Santa Ana is the seat of county government and home to the region's bustling courts, but even downtown, mothers pushing strollers seem to outnumber bureaucrats toting briefcases.
The transformation of the city's relatively modest downtown into one of high-profile development may be launched with the construction of a 37-story office tower that is awaiting City Council approval.
Such a makeover, though, will come over the objections of residents who favor a downtown of converted homes and small businesses over any vision of towering modernity. Critics of the office tower are vowing to go to the voters to block the project, which others consider long-awaited progress.
The proposed $86-million, green-glass tower, known by its address -- One Broadway Plaza -- was approved last week by the Santa Ana Planning Commission, paving the way for what would be the county's tallest building. The council is scheduled to vote on the matter March 15.
Santa Ana officials hope the building, with completion set for 2006, will boost the status of the county seat. City planners say more high-rises will come as urban land prices force developers to build up instead of out.
The 493-foot tower is expected to house legal offices and Fortune 500 companies, according to developer Mike Harrah, who owns or co-owns 50 buildings providing 2 million square feet in downtown Santa Ana.
Harrah, who cuts a scruffy profile and enjoys a reputation for his eccentricity, began working in the city nearly a decade ago, investing in boarded-up buildings that are now centerpieces of a restored downtown.
The project faces little opposition among City Council members, who have supported such downtown initiatives as a new artists colony next to a shopping district.
"I think there is clearly momentum for approval." said Councilman Jose Solorio. "Maybe there is a growing consensus that it will complement our efforts of rebuilding and re-branding the downtown."
Orange County real estate consultant Christopher G. Davis said Harrah recognized a need for new offices downtown, where attorneys have operated from homes and older offices to gain proximity to Orange County's courts and agencies.
The tower would open as demand for county office space rises with continued economic growth, said Davis, who is also director of the real estate management program at UC Irvine.
If Harrah's building fills with tenants, more like it will follow, Davis said.
