Six Months After Groundbreaking, Six Altadena Families Move In to Their Rebuilt Homes

Brookfield Residential's coordinated rebuilding reduced costs and accelerated recovery.

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Just six months after breaking ground, six families from Altadena's La Viña neighborhood who lost their homes in the Eaton Fire are moving-in to their homes, all in the month of September. The six homeowners worked with Brookfield Residential, making the design and rebuild process smooth and manageable while minimizing costs and moving construction forward efficiently.

By selecting from a collection of turnkey designs matched to their homesites, the families moved swiftly through planning, permitting and construction in a far more streamlined way than if each rebuild were pursued independently. With all six homes in the La Viña neighborhood now complete, Altadena has made another large leap in restoring the community.

La Viña is a gated neighborhood of 272 homes that Brookfield Residential developed between 1997 and 2003. The Eaton Fire destroyed 52 homes within the community, leaving many residents facing the burdens of rebuilding. By coordinating several rebuilds in close proximity and moving through the process together, the homeowners benefited from shared planning and construction efficiencies that manage costs and simplify approvals.

The families' swift rebuilding (just six months) compares favorably to most others following the Eaton and Palisades Fires, which destroyed over 16,000 structures in January 2025. According to CBS News, in Altadena, only about 1% of Altadena homes have been rebuilt in the 18 months since the fire. The L.A. County Recovers dashboard states 100 Altadena homes have been fully rebuilt, and 2,981 building permits have been issued in the fire zone, as of July 7, 2026.

The Kang Family

Among the Altadena homeowners rebuilding through Brookfield Residential is Richard and Julie Kang and their daughter who lost their La Viña home in the Eaton Fire. The family broke ground on March 12, 2026, and officially received the keys to their rebuilt home on September 21, 2026. This timeline matches the five other La Viña families who rebuilt with Brookfield Residential. The Kang family had been living in the community since November 2021.

"Like so many Altadena families, after the trauma and destruction, we faced huge hurdles to rebuilding, and we had many questions," said Richard Kang. "But we were in building mode almost immediately. And we loved the idea of banding together with our neighbors."

The community's Google chat forum led the Kangs to Brookfield Residential and its offer to help families rebuild as a group. Because Brookfield Residential had built many of the original La Viña homes, they were even able to offer the Kangs a very similar floorplan.

"Our rebuilt home is very similar to what we had before," said Kang. "There were some updates to reflect current building codes, of course. But most people when they see our new home feel like it's nearly the same home."

The process went amazingly quickly, said Kang: "Everything from securing permits, to dealing with architecture and HOA issues, and providing reports to mortgage and insurance companies, was fairly easy. We feel fortunate that we did choose Brookfield Residential. Otherwise, I think the burden of rebuilding might have been crushing."

They were also amazed by the speed of rebuilding. Brookfield Residential had committed to getting the families into their new homes before Thanksgiving: "Nobody among our friends believed this," said Kang. "We thought it would probably be 2027, or we hoped for the holidays at least. But the progress was incredible. And the Brookfield Residential teams made every effort to deliver quality not just speed. It's been exciting and joyful to see the home come back to life."

New Permitting and Building in Altadena and Palisades

Brookfield Residential is actively rebuilding in other fire zones as well. It recently contracted to rebuild six homes in Pacific Palisades, which are expected to be complete in June or July of 2027. Brookfield Residential has other homes under pre-development agreements in the Palisades, with several more expected soon in Altadena. Similar to the La Viña homes, most plans are pre-approved by Los Angeles County (for Altadena properties) and by the City of Los Angeles (for Palisades properties).

Since the fires of January, 2025, Brookfield Residential President and Chief Executive Officer Adrian Foley has been at the forefront of rebuilding, including working with City and County of Los Angeles officials to help smooth plan checks and approvals.

"The six La Viña rebuilds were extraordinarily swift: Just six months from groundbreaking to move-in," said Foley. "We had great cooperation from the County for plan checks and other approvals. And all were completed on or under budget."

Foley said the County and City agencies have streamlined their approvals systems. "Especially where there has been an organized process to use pre-approved plans, approvals have been efficient. And this has allowed us to reduce homeowners' costs as well. The first steps of getting through plan check have been reduced from about four to six months to 45 to 60 days."

Homebuilders Working Together

Foley is also a co-founder of the Builders Alliance, the not-for-profit organization that brings together homebuilders working collaboratively to help fire survivors rebuild more efficiently while reducing both time and costs.

"After witnessing their many different tragedies, it's been exceptionally heartwarming to help these families return home," said Foley. "It's also been instructive for homebuilders such as Brookfield Residential to collaborate on efficient and resilient methods of rebuilding in response to disasters."

The Builders Alliance includes a first-of-its-kind, tech-enabled portal that supports homeowners throughout the rebuilding process by providing a library of home designs that can be filtered based on lot size, zoning requirements, homeowner preferences, and price range. By entering their address, property owners can view homes suited to their specific parcel and better understand potential rebuilding timelines and costs.

In addition, these rebuilt homes meet wildfire standards of the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS)—specifically the Enhanced level specifications, designed to resist wind-driven embers, radiant heat and direct flames.

"We're proud to cooperate with the City and County of Los Angeles, and with the other members of the Builders Alliance to demonstrate how innovative technology can support families as they rebuild and regain stability," said Foley. "As homebuilders, we have a responsibility to help and to ensure these communities return stronger than ever."

Brookfield Residential has uploaded dozens of home designs to the digital portal, which covers both Altadena and Pacific Palisades. Outside of La Viña, prices for Brookfield Residential's Altadena rebuilds range from $610,800 to $706,300 for homes ranging from 1,563 to 2,136 square feet. Brookfield Residential offers a parallel turnkey approach for people who lost their homes in the Palisades Fire. Pricing for these Pacific Palisades homes ranges from $847,700 to $1,271,081 for homes ranging from 1,795 to 3,574 square feet.

Brookfield Residential Southern California is an award-winning homebuilder and industry leader with an exceptional reputation for quality, design, and customer service. Its team offers the passion, the expertise and the local knowledge to craft homes and neighborhoods that speak to homebuyers at every stage of life. Brookfield Residential Southern California is committed to being more than a homebuilder, striving to create the best places to call home.

Brookfield Residential Properties ULC. is a leading land developer and homebuilder in North America. The company entitles and develops land to create master-planned communities, builds and sells lots to third-party builders, and conducts its own homebuilding operations, with participation in select strategic real estate opportunities including infill projects, mixed-use developments, and joint ventures. As the flagship North American residential property company of Brookfield Corporation (NYSE: BN; TSX: BN), Brookfield Residential is committed to excellence in residential development.

SOURCE Brookfield Residential