At this year’s Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce GROW conference, panels of both city officials and developers excited the capacity crowd with new ideas and a new vision for Santa Ana. Santa Ana is being quietly but steadily renewed, refreshed and recreated into a magnet for those who live in Southern California, but who long for a place with a vibe like Portland and Austin.
Calling Santa Ana the “best kept secret”, panelists, including Westfield Mainplace GM Jonathan Maher and local developer Ryan Chase, praised the progress to date and pointed out the influx of young millennials to the area. Maher has completely revamped Westfield Mainplace to cater to the new trend of using the shopping “experience” as a full-day destination. Chase has brought his creative vision to life with a trendy update to the historic downtown area. His “East End” is now a cradle of culture, with an attractive mixture of shopping, art, music and food.
Both local developers and city planners stated the growing need for urban-type housing for the rapid influx of new residents who have been drawn to the area because of the new vitality and energy. The need for a boutique hotel in the heart of the downtown was also stressed. Hassan Haghani, Director of the city’s Planning and Building agency, has identified many downtown properties ripe for renovation or new construction. He promised new and streamlined permit processes for those developers interested in investing in this new urban vision and making Santa Ana the hottest place to work-live-play.
LSL CPAs is proud to be a part of this new vision for Santa Ana. Let us work with you to bring your business to this city or to help plan your next development project in our beautiful downtown.
By: Carolyn A. Bryant
