A 531-unit apartment complex at 4888 Convoy Street in the heart of Kearny Mesa’s Asian Cultural District is being hailed as a model for future development under the Kearny Mesa Community Plan adopted in 2020, which envisions 27,000 new homes in the neighborhood.
The Alexan Camellia, designed by JWDA Architects and built by Trammel Crow Residential, spans 700,708 square feet on a five-acre site that previously housed retail and industrial buildings and a former Dixieline Lumber store. The project recently won several 2026 Gold Nugget Awards from the Pacific Coast Builders Conference, including a Grand Award for best interior design and multifamily community of the year.
“Alexan Camellia demonstrates how thoughtful multifamily design can provide housing while helping shape the future of an entire neighborhood,” said Joseph Wong, founder and principal of JWDA Architects, as reported by the San Diego Business Journal.
The complex includes 509 market-rate apartments and 22 units earmarked for low-income tenants. About 60% of the apartments are one-bedroom units, reflecting strong demand for that configuration. Units range from 588 to 1,133 square feet, with monthly rents from $2,803 to $4,468 according to Apartments.com.
Matthew Geaman, JWDA managing principal, described the project as “sort of the first model of other good things to come in this neighborhood.” The Asian Cultural District along Convoy Street has been a focal point for redevelopment, with the community plan emphasizing walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods.
The T-shaped site presented design challenges, constrained by retail shops on either side of its Convoy Street frontage. The project is organized around an auto court with residential wings extending outward and around a central pool and courtyard, creating what Geaman called “a dynamic configuration” that reads as connected buildings rather than one massive structure.
Every apartment includes a balcony, which opens units to the outdoors and breaks up the building façade. The design uses operable windows throughout — “This is Southern California. We like to open up windows,” said Vivian Tria, JWDA associate principal. Color palettes of ivory, green, brown, and black give the complex a residential feel.
Amenities include two open-air pool decks, a rooftop lounge with panoramic city views, a social lounge, a speakeasy, coworking spaces, conference rooms, a fitness center, pet wash areas, and a 676-space parking garage. Some ground-floor apartments are designed for tenants who want to run small businesses from their units.
The project’s success signals growing investor confidence in Kearny Mesa’s transformation from a commercial and industrial corridor into a mixed-use residential destination, a shift the city has encouraged through its community plan update.
