The Santa Ana Planning Commission will be conducting a public hearing tonight, at 5:30 pm, to consider the proposed 31 story Bisno Tower, which is supposed to be built near the Bisno City Place development – you know, the one with the human signs in front of it informing us about how they have had to resort to auctioning their over-priced luxury condos.
Does no one in Santa Ana know that we are in the midst of the Bush Depression? Bisno can’t sell his City Place units, how in the Hell is he going to sell 31 stories full of the same overpriced condos? How quickly will this tower turn into apartments?
Already Main St. in that area is a nightmare at rush hour. What will 2,000 more cars do to our local traffic in north Santa Ana?
If you agree with me that this plan is nuts, please be sure to attend this meeting tonight! Click here to read the meeting agenda. The meeting will be held in Council Chambers, at 22 Civic Center Plaza. Be sure to present your parking stub to the city folks inside so they can pay for your parking.
I received this notice also. I just can’t see that anyone will actually build even if it is approved. Who would actually turn the faucet on faster while the money is already going down the drain? Does this make any sense at all? Are they just approving it because it was on the calendar and that’s what they do? I thought that after the approval Bisno would only have 6 month to start building (or is this just for residential projects?), why wasn’t this postponed? More craziness. I’m wondering as it is when the project is going to start renting to business at drastically reduced rates.
Folks…don’t be concerned or at all confused. There is absolutely no way a tower such as this will be built in the next number of years. As stated above, this has probably been in process quite some time and is just coming up as an agenda item.
Although I love the idea of this tower coming to town, it simply will not happen. I’d go as far to say that it will actually never happen. The old economy that used to support these types of towers in simply gone…perhaps forever. By the way, what in the world is going to happen to the Nexus SkylineOC project?!?!
And yes, when you are auctioning off all of your units at a 50% or more, I think the last thing you would ever consider would be breaking ground on a 31-story tower. Oh, and there is not a lender on this planet that would put a construction loan on this project.
High rise residential projects are dead in Santa Ana for the next ten years…at least.
On the other hand building costs are way down.
Who’s lending the money for this one? I can see the ground being broken and the ugly construction fences going up and then nothing until we emerge from the Bush Depression (oxymoron?) in ten years. Nothing like a big empty lot to raise those property values, I say approve this project and keep home prices affordable longer.
Oh but Rush Limbaugh says it’s Obama’s Recession!
Even if, as curious says, the tower won’t be built for a few years (if ever), if “folks” are concerned, they should attend the meeting and voice those concerns. That’s the point of the public hearing.
fair enough…of course people should voice concerns. Why approve something that makes no sense?
By the way, no matter what your thoughts are on City Place…can we all agree that the opening of Mother’s Market is a wonderful, wonderful thing for this city and its residents?
The concensus among a few of us residents that are watching this project seem to believe that this ‘Tower’ will never see the light of day. First: That particular area of where the Tower would be erected is so blighted. Other than the Orange County Performing Arts High School, what else is around there? You have the Orange County Probation Department two blocks away where you have several unsavory characters running around at any given time of the day. Second: Traffic is HORRIBLE at any time of the day. Third and final: I’m just gonna be real…if I had the money to invest in Real Estate, I wouldn’t be investing it in any condo in Santa Ana….period!
I think #7 is thinking of an entirely different project (Mike Harrah’s) that probably also will not be built for at least 10 years. We are talking about City Place. I agree that Mother’s is a great addition, but from previous posts Art definitely doesn’t agree.
#8,
I would have preferred a Ralphs. I cannot imagine that I could do my family grocery shopping at Mother’s. They are expensive and we have no need for tofu in our house.
Quite frankly I would rather shop at any of our local Mercados – they have very good prices on meat and produce. But I like the double coupons at Ralphs. I currently do most of my grocery shopping at the Ralphs up on Main and Chapman – so the City of Orange gets my sales tax dollars.
“No eminent Domain for Personal Gain”
“Private Property is sacred Property”
Who’s property is it?
I hope the rights of a minority (property owner Bisno) is not being threaten by a majority (many local residences) using the strong arm of government (City planning comm. ), or the taking of private property rights for the benefit of other private property owners in the area.
Another question dealing with the exact issue. The city of Orange is across the street from this proposed tower. The old folks home located right across the street has plans for the same type of tower for old folks storage. Santa Ana resident and planning comm. will not have much say so over that project.
The main question should be:
What are the mitigation factors? Are the payments and improvements going to come first? Is the city going to let them off the hook and they can fund the requirements later? Is the city going to pay for the requirements and then collect sometime in the future at no interest?
Hey Art!
Today you are not silly. Please do not denounce Mothers grocery store. It’s great to have a store in the city where I can buy quality food, support farmers and small family companies that pay their employees more than minimum wage. Btw they serve more than tofu so nice try. Why don’t you shop in your neighborhood at food for less? Why drive all they way down to Orange? Wow you really do get on your high horse sometimes. It’s o.k. to step out of the proctor and gamble box once and a while. Come over to mothers and I will personally give you a tour and show you the great “NON” tofu products. Let this one go PLEASE! It’s not the Mothers fault it resides in a building of owners we think are shady, welcome to reality! OK. thanks now I’m gonna slide off my soap box after this message: I was born, raised work Two Jobs and reside in Santa Ana. and yes I have been to Orange. I just hate to commute.
Now Back to YOU!
Michele,
I will visit Mother’s this week and do a cost comparison between them, Ralphs and one of the local mercados. Should make for an interesting post.
I’ve visited Mother’s. Cute but useless. Call me a capitalist pig, but I like Coke. Other than the fresh veggies, Mother’s has little value to me. I’m still going to have to drive up to the Ralph’s to get a product like Coke, so I might as well do all my shopping while I’m there. again; it’s cute (you can shop there and give yourself the impression your saving the world) but not very functional.
Saturday was the official grand opening for Mothers Market. There was a great turnout of folks from all over the area. If I were to make a guess, a large portion of them came here from outside the city. That is a very good thing to have people from outside Santa Ana come here and spend money.
I am thrilled to have Mothers in Santa Ana. This is a great addition to the community.
Not much to compare since all items at Mother’s are organic. There are very few of the same items at these two stores. It’s a different world when it comes to shopping now. I shop at Fresh n Easy, Trader Joe’s and Target but occasionally need to go to a Big Box for certain things. Mother’s is great but I agree that I won’t do all of my shopping there, too expensive and we do eat red meat in my household. I do love Mother’s but a Trader Joe’s is sorely lacking in our neck of the woods.
O.k. Art,
That sounds cool! I will keep an eye out for you if you happen to be there on Sat afternoon or eve.
Hi Ben I Love Diet Pepsi and I generally buy it wherever it’s on special walgreens food for less. I cannot save the world, planet Santa Ana or anything else sometimes even myself, however I do give an effort to do small things that dont benefit me but others or the planet. Thanks for the snaps on the cute store “isn’t it though”! and some of the mercados around us are way expensive and it angers me how they exploit the poor working people like me. Ive had to make pit stops in those stores for small items from time to time and it’s like wow what a rip off. OK this is so off topic sorry. Um bad building bad high rise!
Mothers is not going to be nor is it meant to be everything to everyone. It is simply a good addition to the stock of grocery stores in the city. I’ll still hit Northgate for bolillos y carne asada. I’ll hit Ralph’s for Chips Ahoy and Coors Light. But, I will frequent Mother’s for vitamins, Acai berries, raw Cacoa beans and various and sundry health food items. It can also now be added to the Santa Ana lunch circuit for times when I’m a bit tired of or in need of healthier fare than Taco Adobe, Memphis, Tommy Pastrami, La Chiquita, Gypsy Den, etc.
We all have different tastes. Some of us would prefer a Whole Foods, a Trader Joes, a Ralphs, you name it. Variety is good. But for those of us who long for better and more available grocery stores, Mother’s is a wonderful addition!!!
I’m curious if Planning Commissioner Sean Mill will decide to be honest during the commissioner communication disclosure at tonight’s meeting.
Any thoughts?