Fire station offered for community center

June Casagrande

Residents representing the Santa Ana Heights Redevelopment Agency say

they’re willing to pay $3.6 million to build a fire station there if,

and only if, the city will help them move fast to purchase land for a

community center.

City officials say they’re happy to help residents lobby the

county for the power to purchase the community center, but they can’t

offer the in-ink commitment residents say should be attached to the

fire station purchase.

Instead, the city is asking residents to take it on faith that

they will do everything in their power to get the community center.

Roger Summers, president of the committee that represents

residents to the redevelopment agency, said they want the assurance

of having the center tied to the fire station. But Assistant City

Manager Dave Kiff said that’s not possible.

“We’ve been talking with Supervisor [Jim] Silva’s office about it

and we think we have a plan to do that, but I can’t take it to

council yet until we do our due diligence,” Kiff said.

The residents are in a tricky position because, though their

redevelopment agency has the money to build a long-awaited community

center, residents need either the city or the county to handle the

deal for them. That’s because the residents’ group can’t legally own

property. And while the city wants to take over the redevelopment

agency as part of a deal to annex the second half of Santa Ana

Heights, that could take more than a year.

In the meantime, the clock is ticking on the residents’ location

of choice: the YMCA building for sale on University Drive.

“They’ve got other offers on the property, so they’ve given us

until the end of June to fish or cut bait,” Summers said.

Separately, city staff are working to put an item on the City

Council’s Tuesday agenda to purchase property for a fire station at

any of three sites on Birch Street between Bristol Street and Mesa

Drive.

The station would serve all of Santa Ana Heights, portions of the

airport area and Fashion Island, and provide backup for a portion of

Costa Mesa and for the Westcliff area.

* JUNE CASAGRANDE covers Newport Beach and John Wayne Airport. She

may be reached at (949) 574-4232 or by e-mail at

june.casagrande@latimes.com.