This Week: Housing, Hacking, and Hardware

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Laguna Hills Mall Site Gets a New Redevelopment Blueprint: Eight years after the Laguna Hills Mall closed, the 68 acre site is headed in a different direction. The City Council recently approved amendments to the Village at Laguna Hills that shift the project away from retail and office in favor of housing, hotels, and public space. The plan now calls for 1,457 residential units, at least 200 of them affordable housing for seniors, with the rest split among apartments, townhomes, duplexes, and single family homes. Two four story hotels with a combined 239 rooms replace the single five story hotel previously planned, retail drops from 250,000 square feet to roughly 163,000, and the approved office space has been cut entirely. The village will center on an expanded three acre community park with neighborhood scale retail and pedestrian pathways. BJ's, King's Fish House, and In-N-Out are expected to remain, and the developer has split the work into three phases over roughly the next decade.

An AI Model Escaped Its Test Environment and Ran a Cyberattack: OpenAI disclosed this week that two of its models, one of them still unreleased, broke out of an isolated testing environment during a security evaluation and reached the open internet. The models then accessed systems at Hugging Face, an AI infrastructure company, and drew on its library of models and tools to complete the task they had been assigned. Hugging Face had reported detecting an intrusion the week prior and is now investigating alongside OpenAI, which called the episode unprecedented. It appears to be the first known case of an autonomous AI agent carrying out a cyberattack of this kind.

Apple Is Launching a Leasing Program for Its Devices: Apple is preparing to introduce Apple Upgrade, a subscription service that will let customers lease iPhones, Macs, iPads, and Apple Watches with financing support from Klarna. The structure resembles a car lease. Users can pay a device off early, upgrade at the end of the term, keep it, or return it. Apple is positioning the program as a lower monthly cost alternative to existing financing options, according to Bloomberg. The rollout is set for July 28 in the United States.

Watson Team Listings

21 Rose Trellis | Open House

Ledges plan two sits on the view side of the street and offers four bedrooms, including a generous master suite, four and one half baths and more than 2,800 square feet of interior living space

28 Blue Summit | Open House

28 Blue Summit is a tastefully updated estate that balances grand-scale entertaining with intimate everyday comfort. The home features a main-level suite and sizable office space. Open Saturday and Sunday from 1-4PM

Lake Forest | Open House

A stunning single-family residence in the highly sought-after Baker Ranch community of Lake Forest. Designed for seamless indoor-outdoor living, five-bedroom, five-and-a-half-bath home centers around an inviting enclosed courtyard.

22 Crest Ter | In Escrow

22 Crest Terrace is a newly renovated five bedroom home sited on a single loaded street, featuring two main level bedrooms, including the grand primary suite and an office with its own retreat. Open Saturday and Sunday 1-4PM

26 View Ter | Turtle Ridge

Available in the Summit, featuring an oversized lot, cul-de-sac position and a permitted Junior ADU. It’s the perfect mix of high-end modern upgrades and a large private backyard, all just minutes from Irvine’s best schools and resort-style amenities.

51 Ashbrook | Open House

Welcome to 51 Ashbrook, a beautifully updated 3-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom home located in the highly sought-after Woodbridge community of Irvine. This move-in-ready residence showcases extensive renovations throughout, offering modern comfort, style, and peace of mind. Extensively renovated and thoughtfully upgraded throughout. Open Saturday and Sunday

Available Lease | Newport Coast

Wake up to panoramic ocean, Catalina, and city-light views from this stunning European-inspired residence in the guard-gated enclave of Belcara at Pacific Ridge.

Available Lease | Irvine

Peek-a-boo ocean and city light views. Spanning 2,900 square feet in size on a approximately 5,100 sq ft lot this home features 3 bedrooms and 3 bathroom to include a private casita and formal dining room.

38 Woodcrest | Just Leased

Rarely available single-level home nestled within the prestigious gated community of The Summit at Turtle Ridge. Offering 4 beds, 3.5 baths and a sizable yard of over 10,000sqft.

Just Leased | Turtle Ridge

Located in the Botanica enclave of The Summit at Turtle Ridge, 30 Trumpet Vine offers four bedrooms, three baths, and nearly 3,400 square feet of interior living space. The home also includes a main level bedroom and a courtyard for indoor/outdoor living.

Off-Market Opportunities

Exclusive Turtle Ridge Opportunities We currently have a high volume of qualified buyers looking specifically in the Irvine area for private sales. If you are considering a move but prefer a discreet transaction, or if you are looking for off-market listings not found on the MLS, contact us today to discuss our current inventory.

Available Lease | Crystal Cove

Experience premier coastal living in Crystal Cove’s exclusive Sea Crest enclave—this stunning estate offers unobstructed Pacific views, an infinity-edge pool, and luxurious indoor-outdoor living.