacked above Fashion Island's restaurants and shops, with someone else handling the maintenance. That is a genuinely new product for this market.

A Different Kind of Buyer Is Coming

When a new type of home arrives, it attracts people who were not being served before. I expect three groups to drive demand in Newport Center.

The Newport Beach downsizer who doesn't want to leave

Many of our clients have spent 20 or 30 years in a large home in Newport Beach or Corona del Mar. They are ready for less upkeep, but they don't want to give up the city. Until now, the choices were mostly an older condo or moving away. A full-service tower with views and a concierge gives them a reason to stay. If you are weighing that move, our post on the real annual cost of a big house versus a condo in Newport Beach runs the numbers side by side.

The executive and working professional

Newport Center is already one of Orange County's major office districts. During the Big Newport hearing, a council member pointed out that the towers fit alongside existing neighbors like PIMCO and Pacific Life (OCBJ). Living a few minutes from the office, the golf course, and Fashion Island is exactly the lifestyle this buyer wants.

The second-home and global buyer

Branded residences such as the Ritz-Carlton attract buyers who already own homes elsewhere and want lock-and-leave convenience. This is a fast-growing global category. Knight Frank's 2026-27 Residence Report verified nearly 1,800 live and pipeline branded residence projects worldwide and found that the United States produced 41% of the world's new ultra-high-net-worth individuals over the past 5 years. Newport Beach is now on that map.

Jobs: During Construction and Long After

Buildings this size are a major economic engine. The National Association of Home Builders estimates that building 100 rental apartments in a typical local area supports about 161 local jobs in the first year and about 44 jobs every year after the units are occupied (NAHB study). An earlier NAHB report found that 100 condominiums generated even more first-year jobs than 100 apartments, largely because condos are higher-value construction (Multi-Housing News). Newport Center's towers are among the highest-value condos ever planned in Orange County, so the local impact should be meaningful.

The jobs don't end when the cranes leave:

Building operations: concierge, valet, housekeeping, security, engineering, and property management staff.
Hospitality: the Ritz-Carlton residences sit beside the newly renovated VEA hotel, and the nearby Fashion Island Hotel is being reinvested in and rebranded as the Pendry Newport Beach (OCBJ).
Retail and dining: hundreds of new full-time households within walking distance of Fashion Island means more evening and weekday business for local restaurants and shops.

There is a housing benefit too. Under the city's rule allowing hotel rooms to convert to residences, the developer pays $100,000 per new residence, with $65,000 of that set aside for affordable housing in Newport Beach (Bisnow).

More Professionals Living Where They Work

For decades, many people who work in Newport Center have driven in from other cities. Putting several hundred high-end homes in the middle of an office district changes that. The Related towers even include small office units designed for live-work use. More residents living near their jobs means shorter commutes, more activity at Fashion Island after 5 PM, and a stronger, more year-round community in the heart of the city.

Why I Expect We'll See More of This

The two headline towers are the most visible part of a much larger shift.

The city has already planned for it. Newport Beach rezoned Newport Center for up to 2,439 new housing units (OCBJ), and the city's overall housing plan accommodates 8,174 units, according to California's housing department.
Office buildings are becoming homes. Recent proposals include a 144-unit, 8-story building on Bayside Drive, 120 units at Jamboree Road and Santa Barbara Drive, 76 units near City Hall, 366 more units at Park Newport, and about 700 units at MacArthur Court (OCBJ).
The global trend points the same way. Knight Frank found the branded residence sector nearly tripled in a decade, from 354 schemes in 2015 to 903 at the end of 2025 (Elite Agent).

One thing to watch: a citizen initiative, the Responsible Housing Initiative, would cut the city's planned housing capacity from 8,174 units to 2,900, and the city has gone to court over whether it can appear on the ballot (Voice of OC). Whatever happens there, the towers that already have their approvals are the furthest along. The bigger question is how much more follows them, and I'll keep tracking it in this series.

What This Means for Newport Beach Homeowners

Your neighborhood keeps its character. This growth is concentrated inland around Newport Center and the airport area, not on the Peninsula, Balboa Island, or in Corona del Mar's flower streets.
Single-family homes stay scarce. The towers add a new type of home; they don't add more beach cottages or view lots. Land in Newport Beach remains as limited as ever.
Long-time owners get a new option. If you want to downsize without leaving the city, you will soon have choices that didn't exist before. Pair that with tax planning, including how Prop 19 lets you transfer your tax base, and the math can work well. Our Newport Beach downsizing guide covers the timing.
More buyers are paying attention to Newport Beach. New luxury product brings new buyers to the city, and some of them will eventually want a house, too.

Frequently Asked Questions

How will the new high-rises change Newport Beach?

They introduce full-service, high-rise condo living around Fashion Island, bring construction and long-term service jobs, and draw more professionals and second-home buyers to Newport Center. Coastal, low-rise neighborhoods are not part of this pipeline.

Will the high-rises affect home values in my neighborhood?

No one can promise a specific effect, but the towers are a different product in a different part of the city. They don't change the limited supply of single-family homes, and new investment in Newport Center generally adds to the city's appeal.

Who is expected to buy condos in the new towers?

Mostly local downsizers who want to stay in Newport Beach, executives and professionals who work nearby, and second-home buyers drawn to branded, lock-and-leave living.

How many jobs will these projects create?

The city hasn't published a combined total. As a yardstick, NAHB estimates about 161 local jobs in the first year for every 100 apartments built, and condos have historically generated more. Ongoing jobs include building staff, hospitality, and retail.

When will the towers be finished?

No completion dates have been published. The Big Newport theater is expected to close no later than June 30, 2027, before demolition for the Related towers.

What is a branded residence?

A home in a building that carries a hospitality brand's name, such as Ritz-Carlton, and is managed to that brand's service standards. Owners typically get concierge, housekeeping, and amenity access similar to a luxury hotel.

Let's Talk About Your Next Move

Whether you own in Newport Beach and want to understand what this means for your home, or you're thinking about a move into one of these new towers, Vida and I are happy to walk you through it, including the tax side, which is where my CPA background comes in. Schedule a complimentary consultation with Dar Mardan, REALTOR® with REAL Broker, serving Newport Beach, Corona del Mar, and coastal Orange County.