Home Ranch finds possible tenant in Emulex

Lolita Harper

COSTA MESA -- The mystery tenant for the industrial portion of the

Home Ranch project was unveiled Tuesday when officials from Emulex

confirmed they have signed a letter of intent to occupy a piece of the

former lima bean farm.

President and Chief Executive Paul Folino said the company has given

preliminary confirmation to C.J. Segerstrom & Sons to move into the

industrial portion of the project if it is approved in its current form.

Folino said Costa Mesa-based Emulex has outgrown its current digs on

Harbor Boulevard and needs a new corporate headquarters. The Home Ranch

site provides enough space -- 14.5 acres -- for the expanding business

and allows the network computing equipment company to stay in the city.

“We would prefer to stay in Costa Mesa because it creates a minimal

amount of disruption for our employees, most of whom live in the local

area,” Folino said.

The agreement is tentative, Folino said, because the project has yet

to be approved by the City Council and by the company’s board of

directors. If the project gets the go-ahead from council members, Folino

will work on board approval for the project, he said.

Councilman Gary Monahan was pleased to hear Emulex was considering

moving to the Home Ranch site and even happier to hear about the

company’s success. He said he is glad Emulex wants to continue its

success in Costa Mesa and hopes the city can provide the space the firm

needs, be it on the Home Ranch site or elsewhere.

The councilman said the tentative commitment of Emulex -- a company

that makes fiber channel host adapters and hubs -- bodes well for the

Segerstroms and proves the developers are able to bring high-caliber

tenants to the project.

“Not knowing the outcome of the Home Ranch development application, it

is heartening to know that a very qualified tenant has signed on if the

project is approved,” Monahan said.

Proposed changes to the project, such as moving the industrial portion

to the southeast portion of the 93-acre parcel, as was suggested but

later retracted by Councilwoman Linda Dixon, could have changed Emulex’s

decision to be a tenant, Folino said. Dixon said Tuesday the noise

created by the printing presses at the Los Angeles Times convinced her

that putting homes at the site would not be wise.

“The letter of intent is tied to the property next to the Times

building. We would have to revisit our thinking if the ground moves

underneath us,” Folino said.

The plans for the site -- a former lima bean farm bordered by the San

Diego Freeway, Fairview Road, Harbor Boulevard and Sunflower Avenue --

call for a 17-acre Ikea property, 791,050 square feet of office space,

252,648 square feet of industrial space and 192 residential units.

* Lolita Harper covers Costa Mesa. She may be reached at (949)

574-4275 or by e-mail at o7 lolita.harper@latimes.comf7 .