What's the Dirt on the Dirt Pile?

Gigi Kim

The infamous dirt pile has existed for as long as any OCSA student can remember. A grand mound of dirt surrounded by a green fence with a wooden sign embellished with the words: One Broadway Plaza. This architectural project was slated to be the “tallest building in Orange County,” but 20 years later, this title is left in the dust. Mike Harrah, a 6 '6, bearded, enigmatic visionary real estate developer is the driving force behind this.

In 2003, Harrah proposed building a 37-floor skyscraper in Santa Ana, located on North Broadway. One Broadway Plaza was being developed by Harrah’s Caribou Industries, and would consist of 14 floors of residential apartments, 23 floors of office units, and an eight-story parking garage. His bid to begin construction was approved by the Santa Ana City Council in 2004, but his plans were impeded by lawsuits and countless city council meetings.

Construction was promptly stalled by the citywide referendum election in 2005, with 56 percent of voters approving Harrah’s plan to build the office tower and dissenters voicing concerns of elevated traffic levels in the neighboring communities. Along with being given the clearance to build the tower, the council set a restriction that stated he could not begin construction unless at least half of the building was pre-leased. In 2010, a public hearing was held in which Harrah persuaded the City Council to repeal the original lease agreement and let him begin the construction with no tenants.

Harrah reportedly needed finances for processing plans and resorted to selling properties to shell out money, putting up the iconic Santora Arts Building and Original Mike’s, a restaurant on Main Street, for sale. 10 years later in the wake of the pandemic, lawsuits, cutbacks, and city objections, the grandiose project was halted.

Critics have been candid about their reservations for Harrah’s decision to build the office tower, which would displace surrounding residential neighborhoods and cause significant environmental concerns. One Broadway Plaza was contracted to reach 493 feet tall and consist of 518,003 square feet of office area, 8,525 square feet of retail space, and 18,596 square feet for restaurants. In 2020, the City Council approved the request to use 14 stories of office space for residential units during the pandemic.

However, after buying the 14 acres of land surrounding the Orange County Register’s headquarters for 24 million dollars, Harrah set his sights on converting the property into residential, hotel, and retail space. With One Broadway Plaza unbuilt and vacant 14 years after its initial proposal, there couldn’t possibly be more?

Harrah struck again in 2017 with a plan that some have dubbed “Orange County’s Silicon Valley” which is made up of 3rd & Broadway Promenade, a residential and hotel development, One Broadway Plaza, 625 North Grand, a 2.3 million square feet residential and office development located at the old OC Register headquarters and the redevelopment of the Willowick Golf Course. The project would be linked together through the 600 million dollar OC Streetcar project meant to span four miles from Santa Ana to Garden Grove.

All in all, it seems the future of One Broadway Plaza is uncertain, and the dirt pile might still be in the same place 10 or even 20 years from now.