Residents will have a second opportunity on Thursday, Sept. 17, to review the latest proposal for One Broadway Plaza, a 37-story urban high-rise offering “world-class” residential suites, retail and restaurants proposed in Santa Ana.
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Originally pitched in 1999 by developer and Caribou Industries President Mike Harrah as a commercial skyscraper, the project was approved by city leaders in 2004. But progress stagnated, and after two decades, a new vision as a residential tower is being proposed.
Under the city’s Sunshine Ordinance, certain development projects are required to hold two community meetings early in the review process to promote transparency and public input. The first sunshine meeting for this project was held in January. Now, developer Caribou Industries will host its second sunshine ordinance meeting this week to gather further community input before the amended proposal heads to the Planning Commission and City Council.
When the City Council approved the original proposal in 2004, it included an amendment to the general plan zoning for the property.
At the time, the development was presented as a 37-story, roughly 545,000-square-foot office tower with no residential uses. That plan was upheld by voters in 2005, following a special election triggered by a referendum challenge led by the resident group Coalition for Accountable Government Ethics.
In 2020, city officials approved revisions that would allow up to 415 apartments while retaining about 40% of the original office space, plus retail and dining options. As of 2026, those entitlements remain in effect.
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The current version of the proposal — with changes made since January’s sunshine meeting — calls for 572 residential units, down from 602 discussed earlier this year. The units would include a blend of studio and one- to three-bedroom apartments alongside retail, dining, and community-serving uses, according to the flyer for September’s sunshine ordinance meeting.
At the first sunshine meeting, residents raised concerns that the tower does not fit their community and doesn’t offer the kinds of affordable housing needed in a neighborhood made up of multi-generational working-class families. They also voiced fears that parking could overflow into the historic blocks along Broadway and Washington Avenue, and the tower would cast shadows on nearby local schools.
Harrah says the tower is “a great opportunity for the city to flourish” and brings a new kind of housing to the community.
Caribou Industries’ proposed changes to One Broadway Plaza have not been formally approved and are still going through the city’s Development Project Review process.
Thursday’s meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. at 100 S. Main St., with both virtual and in-person options.
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