SANTA ANA, Calif. – The City of Santa Ana has been honored by the American Planning Association (APA) California Chapter, Orange Section, with three awards recognizing outstanding contributions in urban design, inclusive planning, and public sector excellence.
The 2025 APA Orange Section Awards Program promotes planning quality and enhances public understanding of the planning profession through the recognition of these achievements on an annual basis. These awards highlight the City of Santa Ana’s persistent commitment to innovative and people-focused planning efforts to guide and manage growth and change on a city and regional scale.
“These awards reflect the Santa Ana City Council’s commitment to a fair, transparent and inclusive planning process,” Mayor Valerie Amezcua said. “The efforts of our Planning Division staff help ensure that our community is a vibrant, equitable and resilient place for everyone to live, work and thrive.”
Advancing Diversity and Social Change in Honor of Paul Davidoff, Excellence Award
Winning Project: WISEPlace Permanent Supportive Housing
WISEPlace, is a groundbreaking permanent supportive housing project for unaccompanied women experiencing homelessness. The award recognizes the City’s innovative use of its Adaptive Reuse Ordinance and a density bonus agreement to transform the historic Santa Ana-Tustin YWCA building, a local landmark, into 48 high-quality affordable housing units with integrated services. Despite facing significant zoning and lot size challenges, the Planning Division’s creative strategies enabled the project’s feasibility. This success highlights the City’s commitment to both preserving its historical heritage and addressing the urgent housing needs of its most vulnerable residents.
Planning Agency, Excellence Award
Winning Project: City of Santa Ana Planning Division
The Planning Division of the City of Santa Ana has received the Award of Excellence for its exceptional contributions to the planning profession, which are directly improving the quality of life and the business community, and establishing Santa Ana as a leader in urban design. The dedicated team has successfully identified and implemented streamlining efforts for small projects, such as over-the-counter reviews for Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), while also securing approval for large, transformative projects like the award-winning General Plan Update and the Related Bristol Specific Plan.
This commitment to excellence has garnered national recognition, with two of its projects, La Placita Cinco and the Santa Ana Arts Collective, being featured in the prestigious Harvard University Journal “State of Housing Design” (2023), which highlighted only 113 projects nationwide for excellence in site planning and design. This award celebrates the Division’s strong dedication to quality, tangible results, and the community it serves.
Urban Design Award, Merit Award
Winning Project: Rafferty, by Toll Brothers
This award honors Rafferty, a downtown mixed-use luxury development by Toll Brothers, a project that has successfully revitalized a key site in the city’s historic downtown core. The award recognizes the project’s exceptional ability to create a strong sense of place by seamlessly blending history with modern design.
The Rafferty transformed the former First American Title Company site into a vibrant residential community. A central component of its success was the meticulous preservation of the 1931 Art Deco façade of the historic Orange County Title Company building. This commitment to honoring the past, combined with thoughtfully designed, pedestrian-friendly open spaces, has enhanced Santa Ana’s urban fabric and fostered a more cohesive community. The project serves as a model for urban infill that prioritizes place-making and honors the historical context of a significant area.
# # #