Harrah Seeks to Usurp Voters Will

I received the e-mail early this morning and felt this needed to be brought to the attention of people at once. So here we go, this is an e-mail from Vince Fregoso in the Santa Ana Planning Department. Apparently Mike Harrah is seeking “amdendments” to the Developer Agreement that was approved by the voters of Santa Ana in April of 2005.

Good morning, 

The purpose of this email is to provide you with a courtesy notice that Caribou Industries, developer of the One Broadway Plaza office tower, is proposing to amend the development agreement (Development Agreement No. 2004-1) that was approved for the project.  The proposed amendments include removing the 50 percent pre-leasing requirement, allowing the project to request and accept Redevelopment Agency assistance, adjust the timing of the funding for the neighborhood traffic studies, allow additional time to refill any excavated area, and to allow Caribou to joint venture a maximum of 50 percent of the project.  

More detailed information related to these amendments will be available in the staff report, which will be released to the public at the close of business on Thursday, June 10^th.  The amendments to the development agreement will be on the June 14^th Planning Commission Agenda and are tentatively scheduled for the July 6^th City Council meeting. 

I think it is safe to assume that the push to get the COunty of Orange to move in was a failure. So now Harrah is seeking to usurp the will of the voters he misled in 2005 with one of the most BS’d filled campaigns in human history. Remember when they put up signs that said Measure A would fix our schools?

These are not amendments, this is a complete re-write and conventional wisdom would be that he needs to take it back to the voters so he can dump another $500,000 misleading them that this big building is the savior of Santa Ana. SO lets take a look. He wants to get rid of the 50% leasing requirement, so after 5 years he cannot fill half of this building? I thought it was the greatest idea since sliced bread.

Next, he wants OUR money, in the name of Redevelopment funds, to go towards a project that cannot even get half the building occupied. This after he promised to finance it with his own personal fortune. Last of all he wants to “adjust” the timing of the traffic studies to the area, why, so he can hide the impact this boondoggle will have on the area. Of course if he can’t even fill half of the building, I guess we shouldn’t be that concerned with added traffic should we.

This is a disturbing development and the speed they want it approved by the Council means they are trying to sneak this through quickly with as little transparency as possible. There are three charter schools within the area,(OCHSA, OCEAA and El Sol Academy) have any of them been informed of these proposed “amendments?” People need to pressure the City Council to force Harrah to go back to the voters for those amendments.