An ambitious proposal to redevelop 17.2 acres into a mixed-use urban development was backed by the Santa Ana Planning Commission on Aug. 11.
Commissioners unanimously recommended The Village, a long-awaited redevelopment plan proposed by the Segerstrom family. The Village, if ultimately approved by the Santa Ana City Council, would complement Related Bristol, another mixed-use project green-lit last year on an adjacent land parcel.
South Coast Plaza Village, a commercial property owned by the Segerstrom family, could be demolished and replaced with 1,583 residential units, 80,000 square feet of retail space, 300,000 square feet of office space and nearly 14 acres of outdoor and recreational uses.
More than 7 acres of the proposed open space would be open to the public.
The housing element would include up to 1,583 residential units, but the final mix would be determined as The Village would be built out.
“A variety of residential, commercial and community uses are planned throughout The Village,” according to the project’s plan. “A central commercial area in a park setting allows for restaurants and retail uses to activate the area during both day and night.
A continuation of those commercial uses is encouraged at the ground floor of adjacent residential buildings. Parking would be readily available in at grade and underground structures.”
Santa Ana’s council members are scheduled to review The Village project on Sept. 16. A second City Council review of the project is scheduled for Oct. 7. The council members could suggest changes to the Segerstrom proposal or move the project forward as recommended by the Planning Commission.
The highly dense proposal is slated to replace a retail center that once included a Regency Theater location.
If approved, the combined 59 acres of The Village and Related Bristol would transform the Santa Ana neighborhood that is located across the street from the South Coast Plaza, Orange County’s largest shopping center.
The Village
The Village would be built at 1561 W. Sunflower Ave., Santa Ana, a property under Segerstrom ownership. An area once home to a lima bean farm became a retail center in 1973, when the Segerstrom family opened South Coast Plaza Village.
The center, bounded by Sunflower Avenue, Bear Street and South Plaza Drive, was home to dozens of shops and restaurants. Recent tenants included Morton’s Steakhouse and the now-shutdown Regency Theaters.
A specific plan for The Village’s redevelopment said the project, once online, would “transform conventional auto-oriented shopping plazas into dynamic nodes of activity that blend healthy living, working and dining in a contemporary village environment.”
The project is likely to be the largest Orange County-based development plan undertaken by the family in several decades.
Related Bristol Project
The Village is not as large as but would be denser than the Related Bristol project that is located immediately adjacent to the east of The Village proposal.
Irvine’s Related California proposed to redevelop a 41-acre retail site with a $3 billion mixed-use development.
Related California seeks to build up to 3,750 residential units, up to 350,000 square feet of commercial space, 250 hotel rooms and 200 senior care units, including 6,520 onsite parking spaces and 13.1 acres of onsite open space.
Early plans call for construction to begin in 2026 and continue in phases, with completion projected around 2036.
The Segerstrom Family’s Holdings
The Segerstrom family’s most notable Orange County holding is South Coast Plaza, which reported $2.5 billion in sales for the 12-month period that ended on June 30, 2024. The mall is home to about 2.8 million square feet of retail and dining space.
Segerstrom, as a family business, also owns office properties near South Coast Plaza and a three-building industrial campus in Santa Ana called South Coast Technology Center.
The Segerstrom family is also noted for their contributions to the arts. Henry Segerstrom, the family patriarch, was the founding chairman of Segerstrom Center for the Arts.
