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Witte, Canori: Related California Re-envisions Santa Ana

Bill Witte, chief executive of Related California, is betting big on the transformative power of private investment.

His company’s latest endeavor, Related Bristol, is a $3 billion project that aims to redefine the landscape of Orange County by converting 41 acres of land into a mixed-use destination with apartments, cafés, restaurants and shops across the street from mega-mall South Coast Plaza.

It’s one of the biggest real estate redevelopment projects in Orange County history and a watershed moment for Witte as he embarks on a project that would permanently alter the trajectory of real estate in Santa Ana.

“We’re trying to make a difference,” Witte told the Business Journal, emphasizing the significance of community input from nearby Costa Mesa residents and the Segerstrom family as plans for the project take shape.

“Everyone’s affected,” Witte said, underscoring the impact he hopes Related Bristol will have as a catalyst for positive change in the region.

Related Bristol’s key contributors are Steven Oh, Related California’s executive vice president of development, and Gino Canori, who leads the company’s market residential group and is president of Related California. Oh, Canori and Witte have been instrumental in bringing Related Bristol to life.

“We are grateful to the city, but we are also excited,” Witte said about Related Bristol being greenlit by the city of Santa Ana.

Canori, who has been with the company for nearly 25 years, is expected to take the helm of Related California once Witte retires, according to a succession plan put into place three years ago.

Both have been named Businessperson of the Year in Orange County’s real estate industry.
Related California is a subsidiary of the Related Companies, which is owned by billionaire Stephen Ross and has more than $60 billion in real estate assets owned or under development.

Witte and Canori have developed more than 20,700 residential units throughout California.

Game-Changing Projects in the OC
In October, the Santa Ana City Council approved Related California’s $3 billion proposal to redevelop the retail property.

It’s not the only project Related California is developing in Orange County. The company has also proposed two condominium high-rises at Newport Beach’s Fashion Island and a 50-unit housing development in downtown Laguna Beach.

Witte, Related California’s founder, chairman and CEO, said his company is also working with FivePoints Holdings on an affordable housing project at Irvine’s Great Park.

Related Bristol – and it’s $3 billion price tag – is expected to alter Orange County’s landscape.

Witte and Canori both hailed the redevelopment of a retail center across the street from South Coast Plaza as a “game-changer.”

Related Bristol is the company’s largest urban-style project in a suburban setting, Witte told the Business Journal.

The overarching plan, per Witte, is to create an urban setting that combines multifamily housing, senior living, hospitality, shopping, dining, entertainment and open space.
He said Related Bristol shows the company’s optimism about the strength of the Orange County market.

Related California isn’t holding the redevelopment of a shopping center at the corner of Harbor and Bristol close to its vest – the development team has been reaching out to locals, hoping their input would help Witte, Oh, Canori and others create an urban center in Orange County.

“This has been the most extensive community outreach,” Witte said.

Canori said the families that own the property where Related Bristol is located started planning for the future when they realized the retail leases they had were set to expire by 2025. They solicited more than a dozen proposals and ultimately selected Related Bristol to redevelop the site.

Canori said Related Bristol was the perfect site for a mixed-use development, thanks to its access to jobs, proximity to South Coast Plaza and a portion of Orange County where housing was needed.

Affordable Housing Roots

Related California, according to Canori, started off as an affordable housing company; as it grew, the company expanded into other asset classes, such as middle-income housing and mixed-use projects.

Witte said Related California traditionally focused on affordable housing projects, with the company overseeing 25 such developments within Orange County. The executive added Orange County’s population has doubled since he moved here from the Bay Area in the 1980s. The county has grown and become diverse, but it’s also one of the toughest markets in the country to buy a starter home.

The difference Related Bristol would make on Santa Ana and Orange County, per Witte, is substantial. The redevelopment of a shopping center just north of South Coast Plaza, currently home to Ross Dress for Less, LA Fitness and several other retailers and restaurants, would add thousands of jobs and housing units.

But Witte said Related Bristol, most importantly, would reinforce Santa Ana’s potential as an urban city, a place where people from Orange County cities would congregate.

“Bill and I have been partners in what we’ve built in California,” Canori said. “We’ve come a long way.”

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Sonia Chung
Sonia Chung
Sonia Chung joined the Orange County Business Journal in 2021 as their Marketing Creative Director. In her role she creates all visual content as it relates to the marketing needs for the sales and events teams. Her responsibilities include the creation of marketing materials for six annual corporate events, weekly print advertisements, sales flyers in correspondence to the editorial calendar, social media graphics, PowerPoint presentation decks, e-blasts, and maintains the online presence for Orange County Business Journal’s corporate events.
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