Santa Ana Rising

City's two tallest residential towers dominate skyline

By Greg Aragon

In June of next year, the two tallest residential towers in Orange County will be completed in this city of 351,000 people.

Representing the first phase of Santa Ana-based Nexus Cos.' Skyline at MacArthur Place, the $250 million buildings will stand 25 stories above Orange County's most populous city.

"This project will mean a great deal to the city," says Cory Alder, Nexus president. "Orange County is a desirable place to live, but there is not enough land to build sufficient housing for folks, so this is a continuance of the trend of going vertical."

Nexus Construction Services, a subsidiary of Nexus Cos., is acting as the project's general contractor.

The 1 million-sq-ft project began in April of 2006, and work was completed last month on the four-level (two levels below ground and two above) parking podium completed last month. Above the 369,200-sq-ft parking garage, crews are currently pouring the foundation for a 49,500-sq-ft Amenity Deck.

"The complexity of the Amenity Deck has been an exciting challenge to work on," says Molly Chan, project architect with Perkins & Co. of Vancouver, B.C. "From an architect's standpoint it was quite a challenge to coordinate all the different features such as the pool and spa, landscaping and water proofing issues. It wasn't just pouring one big slab of concrete; we had multiple steps all over the place."

Other Amenity Deck highlights include a 3,700-sq-ft fitness center, men's and women's spas; a quarter-mile jogging track; a half-acre pool deck with cabanas; and a 3,000-sq-ft entertainment area with a full demonstration kitchen, wine lockers, card tables, pool tables, a putting green and plasma TV's throughout.

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Sitting atop the Amenity Deck will be the 650,000-sq-ft identical towers, offering a total of 349 for-sale luxury condominiums in one-, two-, and two-bedroom with den configurations, ranging from 1,100 sq ft to 2,800 sq ft. The units will range in price from $700,000 to more than $2 million for a penthouse.

The style of the buildings is "contemporary, sleek and modern looking," Chan says. She adds that each building will feature a glazed window wall system with a unique curved feature on the north face of each tower.

"The curved facade juxtaposed against the orthogonal form of the opposing facades, has a dynamic quality," Chan says. "The fluidity and movement of the curve is reflective of the qualities of early modernism, which is oddly appropriate today."

The towers, which overlook a 2.5-acre manmade lake, are located near the intersection of Main Street and MacArthur Boulevard in Santa Ana, less than 1 mi from South Coast Plaza, the Orange County Performing Arts Center and John Wayne Airport.

Alder said it was a "fairly long process" to get approval from the FAA, Airport Land Use Commission and then the city to build the towers near the airport.

"We conducted several aeronautical studies that showed our project was safe and complied with FAA regulations," he says. "It took about two years for the whole process."

The second and final phase of the Skyline will include another 25-story tower, with 150 condos, along with to-be-announced restaurants and retail, Alder says. He adds that this phase will break ground in the first quarter of next year, about the same time he expects phase one to sell out.

The Project Team

Owner: Nexus Cos., Santa Ana
Architect: Perkins & Co., Vancouver, B.C.
General Contractor: Nexus Construction Services, Santa Ana
Structural Engineer: Glotman Simpson, Vancouver, B.C.
Landscape Architect: Ridge Landscaping, Irvine
Interior Designer: Cecconi Simone Inc., Toronto

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