After extended review, supervisors direct negotiations with C & C Waterford on 17th Street Santa Ana site

The Board of Supervisors directed county negotiators to begin dealings with C & C Development and Waterford Property Company to develop the county‑owned 1725 West 17th Street site in Santa Ana after a long review of competing proposals and a day of probing questions from supervisors.

Two finalist teams presented their proposals to the board. Scott Mayer, representing TAP BFR/True America, described a mixed‑use plan with roughly 300 units and told the board the proposal relied primarily on private financing with about $40 million of developer equity. ‘‘Our project will be privately financed with approximately $40,000,000…skin in the game,’’ Mayer said. TAP emphasized earlier rent commencements and diversified revenue that staff judged to generate stronger near‑term fiscal returns for the county.

Todd Caudill, representing C & C Development and Waterford, said his team proposed a 360‑unit project oriented toward family housing and said the plan would pursue affordability at multiple AMI tiers and include an on‑site Head Start location. ‘‘We appreciate the opportunity…to develop a 360 unit project that meets the needs of large families… a 100% affordable to families and individuals at 50, 80, and 100% of area median income,’’ he told the board.

Supervisors pressed both teams on key assumptions: whether pro formas were underwritten to rents (rather than household income), whether prevailing‑wage and AB 2011/AB 2022/AB 2443 labor requirements had been costed, who would pay demolition and hazardous‑materials abatement, parking ratios and unit size mixes (requests for more two‑ and three‑bedroom units). Staff noted both proposals comply with the Surplus Land Act exemption requiring a 300‑unit minimum and at least 25% lower‑income units under the statute’s definitions.

After extended deliberations that touched on neighborhood fit, city planning input, front‑loaded revenue versus long‑term streams and uncertainty about demolition and hazardous‑material costs, the board voted 4–1 to direct staff to enter negotiations with C & C Waterford. Supervisors asked staff to return with best‑and‑final offers and recommended contract terms incorporating community priorities (unit mix, deeper affordability where feasible, parking and labor agreements). Staff indicated a 60‑day reporting target for a status update and said a full negotiated term sheet could take longer depending on due diligence results.

The board’s direction does not finalize a sale or lease; staff will return with negotiated terms and any required approvals from city or state authorities.