Near the peak of San Diego’s housing boom, home builder D.R. Horton purchased a steep, nine-acre hillside along Friars Road across from Fashion Valley mall for $22 million.
The land was earmarked for Fashion Walk, a trendy, 161-unit condo project. D.R. Horton spent $1.5 million on a 46-foot-high retaining wall to hold back the slope. The company graded a flat shelf for the condos, hauling away tons of dirt. It poured concrete foundations for elevator shafts.
But this March, D.R. Horton walked. It sold the property to apartment developer AvalonBay of Newport Beach. The price: $19.2 million.
D.R. Horton, one of the nation’s largest home builders, is not the only one shedding land purchased during San Diego’s housing heyday.
