Residents Protest Plans for Stadium in Centennial Park

A small but vocal group of Santa Ana residents argued Wednesday night against the city’s proposal to build an $11-million stadium in Centennial Park.

The 13,000-seat facility would replace Santa Ana Stadium, which would be razed to make way for the Westdome arena. But the 20 residents who showed up at Mitchell School displayed no love for either plan, yelling their opposition in statements like, “They’re trying to shove this down our throats,” and, “Why not put it somewhere else? Because nobody else wants it in their neighborhood.”

‘Lakes, Barbecue Pits’

Carmen Padilla, chairwoman of Friends and Neighbors of Centennial Park, a group of about 50 residents who have opposed previous development plans, said the city has never tried to develop the area strictly as a park. “The original plans called for a park, but all we’ve got so far are two lakes and some barbecue pits,” she said. “There aren’t enough bathrooms and there’s no place for children to play.”

As part of the agreement among the state, city, county and federal governments that established the park in 1976, 52 acres were to be developed as a regional park, said Allen Doby, director of cultural, recreation and community services. The remaining portion was to be developed as a commercial area to help pay for the estimated $316,000 annual maintenance cost, he said.

The project also would cause severe traffic jams on Fairview Street, said Padilla. The street already is jammed at rush hours, she said, and speeds of 45 to 50 m.p.h. are common.

City plans call for traffic signals at key intersections, probably at Mohawk Drive to the north and St. Andrew Place to the east, Doby said. He said parking would be sufficient for the crowds attending events at the existing stadium, which average about 3,000.

The stadium and a 1,500-vehicle parking lot would be built on 35 acres of undeveloped land at the southwest corner of the park. Overflow parking for large events would be available on a turf section of the site that can handle another 1,500 vehicles, said city officials.

Construction would take about a year, with the seats built on earthen berms that will form a bowl around the playing field. A preliminary test of the site by an Irvine engineering firm revealed that the park’s soil is loose and contains some water due to its proximity to the Santa Ana River but added that the problems “can be dealt with” by taking various measures to drain and stabilize the land.

During construction, while the old stadium is demolished, at a cost of about $150,000, high school and college teams left without a stadium would play in a temporary 5,000-seat facility.

City Manager Robert C. Bobb said last week that the temporary facility would be constructed either on existing fields at Rancho Santiago College or directly east of the site in Centennial Park. A letter was sent to Rancho Santiago but a firm proposal probably won’t be made until next month, said Vice Chancellor Bob Matthew.

Matthew said the three-paragraph letter, which was submitted to the college’s board Monday, contained references to improvements of the Rancho Santiago field such as new sprinkler systems and upgrading of the running track. “Our staff will meet with their staff,” he said, “but nothing has been arranged yet.”

Coaches and athletic directors of the schools that use the downtown stadium--Rancho Santiago, Cal State Fullerton and the four city high schools--expressed some regret at the demolition plans but added their endorsement of the replacement plans. Said Rancho Santiago Athletic Director Roger Wilson: “It certainly is beautiful but, of course, those are only drawings. . . . It looks like it would be a great stadium.”

Although some residents said the park is an unwelcome place to go at night, Santa Ana police officials said there are no unusual problems. “We have the usual minor violations that you get in parks--drinking and some misdemeanors,” said Lt. Bruce Carlson, who supervises officers working that area, along with city park rangers. “I’m unaware of any major crime problems.”

Carlson said that police working games at the facility wouldn’t have any more work than they already do at the downtown stadium, where they provide crowd and traffic control services.

Financing for the replacement stadium would come from redevelopment bonds, which would pay for the $11-million new stadium and for the estimated $300,000 cost of a temporary facility. Bobb said he would support the plan for a new stadium, even if the Westdome project is rejected, suggesting that the downtown site could be developed for office buildings.

The city has signed preliminary agreements with three developers to do something in Centennial Park since 1979 but financing problems and neighborhood opposition have combined to doom all three. The most recent, abandoned in October, involved plans for 30 to 40 retail stores, eight movie theaters, a bowling alley, a water amusement park, six restaurants and a farmers’ market.

In 1983-84, a “Project Euphoria” proposal was made for a “high-tech amusement and entertainment center” with concert hall, convention facility, restaurants, space museum and game arcade. In 1981, a “Celebrity Park” proposal was dropped that would have involved a 6,000-seat amphitheater, 35,000 square feet of retail stores and two restaurants.