Mike Harrah and the Santa Ana City Council! {applause pictured above} That is, at least according to the Orange County Weekly in their annual “Best Of” issue out now. The distinction description is brief and reads as follows:
For half a decade, Newport Beach real-estate developer Michael Harrah has been given the green light to build OC’s largest building, a proposed 37-story office tower in Santa Ana. He wasn’t able to pull it off, and this year, he returned to the city asking for five additional public concessions. Without an iota of debate from the Santa Ana City Council, the multimillionaire got everything he asked for, including the right to seek future public financial assistance for his private project.
Short and sweet, and sure to incite debate, spin, etc. Commence!
More importantly, 2,900 workers will be hired to build that building, most of them Santa Ana residents.
This is Hi-Tech high-rise building Pedroza, requiring legal and mostly specialized union labor which is not available in Santa Ana. Read the contract what happens in such case.
I doubt that Harrah will be able to build any time soon. There is commercial real estate bubble which no one is talking about. There are foreclosures on 1B like buildings happening as I am typing.
It’s a Long Way to Tipperary Pedroza.
If you, Mill and your cohorts usual suspect then, would stay out of this issue because you have no capacity to understand what is good for Santa Ana, and would listen to me in 2004, and elected me as Mayor, you would have much better Santa Ana today.
The 1B is good example why you and Mill should stay out of any business decision making.
You are not entrepreneurial types.
Fiala,
I am quite familiar with construction. Unlike you I worked as a project manager in the trades. The building in question will provide plenty of jobs to the many skilled union laborers who live here in town.
Harrah says he is close to raising all the money he will need. I hope so.
“Unlike you I worked as a project manager in the trades.”……… Hmmmm
If you would Pedroza you would not made the following ridiculous statement: “2,900 workers will be hired to build that building, most of them Santa Ana residents”
There are no contractors in Santa Ana which can handle any part of the contract or subcontract on 1B project. If you know of such contractor who built or participated on a similar structure, please name him and his bond company.
No contractor is bondable in Santa Ana for 1B project.
The entire structure is steel and glass made elsewhere and assembled by highly specialized workforce at a site. Same goes for utilities and plumbing. This is not your usual wooden framing.
Perhaps when 1B is finished there may be some dry waling and janitorial hiring in Santa Ana.
You should also know that Harrah has no say in who will build it. That is done by investors and insurance/bond companies.
Art: Harrah breaks promises the way Larry Agran does!
Gustavo,
Well, Agran is a politician. Harrah is a developer. Harrah has been busted before and he has paid the penalties. To my knowledge, Agran has always gotten away with his lies.
In this case, Harrah signed off on a developer’s agreement. I can assure you that the Council majority won’t let him off the hook. Nor will I.
Art, Harrah needs tenants.Big tenants. Who will they be, I wonder?
That’s the problem. He can’t get enough tenants to fill this overblown, out-of-scale, phallic homage to one man’s ego.
Tony,
Good question. He usually goes for government tenants but the County is broke now too.
I think that Santa Ana has a lot of potential to attract new tenants. We are the County Seat. We have numerous freeways all around us. Our downtown is evolving daily and the change has been positive.
It will be interesting to see what Harrah can come up with…
If it doesn’t get started by the end of the year, a new building code comes into effect.
OBP will need to be redesigned
Harrah said he will shelve the project until after the DA expires if that happens.
A couple residents tried, and a council member or two tried to amend the DA to run concurrent with the entitlements to build OBP. Harrah would not have any of that.
So all of the promises to Santa Ana goes away next January. (Jobs, Union labor, etc)
Except the requirements in the EIR. (Street lights, road striping, school drop off site)
You sure this is not a rare photo of Captain Kangaroo and a member of ZZTopp sitting together?
Separated at birth..Gil Morero and Captain Kangaroo:
Sorry if I stray a little off Santa ana topic.
The Costa Mesa City Council recieved ” Best Venue for unintentional live comedy”
http://www.ocweekly.com/bestof/2010/award/best-venue-for-unintentional-live-comedy-829391/
This is a greatest hit….Mansoor not knowing the rules…..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Suq3dfRxYUE