Anaheim Hills Mall Slated for Housing Transformation

Anaheim is set to receive more housing in the latest redevelopment of a Regal Edwards movie theater. 

Last week, the Anaheim City Council gave final approval to transform the Anaheim Hills Festival shopping center into residences from Shea Properties, the Orange County Business Journal reported.

Aliso Viejo-based Shea plans to demolish the approximately 62,000-square-foot Regal Edwards Anaheim Hills, which has been closed since 2022, to construct a four-story 447-unit apartment community on an 85.7-acre site at 8020 East Santa Ana Canyon Road. Of the 447 units, 45 will be designated for moderate-income households. Other planned additions include open spaces like a public park and a dog park, as well as amenities for residents such as pools, spas, club rooms, co-working spaces and fitness centers.

This project is the latest in Orange County to propose turning parts of malls into housing in an effort to meet state-mandated housing goals. Anaheim’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation calls for the planning of 17,453 new housing units by 2029. Most new housing in the city is built outside District 6, which largely includes Anaheim Hills, according to the Mercury News. The Regal Edwards redevelopment will be the first apartment project in Anaheim Hills in a decade, Shea said. 

City officials are on board with building up the area, starting with Shea’s proposal. 

“I really do feel strongly about the fact that Anaheim Hills does need to see a little more development, and we need to spread our multifamily units across the city,” Council Member Natalie Rubalcava, who voted in favor of the project, said.

It’s not the first planned redevelopment of a Regal Edwards theater. 

Earlier this month, Newport Beach officials approved plans from Related California to build two 22-story condominium towers on the site of the Regal Edwards Big Newport movie theater. That project, set to rise across the street from the Fashion Island shopping center, would bring 150 condominiums in two- and four-bedroom floor plans as well as home offices for sale to residents and retail space and a cafe. 

— Chris Malone Méndez

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