Laserfiche WebLink
Amendments to DA No. 2004-01 <br /> June 14, 2010 <br /> Page 2 <br /> Project Backs~round <br /> In August 2004, the City Council approved several entitlements for the One Broadway Plaza office <br /> tower, including an environmental impact report, a zone change, a general plan amendment, a <br /> zoning ordinance amendment, a parcel map and a development agreement. In October 2004, a <br /> referendum petition was certified and a referendum election on the project held on April 5, 2005. <br /> The referendum election, which approved the project, specifically addressed Ordinance No. NS- <br /> 2649, which authorized the rezoning of the property, amendments to the Midtown Specific Plan <br /> (SP-3), and the adoption of Specific Development No. 75 (SD-75), which established zoning <br /> standards for the project. As the development agreement was approved by a separate ordinance <br /> (NS-2656), the Planning Commission and City Council may modify the agreement without the need <br /> for a public vote. <br /> The project is being designed with energy efficiency and sustainability in mind. As the attached <br /> letter and LEED Checklist indicate, the project's commercial interiors will be designed to the <br /> requirements for a LEED Silver certification. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental <br /> Design) is a third-party certification program and the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, <br /> construction and operation of high-pertormance green buildings. The LEED program was <br /> developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (Exhibit 6). <br /> Over the past few years, a significant shift in the local and national economy has occurred. This <br /> shift has severely impacted the development community, including Santa Ana. In fact, of the 13 <br /> large projects that have been submitted to the City for review in the past five years (Brookhollow <br /> Office project, City Place, Cordoba courtyard housing, First and Cabrillo condominiums, Montage <br /> condominiums, Nexus Skyline Towers, Nexus Phase II, One Broadway Plaza office tower, <br /> Promenade Pointe condominiums, Sixth and Parkcenter condominiums, Town and Country Manor, <br /> Village Green and the West End Lofts), only the City Place and Skyline Towers project have been <br /> constructed. <br /> The City has taken a proactive approach to assist in the overall recovery of the regional economy. <br /> For instance, at the request of the Building Industry Association (BIA), the City Council enacted an <br /> economic stimulus ordinance in September 2008 that temporarily deferred collection of impact fees <br /> until the issuance of certificates of occupancy and/or compliance for projects. This proposal to <br /> amend provisions of the development agreement is another approach to stimulate the economy. <br /> The applicant estimates that this project will generate 2,900 jobs in the local economy. <br /> Development Aoreement Background <br /> Development Agreement 2004-01 was not proposed by the developer or city staff, which is a more <br /> <br /> typical way that such agreements are created. In contrast, this development agreement arose <br /> <br /> during City Council discussion after the Planning Commission had recommended approval of the <br /> One Broadway Plaza project. <br /> 75A-16 <br /> <br />