The mayor of Santa Ana, fresh from his November election win, wants to take what is Orange County’s most urban city and make it more so.
Miguel Pulido sees a future for Santa Ana where buildings rise high up the skyline and trains shuttle residents to nearby cities.
“I’m of the opinion we need to have open space or well planned, high quality buildings that will stand the test of time,” he said.
Pulido said he is in favor of high-rise housing and more dense developments in general.
“Land has become too valuable in the city to have anything else,” he said.
The Democrat mayor’s support of condominium towers could prove crucial to a predominantly Hispanic city with more than 10% of the county’s population, roughly 370,000 residents.
Santa Ana, like much of the county, is facing a housing crunch. It’s essentially built out, but its population continues to expand.
The greatest population growth in the county is set to come north of the Costa Mesa (55) Freeway, and Santa Ana is at the heart of it, said Richard Gollis, principal with Newport Beach-based real estate consultancy The Concord Group LLC.
It’s a misconception that migration drives population growth, Gollis said. A greater number of births versus deaths is a much bigger factor, he said, and that’s happening in Santa Ana.
Mayor Pulido said high-rise housing would work in areas near shops, restaurants and offices, such as the city’s southern border near South Coast Plaza.
Two developers plan unrelated high-rise projects at MacArthur Place, near the intersection of Main Street and MacArthur Boulevard, according to Stephen Harding, Santa Ana’s executive director of planning.
He said Santa Ana-based Nexus Cos. plans three 23-story towers. And developer Franco Mola plans an 18-story and an eight-story tower.
Nexus’ plans are scheduled for Planning Commission review early next year. Mola’s development hit a glitch in spring when the Airport Land Use Commission rejected it on height concerns and its proximity to John Wayne Airport. That decision has implications for Nexus’ project.
The mayor also is encouraging high-rise development near Westfield Shoppingtown MainPlace. That’s where Transaction Cos. plans a mix of housing, shops and a theater. So far the developer’s plans are for three-story townhomes, but they could be modified to include one or more high-rises, according to the city’s Harding.
High-rise housing isn’t for everyone. Condominium towers under construction or planned for nearby Irvine carry prices from $500,000 to more than $1 million.
That’s out of range for many Santa Ana residents. Moderate to low-income apartment renters aren’t likely to become homeowners if prices are similar in Santa Ana.
The mayor seems content to let builders set market prices for high-rise homes, which could bring more affluent residents to the city.
Santa Ana already has “more than its fair share” of affordable housing, he said. “We can’t do everything.”
Some efforts to provide affordable housing in South County recently flopped.
Earlier this year Mission Viejo rejected a proposal for 168 apartments targeted to low- and modest-income families after residents complained at Planning Commission and City Council meetings. Opponents said the project, Aliso Ridge, would lead to blight and traffic problems.
Just a few months later, San Juan Capistrano rejected a 60-unit low-cost housing plan after residents there raised similar objections.
To be sure, future development in Santa Ana involves more than high-density housing. Developer Mike Harrah has made waves with his proposal to build a 37-story office tower near Civic Center.
Pulido earlier this year abstained from voting on the tower, saying a former business partner stood to benefit from it.
The mayor has been more vocal in his support for the proposed CenterLine light rail project. He has lobbied congressional leaders for funding.
The scaled-down, 9.3-mile route proposed for CenterLine would take it from Santa Ana’s train depot to John Wayne Airport.
Pulido said Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein has been supportive, but Republican Rep. Christopher Cox of Newport Beach wants to see a vote on CenterLine before backing funding.
“I think (Cox) has got to tell people why he doesn’t want money for Orange County,” Pulido said.
Cox isn’t the only one to have reservations about CenterLine. Taxpayer groups charge that residents could cough up more than $1 billion for a rail system that covers a narrow stretch of the county.
CenterLine is one option to move the county toward alternatives other than gas-powered cars, Pulido said.
“I’m attempting to place the first piece on the table of a future jigsaw puzzle,” Pulido said.
