Friday, February 1, 2008

He Said, She Said

Back in 2005, before the completion of the first phase at the Santiago Street Lofts, I heard a lot of rumors in regards to the city, the surrounding neighborhoods, the loft development itself, and projects that were supposedly in the works to support this and future nearby developments.

Whether or not what I heard was a rumor, conjecture or simply flat-out a lie, here are some of the fairytales that I remember hearing, but have yet to (or possibly never) come to fruition.

  • Nearby restaurants and shops were in the works, scheduled for completion in early 2009

  • Well-lit streets all the way down to downtown Santa Ana

  • A streetcar or trolley line was to be installed running from the train depot to downtown

  • The CenterLine light rail project was still alive

  • A shuttle service would run on the weekends from the lofts to Proof bar

  • The trees in the SSL community courtyard would eventually grow

  • The Mayor really cares about the Santiago Street Lofts and will do anything to ensure its survival

  • The Santiago Street Loft development would be completed by early 2008

  • Taco Neza “poisons” anyone who looks non-Hispanic

  • Cable railing was going to be an option for the third-floor loft

  • The association covers any graffiti–even on the roll-up doors

  • The city will power-wash the sidewalks on a monthly basis

  • Metered parking was to be allowed on Santa Ana Blvd

  • A coffee house and (small) grocery at the NE corner of Santa Ana Boulevard and Santiago

  • A pedestrian bridge was to connect over the blvd near Poinsettia

  • It’s safe to park your car on the streets

What were you told? What do you believe?

16 comments :

Anonymous said...

I was told many of the things above, but it's become painfully obvious that everything we hear is all talk. I mean, Lennar people are continually telling the residents that they're gonna break ground on the empty lot. First it was October 07, then November 07, and then oh, for sure in January 08. Seriously? I'll honestly be surprised if we get anything built here. And for the folks that are more optimistic, I admire you.

The only change that will take place here will be done by the residents (which is the number 1 reason to live here: great neighbors). Perfect example is the Art Walk. Gallery owners said they'll do it, and they did!

And the trees in the Phase 1 courtyard are just sad.

Anonymous said...

"Taco Neza 'poisons' anyone who looks non-Hispanic"

That sounds like a ranting from a crazy man!

Santa Ana Slim said...

We only moved in back in September and they didn't tell us ANY of those things. I guess at that point they knew it was all BS. Though, what's with the pedestrian bridge? That really seems like a waste of money. It's not even that busy a street. Ultimately, as much as that stuff would be nice, it's only been a few months. The slump in the market probably has much to do with Lennar not building out. If they thought they could sell them, they'd build them. I don't blame them for not wanting to lose money (I certainly wouldn't want to). Just give it time. It'll happen...

Anonymous said...

I was told they'd buy me a pony.

Anonymous said...

not penny's boat..what are you going to do to us Lostaways? =)


VOTE NO ON MEASURE D

Anonymous said...

They told me 'Buy One' and 'Get One Free'!!!

Anonymous said...

Santiago Street Lofts
Welcome Home Center
652 N Santiago St Santa Ana
714-835-6328

877-203-5831
New homes coming soon

Community Overview:

Santiago Street Loft Models are currently closed and anticipated to open February 16, 2008. The final phase release is scheduled for late February 2008.

http://www.lennar.com/CA/OrangeCounty/SantiagoStreetLofts.html

The Frito Bandito said...

I had heard the dump/metal recycling places were going to come out and they were going to put in a park. and that the train station parking lot was going to be a mall... but it looks like all we're going to get is a lot of low income rental units. which will probably have lousy architecture to boot. Friends and neighbors, we are the proverbial canary in the coal mine. Bring in the wrong kind of developers and its just like turning on the gas. The experiment will be over and we will all have been made fools of. We've got one shot at this- and in my opinion, building high density low income housing here is much worse than building nothing at all. We may soon find ourselves aligned with the Loganites fighting to maintain the status quo.

Anonymous said...

Frito,
So you are saying that the developers hungry to build low-income housing are the equivalent to the folks on Naomi's boat.

I see.

I hope this truly isn't The Beginning of the End for us. As I gaze Through The Looking Glass, it's clear to see that we either Live Together, or Die Alone.

Anonymous said...

I want to know the names of the developers... if they have John Ya Ya, John Bigbooty and john parker then it's a fair bet their aliens.

Anonymous said...

Pressure washing the sidewalks - those are "right of ways" but they are in the scope of our HOA according to the map and CC&R's. There is $675/mo in the budget worksheet for this pressure washing to be performed.

Anonymous said...

Look,

I've told you all a thousand times.

I will build a bridge, pressure walk the sidewalks, drive you to Proof, deliver a pony and reveal the secret Ending to Lost if you all just vote for me one more time.

PLEASE!

Robert said...

Pulido,

If your going to build all those things what about a Chipotle for Ben.

All I want is a nudy Bar and a message parlor were I could get a lap dance and a happy ending.

Anonymous said...

If all the food prepared by Mexicans was poisoned, we'd all be dead within 24 hours. I'm not worried about that happening... it would be impossible to coordinate even if there were enough people with the will to carry it out...and I'm sure there are only a handful of militants that would be interested in poisoning the white man out of Aztlan anyway. Just wanted to stir the pot a little-you understand! (but just so you know) if your worried about the national origin of those who are making your food...I hate to say it but there really isn't a kitchen thats safe for a thousand miles in any direction.

Anonymous said...

I think it's funny that people who live here seemed to think that they were going to be living at The District in 6 months time. This is in fact the fringe of the ghetto, no ghettos get cleaned up -re-zoned and look nice and pretty like Irvine in 6 months folks---Especially not in the worst housing slump in almost 2 decades. We really are an island, a damn cool one at that. Can't we all just revel in it and enjoy living here and get psyched on the positive stuff happening here. Reading these posts 90% of the time is so negative. Wahh, someone promised me this, someone promised me that...If you want the trees in the courtyard replaced, call Kimm Dean 15 times everyday for a week, if it's not taken care of in two weeks, threaten a lawsuit. it'll get taken care of. be an asshole if you have to. Trust me. You want your sidewalks power washed? Go to Home depot - power washers are like $60. Wash your own damn sidewalk everyday, knock yourself out, it'll take you all of 15 minutes. Why wait for someone else to wipe your ass, we are all grown ups here...D I Y !
If you dislike it that bad and feel so ripped off then Move to IRVINE, where of course the grass is always green.

Ben Dayhoe said...

Previous anonymous comment,
Thanks for the good laughs.

I don't think anyone here wants or even dreams for this place to turn into a suburban nightmare like the district.

I feel you kinda miss the point of this post with your comments. The point being that if you move here believing all the hype, you're going to be severely disappointed.

If you moved here to meet some really great people who have the best outlook on life, then you are in the right place (but you seem a little grumpy though :)

This post was never an issue of broken promises, just empty words with no weight. Anyone planning to move here believing everything they hear should not make large purchases to begin with.

But there is a growing problem with our association and the lack of attention.

Their funds are being hit hard because they are dealing with other communities defaulting on their association payments due to high foreclosures.

Power washing is covered by our association believe it or not. I've called, nothing happened. Why should I go out and buy a power washer when I'm paying for the service via my monthly dues?

And with the trees–Why should I have to call Keystone more than I already do now? It will cut into my precious blogging time. I've been given so many excuses as to why the tress only look good 4 months out of the year.

Threating with lawsuits? That's not my style–I don't resort to using douche-faced tactics like those. That's how the folks in Irvine handle things with their fake green grass ;)

Thanks for stopping by!