Personally leading with rigor, vigor and integrity throughout the development process

35+ years

Leveraging perspective and wisdom gained from developing projects through multiple real estate cycles

6.5million sq ft

Diverse project experience ranging from a flagship corporate headquarters and a 130k square foot sportsplex to a tax-exempt financed fire station and a historical museum expansion

$1 billion+

Strategically managed $1 billion+ in projects and consistently maximizing value per dollar

1:1

Working with Lutzky Development, means working with Rick. He brings a love of discovering creative solutions and a radical commitment to making each project successful

Meet Rick Lutzky

As Rick worked his way through UC Berkeley cooking steaks and serving up lobsters for Bay Area suburbanites, he came to understand early that a strong team with a collaborative spirit is essential to delivering an exceptional product.

This understanding of “team” would serve him well when he joined the Birtcher Real Estate Group, where he’d spend a formative 16 years learning the commercial development business from an owner’s perspective and gain experience managing projects totaling over 4.7 million square feet throughout California, Nevada, Oregon and Colorado.

Seeing an opportunity in the market, Rick started Lutzky Development in 1998, based on the unique offering of development services from an owner’s perspective without requiring an ownership interest.

This approach serves an unmet need for landowners and corporations who are not interested in a joint-venture partner but still need development expertise. Rancho Mission Viejo, First American Title Company, the County of Los Angeles, and the Bowers Museum are just a few of the clients to affirm this fee development model.

Based in Laguna Niguel, California, Rick has been a long-standing member on the Board of Laura’s House, a non-profit organization serving those impacted by domestic abuse, and was appointed a commissioner for the County of Orange’s Development Processing Review Committee.

On any given weekend you’ll find him hanging poolside with his pup Dierks Bentley, playing corn hole with his three daughters and their families, or snapping selfies with his five grandkids.

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Lutzky’s clients include

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What clients are saying

Jeremy Laster | President, Rancho Mission Viejo

“I value Rick's opinion and am confident that he has our best interests in mind, and trust him implicitly when he proposes his well thought out ideas.”

"Rick Lutzky is the consummate professional development partner and Rancho Mission Viejo has relied on Rick repeatedly over the past 25 years, and our relationship has only grown stronger during this time. We have utilized Rick for his expertise across the spectrum of our diverse development projects. He has assisted us with ground up development projects, tenant improvements, land sales transactions, asset acquisitions and dispositions, and value engineering efforts.

Rick is a great partner. He is smart, thorough, detail oriented, experienced, creative, industrious, he thinks like an owner, and treats every project (and every dollar) as if it were 100% his own. He allows us to exist at a very high level as he is comfortable handling all the details on our behalf. And all of the above attributes could potentially be deadly to us as an owner if it were not for his most valuable attribute, and that is his honesty and trustworthiness.

I value Rick's opinion and am confident that he has our best interests in mind, and trust him implicitly when he proposes his well thought out ideas. It is extremely comforting having Rick on our team. I have complete and utter confidence in him as a partner, as a developer, and (most importantly) as a person."

Margaret Bayston | CEO, Laura’s House

“Rick was instrumental in the planning, development and completion of the Laura’s House emergency shelter facility. It was during this process I observed Rick’s honesty and integrity as well as his amazing generosity and kindness.”

"Rick gave all his time on this project free of charge and he was instrumental in getting others to donate their time and materials. He clearly takes pride in each project he undertakes and his attention to detail and follow through are second to none. It was for this reason that we invited Rick to join the Laura’s House board of Directors once the shelter project was successfully completed. During the past 10 years, Rick has proved to be a valued member of our team."

Michael Schwartz | Founder, Chairman & CEO, Smartstop Asset Management

“From initial design to the project’s completion, Rick’s professionalism created a sense of trust and confidence.”

"When we decided to build Ladera Sports Center, I knew it would be a unique project with three separate uses: a sports center, corporate office space and storage units. We also wanted the building to be LEED certified. We needed someone special to develop the project, and I’m glad we chose Rick Lutzky. From initial design to the project’s completion, Rick’s professionalism created a sense of trust and confidence. The building is now a landmark in Ladera, and I can’t imagine collaborating with anyone other than Rick on this or any future projects."

Rich Meyer | President, JSerra Catholic High School

“His level of knowledge and conscientious project management enables us to stay focused on what we do best…”

"We’ve worked with Rick on a number of unique projects over the years, some with rather complex considerations. He has impeccable communication skills which has helped to ensure alignment with our staff so that the logistical details are managed well. Given the many moving parts of an active school campus, that’s no small feat!
His strategic vision has helped us plan our campus expansion and complete a locker room renovation while school was in session. We even entrusted to him the renovation of our school’s chapel. His level of knowledge and conscientious project management enables us to stay focused on what we do best while giving Rick the freedom and autonomy to do what he does best."