City of Santa Ana and South Coast Metro Alliance Forged Mutually Beneficial Relationship

The City of Santa Ana and the South Coast Metro Alliance (SCMA), - http://southcoastmetro.com - which is a nonprofit corporation of property owners and major businesses in South Coast Metro area of Orange County, have forged a unique relationship that has significantly benefitted both.

South Coast Metro is strategically located midway between Los Angeles and San Diego and conveniently near John Wayne Airport and is Orange County’s cultural and corporate center with shopping, world-class arts, diverse culinary experiences, many Class A office buildings, hotels, and upscale residential.

A subcommittee within the Alliance was created several years ago to address and help solve minor and major issues for the betterment of the whole community. City representatives meet quarterly with the subcommittee for an honest and direct discussion that yields positive results.

Co-chairing the subcommittee is Carolyn A. Killion, RPA, CPM, General Manager, Asset Services for Cushman & Wakefield, located at 4 Hutton Centre Drive in Santa Ana and Sue Szabo, Vice President, Corporate Real Estate, Banc of California, located at 3 MacArthur Place in Santa Ana.

That relationship is bearing fruit.Recently, a grand opening event was held at 4 Hutton for a Santa Ana Police Department (SAPD) substation built there to support the officers in the southeast quadrant of the City.

4Hutton’s owner, Ares Asset Management, LLC Founder Joe C. Wen, generously donated the substation to the City as he envisioned a location that allows SAPD’s officers to have a safe place to rest, write reports, conduct task force operations, and train their teams utilizing the building and common areas of Hutton Centre while creating a safer, community environment for businesses, hotel guests, and residents.

The state-of-the-art substation will meet the needs of the police officers in the southeast area of Santa Ana and the Hutton Centre area with increased visibility. This space increases efficiency and response times to the surrounding community which would not be possible without the connections made in these quarterly meetings.

3 Hutton and 4 Hutton’s ownerships support the SAPD K9 program by providing their office buildings, parking structures and landscape areas for K-9 training and certification of their handlers/dogs along with other surrounding police and sheriff agencies.

3 MacArthur Place, 1 & 2 MacArthur Place, 3 Hutton Centre and 4 Hutton Centre ownerships have all allowed the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFD) to use their properties for on-going training.

The City reached out to 3 MacArthur Place for assistance in obtaining permission from the MacArthur PlaceOwners Association to install a temporary sidewalk for a special City event. This task was accomplished in less than a week due to the strong relationship between the three entities.

City leaders have been instrumental in helping eight owners in southeast Santa Ana with permitting and plan check issues and with the new POD (over-the-counter) permit process have reduced the permitting time for business owners.They also have been helpful in answering questions for the leasing teams as all work to bring new tenants and businesses to Santa Ana and SCMA buildings.

“These mutually beneficial accomplishments are the direct result of a unique relationship between a city and a business alliance that doesn’t exist anywhere else in the county,” said Diane Pritchett, Executive Director of the South Coast Metro Alliance. “ We thank the City of Santa Ana, Mr. Wen, and our Alliance members for working together in the spirit of cooperation.”

For over a quarter-century the South Coast Metro Alliance has implemented and coordinated programs that focus on marketing, business attraction, expansion, and retention as it unites developers, property owners and key corporate leaders.

For more information, contact Pritchett at alliance@southcoastmetro.com or call 714.435.2109. www.southcoastmetro.com.

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South Coast Metro Alliance is a nonprofit corporation of property owners and major businesses having a long-term investment through ownership and/or long-term leases. As a cohesive group they work collaboratively with a variety of entities including the County of Orange, the Cities of Costa Mesa and Santa Ana, Orange County Transportation Authority, Costa Mesa and Santa Ana Chambers of Commerce. As an economic development organization, South Coast Metro Alliance markets and promotes South Coast Metro as Orange County’s cultural and corporate center encouraging businesses to relocate to the Metro. Southcoastmetro.com.