Santa Ana : Council to Vote on Rules for SRO Hotels

The City Council will be asked Monday to approve regulations for single-room occupancy hotels, which are being touted as a housing solution for the working poor.

The Planning Commission has recommended to the council specific development standards and regulations for SROs that allow developers to convert an existing, abandoned office building near downtown into such a facility containing apartments for singles or couples who have incomes but who can’t afford security deposits and the rents usually found in the area.

Developer Stephen Quartararo submitted plans to convert the building, the Civic Center Inn, 811 N. Broadway, into 150- and 180-square-foot apartments, with security, laundry rooms and other amenities.

Before approving the project, however, the city had to develop standards by which these buildings can be constructed, according to Assistant City Manager Deborah Kurita.

The need for an SRO in the city has heightened since the Santa Ana YMCA, which rents out 83 rooms for $15 or $20 nightly, announced it is closing next month.

If the council approves the proposed standards, Quartararo said, construction could begin within two months. Already, the building has been stripped of asbestos and prepared for remodeling.

The council session is scheduled for 6 p.m. in the Council Chambers, 22 Civic Center Plaza.