Laserfiche WebLink
Purchase and Sale Agreement of 203-205 W Civic Center Drive <br />August 18, 2020 <br />Page 2 <br />On September 3, 2019, City Council authorized the negotiation of a Disposition and Development <br />Agreement (DDA) for the renovation and reuse of the YMCA land with Caribou Industries. <br />However, due to the new legislation on Surplus Lands Act procedures that were being enacted at <br />the end of 2019, the City could not continue these negotiations. <br />SURPLUS LANDS ACT <br />The Surplus Land Act requires all local agencies to prioritize affordable housing, as well as parks <br />and open space, when disposing of surplus land. New legislation, which took effect on January 1, <br />2020, required that before a local agency take any action to dispose of land, the land must be <br />declared either "surplus land" or "exempt surplus land". Upon the City's determination that the <br />YMCA property was surplus land, the procedures required the City to offer the sale or lease of <br />surplus land to certain public entities for a period of 60 days. <br />On March 3, 2020, the City Council adopted a resolution declaring the YMCA property as surplus <br />land. During the 60-day period following, the City received one proposal for affordable housing. <br />During negotiations, it was determined that the proposal would not be feasible due to a need for <br />City funding and onsite parking. The withdrawal of this proposal ceased negotiations and the City <br />may now sell the surplus land without further restrictions. <br />CURRENT STATUS <br />Staff is recommending that the City enter into a Purchase and Sale Agreement (Exhibit 1) with <br />Caribou to develop the former YMCA facility into a 20-40 room boutique hotel and new grand salon <br />lobby. This lobby will serve as the check -in area for the boutique hotel and will maintain the <br />historical features of the old YMCA. The main floor will also include a Grand Ball Room and <br />Banquet Hall for community events and conferences. This Grand Ball Room will be able to <br />accommodate up to 300 people and will be equipped with state of the art audio and visual <br />equipment. Also included in the former YMCA facility will be a gym, basketball court, indoor pool <br />and spa, bistro for hotel guests, and an art gallery for local artists. Staff is also including the <br />driveway area south of the YMCA as the project would utilize this area as the pickup and drop off <br />for the hotel. (Exhibit 2). <br />Caribou's proposal to redevelop the YMCA to include boutique style hotel rooms is anticipated to <br />generate revenue in terms of hotel visitors tax, utility taxes, and property taxes for the City. The <br />total investment in this project will exceed several millions of dollars and will revitalize a historic <br />piece of Santa Ana's history into a fully functioning community asset that has been boarded up for <br />over two decades. <br />Entitlements for this project will still be subject to Planning Commission, Historic Resources <br />Commission, and City Council approval in the near future. Caribou estimates that it will take 36 <br />months to obtain entitlements, go through the necessary City processes, and open for business. <br />Staff reviewed the project for compliance with California Government Code Section 53083 <br />regarding Economic Subsidy Reports. Because the City is receiving funds for the property and an <br />25A-2 <br />