Downtown Santa Ana: Santa Ana, California

Planning Excellence

Downtown Santa Ana has evolved organically over the past 147 years with the support of key municipal investments.

The area has a great mixture of land uses, ranging from government buildings to shops and offices, all the way to a small industrial sector in the east. Downtown Santa Ana’s architecture is a unique blend of Beaux Art, Classic and Spanish Revival, Victorian, Craftsman, Brutalism, California Contemporary, and a dash of Art Deco that makes each walk an experience.

By the 1970s, Santa Ana policy makers were advocates for the reinvestment and active preservation of the downtown’s historic architectural heritage. They worked with local preservationists and community members to identify key landmarks, establish two historic districts, and provide interest-free loans to seismically retrofit structures. The City of Santa Ana also developed a close partnership with Orange County to establish the Downtown Civic Center as the major engine of the local economy by providing a central hub for federal, state, and local government activities. The Civic Center is now undergoing a 20-year improvement project to reinvest in 16 county-owned and leased buildings in the downtown area.

With a goal of further nurturing the growth of downtown Santa Ana into the future, an award-winning Transit Zoning Code was implemented within the neighborhood. It is currently the largest form-based code in the U.S. The plan has facilitated the design and construction of more than 170 affordable housing units, and a recently adopted adaptive reuse ordinance will facilitate the conversion of unused office and industrial space into residential units.

The Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center (SARTC) connects downtown to the rest of the region with service from Amtrak, Metrolink, and a variety of regional bus agencies. New Start funds and matches from the Orange County Transportation Agency (OCTA) will be used to develop a streetcar system that will connect the Civic Center to SARTC along the old Pacific Electric Red Car route. Construction begins in 2017.

Finally, the Downtown Complete Streets Plan, which includes pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, will soon be implemented, promoting and ultimately creating a healthier Downtown Santa Ana.

Community engagement has been at the core of downtown’s diverse community, composed of residents (including seniors), commercial and retail business owners, merchants, real estate investors, artists, and members of community- and faith-based organizations. These groups share a history of championing neighborhood vitality, livability, and investment.

Working together with local bar owners, restaurateurs, and land owners, the local community groups program a growing number of events on streets and public spaces, giving area residents a chance to experience Santa Ana and sample its award-winning food.

The culture and flair of Downtown Santa Ana offers a distinctive experience in Southern California. The neighborhood is filled with eclectic restaurants, one-of-a-kind retail shops, independent breweries, weekly pop-up markets, community-driven chef incubator spaces, creative office space, live-work housing, government offices, art studios, North America’s first E-sport Arena, Orange County’s only independent art house cinema, and a university-run art residency complex hosting internationally renowned and emerging local artists.

Outdoor events, like the Patchwork Show, occur throughout downtown Santa Ana on a monthly basis. Photo by Lisandro Orozco.