Santa Ana : College District Board Rejects Stadium Plan

Rancho Santiago Community College District’s Board of Trustees voted unanimously Tuesday to reject a city proposal for a temporary football stadium at the 17th Street campus, despite a change of plan by the city and request that the district shelve the proposal.

The temporary facility was part of an elaborate plan for the city to raze Santa Ana Stadium at Civic Center Drive and Flower Street to make way for the proposed Westdome arena. The proposal called for high schools and colleges to use the temporary structure at Rancho Santiago College while the city built an $11-million stadium in Centennial Park.

However, those plans were all put on hold Monday when the City Council voted to eliminate the Santa Ana Stadium property from consideration for the 20,500-seat arena. Although city officials asked last week that the proposal be withdrawn, Rancho Santiago College Chancellor Robert Jensen said the board decided to vote anyway.

“They felt that they needed to make a statement indicating that they are not interested in any type of temporary facility,” he said. The city’s proposal included temporary bleachers for about 5,000 people, transfer of lights from Santa Ana Stadium to the college field and city operation and use of the facility.