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▸ SITUATION

One Broadway Plaza: Caribou Industries' 572-Unit, 37-Story Residential Tower at 1109 N. Broadway Draws Opposition at Sept. 17 Meeting; No Hearing Dates Set

Caribou Industries' 37-story, 572-unit residential conversion of One Broadway Plaza held its second Sunshine Ordinance community meeting on Sept. 17, 2026, drawing more than 50 attendees, many in opposition; formal entitlement hearings have not yet been scheduled.

MACHINE-READABLE markdown · JSON

CITIES AFFECTED
SANTA ANA
STARTED
14 days ago
Sep 15, 2026, 00:00 PT
EVIDENCE
2 items · 2 areas
SITUATION MAP
2 areas · 2 signals
WHO

Developer Mike Harrah's Caribou Industries; architect William Beaubeaux; facilitator Katie Cawelti of Curt Pringle and Associates; more than 50 community members attended the Sept. 17 meeting, many in organized opposition.

WHAT

572-unit, 37-story residential tower proposed at 1109 N. Broadway in downtown Santa Ana, converting a long-entitled office site; includes 64,000 sq ft of retail, a 2,400-space garage, and a rooftop helipad. Office component dropped from prior plans.

WHERE

1109 N. Broadway, Santa Ana (One Broadway Plaza site), downtown Santa Ana.

WHEN

Second Sunshine Ordinance meeting held Sept. 17, 2026. No planning commission or council hearing dates have been set.

WHY

Developer seeking to pivot a 2004 office entitlement to a large-scale residential project; requires an amendment to Specific Development No. 75 currently in city development project review.

▸ NARRATIVE
Current Status

The One Broadway Plaza residential conversion has completed its second required Sunshine Ordinance community meeting, held Sept. 17, 2026, at the former Original Mike's building (100 S. Main St.) owned by Caribou Industries president Mike Harrah, who did not attend. According to OC Register reporting, more than 50 people were present. No formal planning commission or city council hearing dates have been set.

What Was Presented

Architect William Beaubeaux and facilitator Katie Cawelti of Curt Pringle and Associates led the presentation. The current plan calls for:

  • 37 stories, with residential units across 32 floors
  • 572 apartments (studios to three-bedroom)
  • A nine-level parking garage with more than 2,400 spaces
  • A grocery store and approximately 64,000 sq ft of retail at grade
  • The previously contemplated office component has been dropped
  • A rooftop helipad, described by the project team as intended mainly for emergencies

No on-site affordable units are proposed; an in-lieu affordable housing fee of approximately $4.7 million has been described in prior reporting, though that figure has not been confirmed in a formal city filing cited in available evidence.

Community Response

Many attendees wore "Stop One Broadway Plaza" and "Santa Ana No Se Vende" shirts. Questions raised at the meeting included concerns about unit pricing, a possible data-center tenant, and gentrification pressures; according to OC Register reporting, those questions went unanswered.

Procedural Context

The Sept. 17 meeting was the second required under Santa Ana's Sunshine Ordinance; the first was held in January 2026. These meetings are a pre-application public engagement requirement and do not constitute a planning commission or city council hearing. An amendment to Specific Development No. 75 remains in the city's development project review. The original 2004 office entitlements remain in effect.

Scale and Significance

If built as proposed, One Broadway Plaza would rank among the tallest residential structures in Orange County. The site has carried entitlements since 2004 without construction proceeding, making the current residential pivot a significant shift in the project's trajectory.

▸ EVENT TIMELINE
2 moments
  1. Sep 14, 23:53(14 days ago)

    OC Register reports the 572-unit residential version of One Broadway Plaza heads to a second Sunshine Ordinance community meeting on Sept. 17.

  2. Sep 16, 19:00(12 days ago)

    Second Sunshine Ordinance community meeting held at 100 S. Main St. (former Original Mike's building). More than 50 attendees, many in opposition; architect William Beaubeaux and facilitator Katie Cawelti of Curt Pringle and Associates presented revised plan — 572 units across 32 floors, 9-level garage with 2,400+ spaces, grocery and ~64,000 sq ft retail, office component dropped, rooftop helipad added. Developer Mike Harrah did not attend; questions on pricing, data-center tenant, and gentrification went unanswered.

▸ EVIDENCE
2 items
  1. EVTGarden Grovein 7 days

    Teens - Need community service hours? Just want to help out? Become a teen volunteer at Tibor Rubin Library! Ask for an application at the service desk then attend a mandatory orientation on the fi...

  2. NEW14 days ago

    The current version of the proposal for the 37-story tower calls for 572 residential units.

▸ SOURCES
2 links