2007-027 - Land Use Element and the Urban Design Element

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URBAN DESIGN ELEMENT in this Element. This perception is so pronounced that it is often perceived by the community as the downtown. Nodes Neighborhood commercial nodes in Santa Ana are extremely vibrant with busy activities throughout the day; however their physical setting often lacks clearly defined form and context. These activity nodes, which are primarily strip malls, have been developed in isolation from their surroundings and they are rarely sensitive to the community's character. They often disregard positive qualities of the neighborhood they serve. The architectural characteristics that would cohesively provide a sense of unity is often weak, breaking apart from the district or the neighborhood. The lack of contextual relationships leads to poor cohesiveness between nodes and districts centers located in the City. MacArthur Place The MacArthur Place development is located in the southeast end of the City. The dynamic of this node continues to transform a predominately office setting to an urban environment where housing and services are integrated within the office campus. The southern portion of MacArthur Place. previously referred to as Hutton Center. surrounds a central lake that provides a scenic amenity with pedestrian linkages for all users. The collection of 10-story office buildings merit architectural interest, to create a strong sense of place. The perimeter of the area is characterized by landscaped setbacks and structures increasing in height as you move east from Main Street. A future mix of activities and good pedestrian and visual links will integrate the center as it develops. With the addition of the proposed high-rise residential towers and mid-rise residences framing Main Street and MacArthur Boulevard. this area will continue to be a prominent activity node within the community. A-16 Revised (April 2007) Resolution No. 2007-027 Page 31 of 35