UC Irvine Wins 2024 NAIOP SoCal OC Real Estate Challenge

The graduate student team from the University of California, Irvine Paul Merage School of Business Center for Real Estate took home the prize at the third annual NAIOP SoCal Orange County Real Estate Challenge. The annual competition features graduate student teams from the Chapman University Argyros College of Business & Economics and UCI in a real estate battle for the Orange Cup.

Held April 17 at the Chapman University campus, the event brought together the students in a head-to-head competition to determine the highest and best use for a unique parcel of land in Southern California. For 2024, the competition site was the U.S. General Services Administration’s Chet Holifield Federal Building in Laguna Niguel.

The 92-acre property is comprised of two land components improved with more than one million square feet of space in the pyramid-shaped Ziggurat building as well as a services support building, fleet and service yard areas, two guard houses, and 4,777 parking spaces. UCI’s winning presentation, Pereira Place, honored Ziggurat architect William Pereira and encompassed for-sale residential, multifamily and artist lofts, self-storage, retail, restaurants, commercial space, and entertainment uses.

UCI’s graduate student team (pictured) included Ash Agarwal, Kevin Bommarito, Cameron Eaton, Ian Rosenberg, and Benjamin Zdeba. The Chapman team was comprised of Noah Alvarado, Grace Cavanaugh, Dylan Holt, Boris Malykin and Kai Osaka.

On May 1, join industry leading experts when they explore the most important topics in today’s CRE markets. Register to attend and hear expert insights first-hand, network with the best in the industry, and sit in on discussions you won’t hear anywhere else. The 8th Annual Connect Los Angeles 2024, May 1 at the Intercontinental Los Angeles Downtown.