Project to Replace Shopping Center OKd
Despite an appeal by representatives of Santa Ana’s MainPlace mall, the Orange City Council this week approved plans for a retail project that will replace The City Shopping Center.
Mills Corp., based in Washington, announced plans last fall for $150-million complex, called The City Center Mills. Orange officials agreed to contribute as much as $25 million in municipal redevelopment funds for the project.
The existing retail center on The City Drive was virtually abandoned by stores and shoppers when MainPlace opened in nearby Santa Ana in the early 1980s.
Lawyers for MainPlace challenged Orange’s plans and appealed to the City Council on Wednesday for a reversal of the Planning Commission’s approval of the Mills proposal, saying the developer failed to satisfy requirements of state environmental impact laws.
Mills officials argued that the project is not large enough to require a full-blown environmental impact report and that potential negative effects of the construction on nearby neighborhoods and traffic patterns have already been addressed.
Plans now call for the combined retail and entertainment center to encompass 771,000 square feet and to open in 1998. Plans include a 30-screen movie theater complex, restaurants, health clubs, nightclubs and outlets such as Nordstrom Rack.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
