Residential & Hotel Complex to Appear Before Santa Ana Planning Commission

Tonight, the Santa Ana Planning Commission will decide the future of a proposed mixed-use development consisting of two separate buildings. Building A will include 171 residential units, with 13,419 square feet of commercial space and Building B will be a 75-room hotel at 201 West Third Street in Downtown Santa Ana. 

The proposed project by Caribou Industries will demolish the existing City-owned parking structure and construct two separate buildings measuring 16-stories and 10-stories respectively. The proposal would also reconstruct Sycamore Street between Third and Fourth Street and provide 490 parking spaces of which 211 spaces will be designated as public parking. 

As part of the density bonus agreement, the applicant will provide 11% of very-low-income units to increase the allowable base density of the project from 127 units to 171 units. 

Designed by Studio One Eleven, the proposed development will feature a California Contemporary architectural style with three distinct masses. The residential building will include an open roof deck, public plaza, floor to ceiling glass windows, and balconies. The hotel building will also include a roof deck with a kitchen and outdoor seating that will overlook Downtown Santa Ana. 

Back in 2014, the City of Santa Ana initiated the process to embark upon a Public/Private Partnership to replace the parking structure with a development that would benefit the City. In 2017, the City selected Caribou Industries and entered into an Exclusive Negotiation Agreement. Since then the Community Development Agency has been working with Caribou Industries to complete a Deposition and Development Agreement regarding the sale of the property and reconstruction of the public parking spaces. 

The applicant will be requesting approval of a density bonus agreement, two site plan review applications, a variance, and a tentative parcel map.

It’s estimated that the project will create approximately 510 local construction jobs and $737,000 in annual general fund revenue for the City of Santa Ana.