FOCUS: Cooperation Yields Success In Sandpointe
Jim Walker and his wife, Vicki Harris-Walker, live in Santa Ana’s Sandpointe neighborhood because it’s convenient to John Wayne Airport, the Performing Arts Center and South Coast Plaza. But they are concerned about how additional commercial development will affect the quality of life in their neighborhood.
That’s why Walker devotes much of his spare time to his role as co-chairman of the Sandpointe Neighborhood Assn. “We are living in what could become the Century City of Orange County,” he said, referring to the massive shopping and office development that dominates a portion of West Los Angeles. “We don’t resent development, but we want the city and the developers to keep in mind the impact that these projects will have on us,” Walker said.
Several Sandpointe residents worked with PacTel Properties in planning a multistory building that the company intends to construct nearby, at the corner of Main Street and Sandpointe Avenue.
“We’ve had a very cooperative relationship,” said Richard Wagner, director of development for PacTel Properties. “It was originally going to be a 15-story structure of about 300,000 square feet. But after meeting with the residents and considering their input, we scaled it back to nine stories and 170,000 square feet. We arrived at a plan both sides are pleased with,” he said.
Sandpointe residents were also included in planning MacArthur Place, a 66-acre development northeast of Main Street and MacArthur Boulevard. The present plan calls for 400 luxury apartments and 4 million square feet of offices, shops and entertainment facilities. It could include as many as 15 individual buildings and will be built in phases over the next 20 years.
Walker wants to make sure that the existing three-way relationship between the city, the residents and the developers is maintained. The association plans to ask developers to construct a higher wall around the neighborhood to protect it from future increases in traffic noise.
Sandpointe was built in the early 1970s and consists of approximately 750 single-family homes, the 42-unit Main Attraction condominium complex and a small four-plex development. The houses originally sold for $24,000 to $36,000. Today they sell for around $215,000 to $325,000.
The neighborhood is home to several of Santa Ana’s top-rated schools, including MacArthur Fundamental Intermediate and Taft Elementary. Last year, MacArthur Fundamental was named a California Distinguished School, based on its outstanding performance on the California Assessment Program (CAP) tests.
Taft Hearing Impaired, a school for deaf and hard of hearing children, is also located on the Taft Elementary campus. About 106 children are enrolled at the school, which serves 10 Orange County school districts.
Artist Joan Popovich-Kutscher is serving a two-year term as the school’s deaf artist in residence through a California Arts Council grant. “She encourages students to express ideas visually that they have difficulty expressing verbally,” Principal Steven T. Longacre said. “She also serves as an excellent role model,” he said.
The school is adjacent to Sandpointe Park, a 6.6-acre recreation area where the neighborhood holds its annual Keep Sandpointe Beautiful fair.
“Sandpointe is still a place where you can get to know your neighbor,” Walker said. “It’s not like that in some parts of Orange County. That’s why we’re proud to live here.”
Population Total: (1989 est.) 7,192 1980-89 change: +21.7% Median Age: 31.7
Racial/ethnic mix: White (non-Latino): 66% Latino: 18% Black: 6% Other: 10%
By sex and age: MALES Median age: 34.7 years FEMALES Median age: 37.5 years
Income Per capita: $17,924 Median household: $49,641 Average household: $51,304
Income Distribution: Less than $25,000: 14% $25,000-49,999: 36% $50,000-74,999: 33% $75,000-$99,999: 10 $100,000 and more: 7%
