At the heart of Orange County lies the Civic Center in Santa Ana, surrounded by a rich and diverse history in downtown Santa Ana. Recent years have witnessed a remarkable rejuvenation of the area, marked by new infrastructure, development initiatives, and the ongoing construction of a train line connecting Garden Grove to the Santa Ana station. However, the Civic Center itself, with its mix of city, county, state, and federal properties, presents a unique challenge due to complex ownership arrangements. These convoluted property lines have posed a significant obstacle to cohesive design, resulting in a lack of unified vision for the center of the Civic Center.

Recognizing an opportunity to harmonize the various property interests and leverage underutilized land, the City of Santa Ana embarked on a mission to forge a unified design concept. TCA was entrusted with the task of delineating this vision within a tight three-week timeframe. The goal was to create compelling graphics and a video flythrough to present to the Santa Ana City Council in a private session.

In record time, TCA developed preliminary sketches outlining a master plan concept centered around a centralized plaza/park, serving as a focal point for all Civic Center uses. Integral to the plan was the construction of a new Santa Ana City Hall, necessitating the decommissioning of the existing facility, which had reached the end of its serviceable life. Through strategic restructuring of parking agreements and land allocation, new parcels would be unlocked for residential, hotel, and convention center developments.

This bold and vibrant concept has generated considerable momentum and sparked numerous discussions within the community, signaling a promising future for the Santa Ana Civic Center as a thriving hub of activity and innovation.

Click to watch the video fly through!