One of the reasons for all the empty storefronts is because of the street car construction affiliated with is project. Many went out of business with all the delays and the customers stayed out of the area.
Yes, it’s so sad all the businesses I have been there for 10 2030 4050 even 60 years. Had to shut down because of the construction that was going on for the last 5 to 10 years tore up the street cars cannot get through. It’s so sad it’s disgusting. Gentrification is radical and disgusting
@@triggered-u8d it did not this construction was going on before Covid construction’s been going on for 5 to 10 years. I work off the main street. It’s a disgusting project. It was disgusting to witness. All of this people are monsters and who thinks this is a good idea is very dumb very manipulated in a fool there’s train stations in Santa Ana Tustin Orange all of the surrounding cities, which are all 10 minutes driving from each other there’s buses on every single busy street that goes to the train stations. This is just unnecessary bullshit.
Displacement doesn’t have to be just financial. Getting evicted due to ownership change, condo conversion or redevelopment is very much part of gentrification. Eminent domain can also be part of gentrification. It’s very much about the change being for the people who are of a different socioeconomic class from the existing residency. Whether it’s financial, change of use or other, if the people who are there can’t stay, I’d consider it gentrification.
Improving amenities for the community that lives there is a good thing. Attempting to displace people of color with wealthier white people (i.e. gentrification - what this content creator is supporting) is NOT.
@@yiannisd8286I completely agree. Isn't Santa Ana mostly Latino? So this content creator is implying to get rid of low/middle income Latinos for higher income whites before he feels comfortable spending time in Santa Ana? I'm not personally familiar with Santa Ana so I'm genuinely curious about his implications about the current Santa Ana situation.
@@yiannisd8286i live across the street where they are building it, will say the downtown area is changing a lot, they built an apartment complex but that rent😢
"Santa Ana has a violent crime rate of 48 out of 100. To put this in perspective, California's violent crime rate in 2023 is 56/100, while the US average violent crime rate for that year is 57/100. This indicates the city has average crime levels." this should be viewed in the context of decades of declining crime and specifically violent crime around the United Staes. What indicators are you using to suggest it "feels" unsafe?
Neighboring Irvine is the safest city in the country so for someone growing up in OC, Santa Ana is the "unsafe area" even if outside of OC its considered relatively safe
You’re believing the lying mainstream media. Crime is up across the nation. Fact is many cities in California haven’t even reported their crime stats to the federal government. Not to forget democrats have lowered the penalties on crime to make it look like crime is down. Turning felonies into misdemeanors is not crime going down.
I've lived in OC for over 30 years and this is the first time I've ever heard of it. Okay, sure, Santa Ana, you're the county seat, now stop rubbing our faces in it when other cities have you beat in the "downtown" department.
@@MMuraseofSandvich There is no downtown equivalent to Santa Ana anywhere in Orange County. Santa Ana is as historic as LA, Long Beach and Pasadena. Anaheim demolished their historic downtown. Downtown Orange is nice, Fullerton is okay but not to the scale of Santa Ana, which okay because they're not the county seats. They're not supposed to be as large. And now that DTSA has the streetcar, well, it just reiterates its importance in the LA region, dating back to the time when the red cars ran through Santa Ana and LA.
I think your take on gentrification is misguided. For one, usually gentrifiers who benefit from "new businesses and investment" are the exact types of nimbies with no community spirit who are the ones who block transit in the future. They don't tend to have solidarity and public welfare as values, and they abandon the area as soon as they can find a boom to exploit elsewhere. Look at SF to see how this played out. Also, it's so typical for infrastructure to get built in a way where gentrification forces out the people who were there, so completely new people can use it. I saw this happen in Berlin Germany, bike lanes were only built in a neighbourhood once the demographics flipped from Kurdish/Turkish/Arab to mostly white. So great, there is investment, there is infrastructure, but displacement means that inequality of access still exists. This is a pretty consistent pattern of gentrification.
That's a very skewed outlook. The unholy alliance of extreme preservationism and pervasive fear of gentrification that control the SF city council is the reason for its absurd unaffordability. The rich want their Victorian aesthetic 'character of the neighbourhood' and the poor want their old stores, familiar demographics, and grandfathered rents. The bulk of the voting public (who tend to be older and have housing security either through outright ownership or rent control) actually doesn't care as much that the city is unaffordable. When a new building of any notable size is proposed, you see it play out well with the wealthy lobbying at official zoning meetings and the poor protesting on the streets. California has constrained the housing supply for three generations now, people are leaving by hundreds of thousands per year to the hellscapes of Arizona and Texas because there they can afford a stable roof over their heads. This isn't the most elegant solution, but overall allowing for more development is a good decision, especially in Orange County which is largely allergic to any housing without a front lawn. Also, since when are Germans not the people who live in Berlin?
Anaheim-er here, my mom used to work for OCTA for about 23 or 25 years and she retired about a few years ago, I never knew this existed, this would be SUPER awesome.
It’s a lose a big lose and did you have to sit through traffic for the last 10 years because of all the construction did you lose your business because the construction tore up the whole entire street and cars couldn’t get to the businesses where you left hungry starving and unable to pay rent due to this construction all the money going to this no you weren’t. It’s a big lose.
I think the reason for all the for lease signs is that building this lightrail system really affected the businesses along the routes, all the construction drove away business revenue for the business owners.
@@ciello___8307no. It was mostly this project. I know several former business owners and a few current ones down there off of 4th st. The biggest impact was when the property owners started increasing rents in anticipation of this damned project.
agreed, I'm an HB/Westminster dude with little reason to venture into Santa Ana other than the old Carvin Guitar shop on Main, and a few old school tool and wood suppliers. But that down town area was such a mess for so long I just stopped going anywhere near. So much so, we've all been stuck on I-5 and looked for an exit, except any of the Santa Ana exits! Sadly, this might end up like that "Bridge to Nowhere" and become another mobile homeless shelter like the Metro Rail C line.
the problem with gentrification surrounds -who- receives the benefits of redevelopment. without securing more affordable housing units, a gentrified area’s increased property values can displace current residents who cannot afford to move or live within the changed neighborhood.
I frequently travel on Amtrak, Metrolink, and the Orange County buses. Coming in from 1st and Main Street, I walk along the Orange County Streetcar route to the Santa Ana Train Station. I have enjoyed the walk for over two years because the area was safe. Great restaurants, shops, and outdoor markets are struggling, but everyone, including families, has FUN there. The city builders (generally speaking) took their daYum time working on the rails with fencing all over the place! Come on, ease up! The corner lot in front of the Santa Ana Train Station was an eyesore. And yet, they still have excuses for not completing it sooner. The Santa Ana Train Station just got "renewed" with fresh colors and gorgeous improvements! YEAH! By the way, I will be among the first to enjoy the ride! YEAH!
i love downtown santa ana but it's really only bc i'm latino and it's very latino-centric. as it stands now, i think it'd be kinda boring for anyone else who isn't comfortable with that
Downtown Santa Ana is nothing but tech people and trust fund kids. It is not Santa Ana and in this city there is much derision against those who dwell there. They are not from here.
@@socaljarhead7670I get it but I’m from SA too and I go to downtown to have fun and meet friends for drinks. I don’t think it’s that serious, and personally wouldn’t classify myself as a “tech bro”
Extremely odd takes on gentrification, and about the "usefulness" of the streetcar line running through a densely developed business corridor. This is the kind of stuff that makes me think that a decent amount of these "urban revivalist" channels are just champagne socialists/neoconservatives in disguise. Do you think that these rail systems are supposed to be only for bougie (aka, predominately white) people to ride? Santa Ana is "dangerous" (dog-whistle for 'too many minorities')?? You're gushing about French Park like its supposed to be reserved for the richest people in O.C. because of the "history". Of course... As others have said, "positive gentrification" only can exist if the community can benefit from it. Forcing out a sect of the population in order for rich people to have more $1 mil+ homes/$3k+ per month apartments, and whitewashing the area doesn't contribute anything positive. You aren't fooling any of us minorities that are educated.
I had a similar observation about the emphasis on French Park. There's the Lacy area before French Park and that's served more immediately than French Park. It serves Lacy and the newer housing on 4th street and SNA Blvd more so than French Park. All that said, yes, housing is prohibitively expensive. Even in Santa Ana, like in the rest of SoCal.
Santa Ana is dangerous tho? Compared to the rest of OC. Having the safest city next to a city with average US crime rate really makes SA stand out more as being dangerous. Don’t you think?
@@davidzhang3762 Why are Irvinites flocking into "DTSA" on weekends, weeknights, at all hours really then? The Chase heir, whose family owns a bunch of commercial real estate in the downtown, grew up in Irvine and made it his mission to rebrand "Fiesta Marketplace" to the "East End," all while embracing this urban, street, graffiti vibe to decorate said "East End," with that vibe so common in "the safest city in America." Why? It's one thing to become steward of a family's commercial real estate, it's another to try to adopt those characteristics that Santa Ana is and was known for as part of a branding attempt for said "East End." It looked and felt really contrived. But again, it's like they're trying to "vibe" with something that they were lacking growing up outside of Santa Ana.
@@AvalosGallegos well personally, i havent observed anyone that I know in Irvine go to "DTSA" for fun. You could be right but I dont see it. However, everything does close super early in Irvine so maybe that is why you see Irvine residents go to Santa Ana on weeknights and etc.
@@davidzhang3762 UCI, CSUF students, young adults from neighboring Little Saigon, etc. This going back over 10 years. Now we're seeing young families of varying ethnicities walking up and down 4th street and the area. I don't know exactly what dangers people are alleging, but I don't see mugging, pushers. I'm not sure what outsiders are expecting to see. What is dangerous in every last corner of the planet is being inebriated and causing a ruckus and brawls. We have had our share of outsiders coming to start a mess of things though. I'm not going to describe what I've seen non-locals come and do here, so I'll leave it at that.
The LA Metro Blue Line opened in 1990. Later that year, sales taxes were increased when voters supported Measure M. Measure M was supposed to build a metro system that would serve the county and connect it with the LA Metro. And then NIMBYism killed it. OC Center Line was a consolation prize that dwindled and died. This street car is not what was originally invisioned for mass transit in Orange County.
@@Cyrus992 The video is saying that the OC congressional delegation killed any federal funding for OC light rail. The incoming government is led by the same party who thinks spending tax money on mass transit is a "waste", and the other party is interested but isn't keen on spending (more) money on California...
@@MMuraseofSandvich The other party often does rail projects with costs exceeding expectations (several times more than other developed countries) and opening times delayed.
The Blue Line is the deadliest above ground rail system in the US. I’ve seen several of these tragedies. Now crime is so bad that I stopped using the Blue Line to get into downtown Los Angeles.
The OC Streetcar is especially noteworthy because it has a key segment between downtown Santa Ana and the Metrolink/Amtrak station, but has a lot of TOD potential too.
@@fourth_place - Personally, I expect to be making regular visits to downtown Santa Ana. Without the streetcar, it isn't an attractive destination, but now it will be fun to explore downtown after a train ride from Oceanside, my home.
It’s the worst thing to happen to Orange County ever it’s such a big waste of money there’s tons of buses. The Amtrak station is a five minute bus ride maybe 15 if you’re going to Tustin it’s totally waste of money. They’ve wrecked the historic streets. It’s taken them pretty much 510 years now I work down the main road that they did this on and Most of the businesses that had the construction went out of business that were there for 50+ years the street car ruined a lot of people and businesses and lives and taking our money that could’ve gone to veterans or sick American people who need help financially it’s just a big waste. It’s stupid.
@@Leafylovercompletely agree. Santa Ana’s trolley goes nowhere. It shares the road thru tiny streets. Train, cars, and bicycle lanes is so lame. Plus who wants to go to DTSA it’s so ghetto. All the uncontrolled homeless people.
@ Fourth Place, great video! I appreciate your positive views on gentrification, and I understand your perspective. However, it’s important to consider that while new investments and businesses can be beneficial, they should not lead to the closure of established local businesses or force community members out of their homes due to rising property values largely driven by gentrification. Investment is valuable, but it should aim to support and uplift the existing community rather than displace residents and create a clean slate.
Just FYI, the "estimated" cost to build this out is $100 million per lineal mile, and the estimated cost is always intentionally lowballed. And once built the maintenance costs will be substantially higher than the cost to run bus lines, which will result in substantial net reduction in transportation options for the people who need them most.
As usual, this depends on ridership. One set of streetcars can hold five or ten times as many people as a standard bus. So if ridership is high, operation costs can be equal or less, potentially much less, on a per rider basis. Likewise, if ridership is low, costs per rider will be high. Personally, I don't like streetcar or light rail systems with significant mixed traffic sections such as this one, as they are as slow as regular buses but have significant start up construction costs. Hopefully the western section is quick, although there's not much there to drive ridership other than connections with various OCTA buses.
The video & your description is excellent. I'm just mad at how pathetic the streetcar line is. Imagine the thrill of traveling from Santa Ana to Garden Grove. Wow! It's what... less than four miles? What a joke. Again, your video is excellent. I'm just astonished at OC politics that limits public transportation & is perpetually frightened by the poor.
Yes, and it's even worse that a relatively short streetcar doesn't have a dedicated ROW. This fact alone, will negatively impact its efficiency and usefulness. I support public transit infrastructure, but I'm not optimistic about the success of this line if it's constantly going to be stuck in traffic with other vehicles? What happens if a vehicle simply breaks down on the track? Usually, streetcars are more useful when they operate in a closed loop design as a way to support FLM connections to higher capacity rail infrastructure. They are not a good solution for longer distances.
@TheUpHillMachine If designed well, these systems are more efficient and cost less to operate than busses. However, not having a dedicated ROW is a mistake. Hopefully, they will correct that in the future.
@@fourth_place I think you have some unnecessary and racially biased comments about your perception of safety in Santa Ana. As an LA native and living out here for the last few years. SA is very welcoming of outsiders and "urbanism", meanwhile the rest of OC wants to retain it's homogenous affluent "rural" identity. I agree the vacant businesses need to be uplifted, but I don't think cheering gentrification and displacement of Hispanic communities is a stance an ethical urbanist should take. If you want to see more "urbanism" take hold in OC, it's "flighty" communities need to confront the fact they will encounter more "urban" demographics. I'd like for you and I share a ride on the tram line when it opens up and introduce you to my neighborhood if you'd like to take me up on the offer.
A very exciting prospect. I'm aware of many defunct rail corridors throughout the county and I've always wanted to see modern light rail going through them.
Indeed, that's what LA Metro has been doing in LA County since 1990 when the Blue line opened using a significant section of the old Red Car ROW between DTLA and Long Beach.
Sounds like you like history. So, for LA County there are a couple of bridges that I thought of off the top of my head which are still used: Mr. Bradbury’s Bridge, Duarte (walk bridge over Pacific Electric, 1908) Puente Largo Bridge, Duarte(rail bridge converted to walk bridge, Pacific Electric, 1907) Santa Fe’s Arroyo Seco Bridge, Los Angeles-Highland Park (rail bridge still used by Gold Line, Santa Fe Railroad, 1896) So the first two you can walk over and the last one you can view from a park and other places. Never heard of you before, excellent video, thank you!!!
America is so behind. Look at Japan and South Korea as they have great rail system throughout their country to reduce commute time for people. They need to hire engineers from those countries to help them figure out an effective system in California
The OC streetcar construction killed a lot of these businesses. Next was the owners of most of these buildings who exponentially increased the monthly rent on the businesses.
I live in Santa Ana, and man, I know that you're probably right that like its dangerous, and I'm probably desensitized but like, seeing my city in those views while saying how dangerous it is is a little comical to me. LETS GO STREETCAR 2025 WOOOOO
They need to redeck that old streetcar bridge a part of a mixed use trail. Many of the rail corridors have room to combine rail and bike routes together.
It's not a simple as that. It's an entirely riveted steel structure (something that modern building codes in SoCal do not like) and it hasn't been maintained since the Red Car Line went out of business. Its highly susceptible to collapse from a major earthquake, and trying to retrofit it just so pedestrians can use it...isn't something local government wants to pay for.
It's disappointing that this streetcar won't have a dedicated ROW, but hopefully, OCTA will retrofit the ROW so it prevents other vehicles in the future. However, I will still be there on inauguration weekend. I hope they have free rides to promote it. If this is ready around August, it could be a very busy time for public transit infrastructure projects. LA Metro is set to open 3 projects around the same time. The LAX/Metro Transit Center Station, The A line extension to Pomona, and the opening of the D subway line extension to La Cienega. Very exciting stuff. Thanks.
As a Pacific Electric Red Car fan, I can say that I love what OC is doing. I wish that OC and LAC could connect their systems together to resemble at least a big chunk of former Red Car routes. If these routes are compatible with the original Red Cars track size that would be a plus for historic parades or events. Imagine having a Red Car going from LAC to OC for the first time in 80 or so years!
I beleive OC has missed out on a great opportunity on getting traffic from LA to OC with the coming LA Olympic games in 2028. The 405 and 5 will not handle the amount of traffic and rail could have great way of getting people into the heart of OC. great coverage!
I've said that the 405 expansion would have been better spent by building a commuter rail line like some bits of the 110, rather than adding 2 pointless toll lanes each way.
I have been occasionally checking updates on this project the last couple years along with the Southeast Gateway line. I cannot wait to use this one for fun when it opens! (I take metrolink into DTLA for work) I wish they would expand it further down the old right of way to one day meet up with the southeast gateway line though!
Great video, but I have a few notes! First off, the current western terminus at Harbor Blvd is situated there because OCTA needs to do more long-term studies for the future of the system. This current segment is a permanent backbone regardless of what future extensions will be made and when, but further work on where to go next will have to be done. There are currently a few main options though that are immediately apparent: 1) a northern extension along Harbor Blvd to Disneyland. This is actually the most likely extension to be funded and built first, as it would generate massive amounts of ridership and is one that OCTA has done at least some studies for. 2) SNA Airport. While the airport is much further south, extending the line to the terminals and surrounding area would massively boost ridership as well. The options to get directly to the airport, however, are a bit limited, as there are no direct rail links in place already, but I do see a likely viable route via an older freight right of way near Santa Ana station, before rejoining the street, navigating south to MacArthur Blvd and continuing along to the airport. If built this way, then it could ultimately be extended to UC Irvine, which would be another massive trip generator. 3) A northwest extension along the former Red Car ROW to LA County. While this may actually sound like a major, difficult to plan project that would rely upon LA's plans, LA Metro already has plans to bring the Southeast Gateway line to Cerritos, the county line, and further discussions with OCTA over a terminus station for the streetcar and a potential extension of the Metro LRT into OC are all things that would need to be researched first, however, before long-term plans, as there is a possibility for LA Metro to operate the entire dedicated corridor while the OC Streetcar meets it at Harbor Blvd and continues directly north to Disneyland. Further extensions from there more so depend on if further lines would be branches from the main spine that extend into new neighborhoods or if they'd be new lines cobbled together from regular roads and old rights of way. If there is, however, a second branch up to LA County instead of LA Metro just running trams into OC like I would honestly expect, then I would be more likely to expect another branch south, maybe to somewhere like South Coast Metro/where The Observatory & IKEA are located. Secondly, you'd touched on gentrification in a positive manner, and I would like to point out that gentrification itself isn't entirely negative, the negative effect that people associate with gentrification is displacement, which happens in spite of gentrification for many reasons. Cities, especially in California, need to do what they can to minimize displacement of its current normal, working class citizens whilst still building new, high quality homes for those who now have the money to move in while also giving the less fortunate residents access to new opportunities created by the incoming wealth and density. In other words, cities like Santa Ana or even the entire Orange County need to build lots and lots of new "luxury" housing but legislate that 30%+ must be affordable housing that is price restricted, and do what they can as well to promote social housing in other methods, like helping housing co-ops to secure loans to build new dense housing. If this is done properly, then regular, average people can continue to live within OC and thrive while new residents can move in from further away and live in beautiful new housing instead of buying up every single cottage and bungalow until the mid-century modern houses are all $3m and the 1930s shacks are all $1.5m (*cough* like The Bay *cough*) Finally, I heard you refer to mixed-use housing by the number of stories over street level retail (2 over 1s and 3 over 1s). This is incorrect and is a common misunderstanding of what the term Five-Over-One, the most common method of building new, dense mixed-use buildings, actually means. Five-over-one refers to the standardized codes for building materials, not the amount of floors, as five means wood, usually treated timber, and one means concrete. This gives the structure a much higher fire resistance from the ground up, and while ironically the wood itself is basically soaked in oil to be treated, it's actually very very fire resistant and these buildings actually very rarely burn down past construction. Mixed-use buildings can be made of any materials, though, and five-over-ones can be any height. The term you'd be looking for would be something more like "ground floor retail apartment buildings." Overall, you made a good video! Can't wait for the OC Streetcar to start up later this year!! Hopefully OCTA and the local governments will do enough to bring riders aboard and encourage new businesses and homes to spring up around the stops!!
Positive gentrification and all the safety talk and your take on the storefronts sound dog-whistly. I'm not saying that's what you're doing. But it's a little tone deaf.
CoVID and the Street Car development helped push out even more business over the years. It was more lively pre gentrification but recent years had seen local businesses forced to leave.
Good video! I'm 60 and have lived in the area my whole life. Currently, I'm in downtown Orange. DTSA has changed for the better in the last 10-15 years and you are right about mixed-use properties coexisting with great old architecture. Unfortunately, the light rail project is the "Cart before the horse" situation. The small line will not carry commuters as it is. It will be used by some shoppers as a novelty. If the city makes zoning changes to encourage growth, then more will come to live and work in Sanat Ana. However, many in the city (and council) see gentrification as racist displacement which hinders growth. I believe the next phase is, or was, to connect the rail to Disneyland but I also think your idea of south and the airport is great. I'm hopeful like you but I think it's a waste of money that will not work until the city allows more growth.
More growth is literally what the city has allowed for with all of the transit-oriented housing that has boomed around the streetcar stops. I think many don't see that its main users will be South OC residents who work in the Civic Center, and that one of its main purposes is to alleviate traffic on the 55 entering Santa Ana during work hours. I've seen detractors use the "it's only 4 miles long" argument, while ignoring that it intends to serve the many, many more miles of residents along South OC, who can hop on Metrolink then ride the streetcar to Civic Center. That's what I would do if I were in their shoes.
As someone who lives in “successful” vibrant urban cities in different parts of the world. And spends most my time in Downtown Santa Ana when I’m home. The downtown is doing fine - it’s perfect for the people it serves. It’s a slow progressive improvement. If anything the city needs to get rid of the bars and stop the cheap apartment complexes popping up with shitty marketing names. Santa Ana does not want to be art district of LA or east side Costa Mesa. Mind your own business. For example, let’s talk about how they got rid of the North Gate market off 4th street. A great fairly priced market that served a lot of the residents in the area. They tore it down to put new apartment complexes up. Apparently they will now put one under apartment complexes, but for the time being it is a big loss to the community. But interesting perspective on the light rail. I am cautiously optimistic about it.
@ cheaply made - not cheap rent. Santa Ana has made some nice apartments that are priced high. But there are too many of these greedy developers buying up property to flood the city with apartments made at the bare minimum and then charge the $3K
It sounded like you said the streetcars are made by Zeemens - but I think you meant Siemens? They look both modern and traditional the low design for safety. I enjoy riding Amtrak from OC (Sand Canyon aka Spectrum/Great Park) to LA for certain trips. The Anaheim center is great. These are really hubs and destinations so more routes would be great. Personally I LOVE Santa Ana it’s a very vibrant and welcoming community! There are many little tech and service companies around there, the historic Yost Theatre great little shops and restaurants. And the FREDA independent movie theater has an absolute CULT following of young and old classic movie lovers! I can see so many different types of riders! When I was a kid growing up in Long Beach my mom would complain about big oil and GM that pushed local governments to rip out the tracks because hey cars! I was stationed in Germany for almost 5 years and took so many local and long great trips without a car! I trust this will be a hit and support building out further, as well as building great communities!
They really need a few dozen of these around the county! Connecting the first one to a proposed route that is many years away is foolish. One closer to the SE GW area is probably more appropriate-this isn’t commuter or even light rail after all!
@@ttoperoYes, but his point is that it was designed wrong. It should have been a true LRT line with high floor cars and platform stations using a dedicated ROW so it would be compatible with the Southeast Gateway line. BTW, the Southeast Gateway line is scheduled to start construction by next year and be operational around 2032.
Since they both use different sections of the same ex-Red Car alignment, it is logical for them to eventually meet up if not combine into one system. However, neither system comes anywhere near the county line and there are no plans to build an expansion to do so by either LA Metro or OCTA. LA Metro has a list of planned projects until 2050 or so, and, since this isn't on the list, the earliest it could reasonably be built is some time after that. By then, the fact they use different rolling stock won't matter since it would be almost time to replace it anyways.
@Geotpf Yes, there are no immediate plans to extend the C line East, but LA Metro already approved the construction of the Southeast Gateway line that will end in Cerritos. I believe it will partially use the same ROW of the old Red Car. So it could connect to the Southeast Gateway line. BTW, the Southeast Gateway line will connect to the C line at the Norwalk station.
@ I’ll review this again for details. One thing to investigate is how non-commuter transit lines work at county borders. Beyond Metrolink, I don’t think we have transit lines that cross county borders. This is limiting for longer distances as most people don’t behave in political boundaries but in economic ones.
Garden grove resident here, ever since i was a small child i saw thr Pacific electric signs. The block i live on is split by the old line and it disapointed me seeing overflow lots for dealerships pop up and bike paths in the industrial district which no one uses. I had hoped that the land would be bough back but it does not appear to be the case. I think light rail to beach blvd would be great, but theres an rv lot or something built there last year as well as self storage and other businesses that have been there for decades at this point.
lmao at his gentrification comments. I low key wonder what he means by unsafe. It seems like he just means minor property crime and minorities being outside.
According to the most recent Orange County coroner's report, published in 2022, 35% of all homicides in the county occurred in Santa Ana alone. Only 9% of OC residents live in Santa Ana. Santa Ana has been a major distribution hub for various international drug cartels since the 70s, which naturally brings a unique set of safety risks to the residents and businesses there.
Glad that I'm not the only one wondering what the hell he is talking about? Is Santa Ana the crime hub of OC lol? Like obviously crime goes down when the average resident is richer (and not as desperate or in poverty)
By "unsafe" he means minorities living and roaming in downtown areas. The vast majority of "urbanists" are white, well-situated people who vacationed in Europe once and think that pushing all minorities into suburban high-rise buildings like over there is something desirable. Let’s be real.
✅Very cool, this was an excellent overview! So long overdue for our OC friends… I don’t know why these kind of projects have to take so painfully long to complete. Thanks for uploading!👍🏻
Its becoming a common thing how things are coming back after disappearing for decades on streetcar... people keep forgetting how nice it is to have good affordable commute. Less cars, less traffic, less burden to buy expensive vehicles... including those monster trucks... they should be banned tbh.
The city had to tear out many junkyards along Raitt and 5th Streets to make room for the street car. It was kind of known to locals as Junkyard Row. I bought a few parts and engines from there over the years. I went to a community meeting many years ago before they started building the street car and the civil engineer said the Harbor Blvd/Westminster Ave intersection was one of the busiest pedestrian intersections in the county, and there is a major bus line that goes up and down Harbor Blvd. This street car is still kind of a proof of concept for the county and is being used as an active prototype for the rest of the county's transportation systems. Your video showed my girlfriend's office prominently in one shot. I love seeing my home town in these kind of videos.
Western terminal at Los Cerritos Center and an eastern terminal at OC Great Park would be amazing for OCTA. OCTA can other lines cross the main line. ROW running parallel to Lambert can run from La Habra to 91 fwy it can be the North Hills Line. With stations Santa Grentrudes, 1st Ave, Beach, Euclid, Harbor, Puente, Brea, State College, Birch/Valencia, Valencia/Imperial, Rose, Bastanchury, Eureka, Lemon, Kellogg, Imperial/La Palma. Another OC Streetcar from Huntington Beach to UCI. From Beach and PCH to Adams to Fairview to Fair/DelMar/University Dr. to Irvine to Campus to Jamboree. With stations at Beach/Adams, Magnolia, Brookhurst, Placentia, Harbor, Orange Coast College, OC Fair, Newport Del Mar, Perez Park, Irvine/ Mesa, Bristol, John Wayne Airport and UCI.
With those 3 lines running West to East. OCTA can run North and South lines on BEACH from Whittier to PCH, HARBOR from Whittier to Newport. STATE COLLEGE/BRISTOL from Lambert to Jamboree, JAMBOREE from Irvine Regional to Fashion Island.
Great video, thank you for covering the OC Streetcar! I am super excited for when it opens too. While I believe the streetcar alignment will struggle with ridership when it opens, it does cross the county's busiest bus routes on Main, Bristol, Fairview, and Harbor. The long term goal was to have the streetcar connect to the Anaheim Resort and Fullerton but politics got in the way. While I disagree with your take on the current situation of the neighborhood/City being unsafe and Downtown Santa Ana not being prosperous or having low quality businesses (as a person who lives here) I do agree that the hope is to attract more mixed-use and new housing development into the neighborhood. Next time you're in town, shoot me an email and we can meet up and I can show you around and give you more background on all things transit and planning around here!
I live right next to the old right of way from the pacific electric line. Less than a 5 minute walk away. Drives me nuts that there hasn't been a train going through there in like a century. But this makes me hopeful that maybe one day we will see one go through there again. I'll have to drive down to Santa Ana when this opens just for the sake of checking this out. Pretty stupid that I have to drive to get on this train instead of just walking down the street, but I'll take what I can get at this point.
Especially at the commercial level. I've seen gentrification happen in LA communities like Echo Park, Silver Lake, and Highland Park. Many, many old school mom and pop businesses have been pushed out because leases have skyrocketed since many businesses don't actually own the buildings. And the building owners get more money from higher end businesses thst move in. Out with the 25 year old Mexican bakery and in with the vegan pastry patisserie.
Evictions are necessary if people cant pay the market rate rent they certainly cant afford to own. An owner should be able to evict if needed, that is part of property ownership. The real problem is comically high real estate prices in california being driven by lack of supply created by artificially inflated building costs due to regulations.
@hyperreal And who sets the market rate? The market? Who controls the market? Predatory practices by owners are not uncommon. History has proven that. Yes, supply can exacerbate the issue, but why would property owners hurry to build more supply if it leads to lower rents? What's the incentive? It is better to keep supply just tight enough to exploit the market in their favor. The free market is a fallacy con job dreamt up by the people with the money and influence, which are the minority. The free market is not free or fair.
@@mrxman581 your premise makes no sense, why would they squeeze the market when they could easily double or triple the amount of housing they can sell? Your entire argument is around the idea of “fairness” well who determines that? Surely not some lobbyist in washington. The basic idea of free markets is that they are free of coercion. You have been mislead. All other systems like our mixed economy with all of its market distortions are exactly why we have housing problems today.
Hi. I work at Orange County Civic Center and have an inside view of the OC Street Car project. 1. The project was barely green lit. One of the only reasons why it got built and the reason why it ends at Harbor Boulevard is because it was designed for Santa Ana residents to go from downtown Santa Ana to Harbor Boulevard to hop on a bus and go to the Disneyland Resort area for work. The street car project actually went over budget multiple times, and is estimated to now cost billions of dollars. They expect to recoup most of the costs with street car ticket sales but it might be decades before the costs are recouped or the project is possible. 2. The maker of this video mentioned the economic decay of Santa Ana with all the “for lease” signs in the area. The street car killed a lot of businesses in that area because they had to close road and sidewalk access numerous times during the street car development. Imagine being a business owner and not only do you have loss of foot traffic because of the pandemic, but you also have to deal with public street access to your store being cut. It would be tough to compete with that. Downtown Santa Ana also had a thriving Latino business district. Think of a “Chinatown” but for Latinos. A lot of those Latino/family businesses had to close and become the empty stores you see in the video. 3. The street car is expected to increase traffic exponentially. If you look at the video you can see a lot of the tracks cover one lane streets. That means cars and buses can’t move as quickly through streets and this might hurt public perception of the street car. 4. With all that being said, I am actually pro street car. While I live in Orange County, many of my co workers commute from the Inland Empire and it would be good for them to get off a metro link train and hop on a street car to get to work. Metrolink is also doing an environmental study to determine the feasibility of a metrolink from Santa Ana to Los Angeles. And if the street car is a success, it wouldn’t be that hard to extend the line all the way down Harbor Boulevard, past Disneyland, into Downtown Anaheim. My coworkers plan to go deeper into Garden Grove on our lunch breaks. 😅 Some great places in Downtown Santa Ana to visit. The Frida Cinema shows classic movies: Star Wars, Casablanca, The Matrix, etc. Hopper and Burr has great coffee Taqueria Bandito has great tacos. Benchmark has upscale dining.
My hope is that it’s as useful for residents & guests once they arrive as it is for commuters & people coming from out of the service area. I know it’s difficult (maybe even uninteresting) to make a video about how people will be able to use it within the service area itself as well as to connect with other places that require another transfer. I’ve flown out of SNA each time I visit LA in order to observe progress over the last few years-glad to see light at the end of the tunnel. Once I got off the MetroLink, it was a decent walk to Main St to get the bus within walking distance of the airport-assuming you are VERY adventurous and willing to go through spaces never intended for human occupancy! It will be nice to have a rail ride option when the weather isn’t nice, I’m not interested in walking with luggage, or whatever. I’m also curious how events that have closed 4th St to car traffic will impact or be impacted by the OCSC. Maybe your follow-up video could get a little more into the utility for locals as the core topic with some shorts showing the “fun” stuff this video was focused on.
Regarding gentrification--California law has something called "Right of first refusal." Tenants whose buildings are demolished to make way for higher density get to move back in to one of the new units with the same rent as before, no questions asked. The real issue is "displacement"--when landlords raise rents to keep up with the market, pricing out longtime lower-income residents. But displacement is actually driven by the lack of housing construction, because higher income folks will always outbid lower income folks for existing, older housing. New apartment complexes absorb the influx of yuppies, keeping rent lower in older apartments.
This vid answers a couple questions I've had. I'd seen the bridge over the SART and wondered what the plan was. Second, I was recently on 4th St. in downtown SA. I saw the new looking rail track in the street and wondered what it was for. Thanks for the vid.
The Harbor Transit Center is also the point where one can catch OCTA 43 on Harbor Blvd., which runs every 20 minutes from Fullerton to Costa Mesa, and OCTA 60, which reaches as far west as CSU-Long Beach. One hopes that OCTA will improve service on both routes once the Streetcar is feeding them passengers. A Rapid bus to the LA Metro Line A or C would be even better.
That would be very optimistic for this area. The fact that MetroLink connects areas between DTLA and Orange County is a big accomplishment for the fear-based decision makers. Just making good connections between the two county transit systems would be a great service!
@@ttopero - True, but at present, one can travel from Santa Ana to Long Beach by Metrolink and Metro Rail via DTLA about as fast as one can go by bus. The ride is a solid hour across just this small part of the OC. It's like taking the bus from the Norwalk Metrolink station to the Norwalk/I-105 Line C station.
@@pacificostudios As logical and rational as this would be, politics and bureaucracy tower over and crush it as if it were an annoying mosquito! It takes me 4 hours to go from San Pedro to SNA, even with the J line and MetroLink for the LA portions, so I would love something E-W to connect Torrance Beach to Orange or North Tustin in a single rail ride. The PCH for the west half would be a great improvement for the corridor😉
I love downtown Santa Ana. I used to work at the civic center. Bowers Museum, the Arts District and lots of great restaurants. French Park is beautiful. Lots of parrots hang around there.
This guy has a unique view of Santa Ana. Lived here for 8 plus years and have not felt unsafe at night. Of course if SA didn’t take care of all of OCs homeless population then it would be cleaner and “safer”. Let’s keep it unsafe so it keeps it cheap for people who enjoy living there. Also keep people like this guy out of the city since he’s so scared to live there. 😂 Stick to the facts of the rail buddy.
Being from Santa Ana, i can tell you 3 things for sure: 1. Locals will probably not use it a lot 2. Itll be annoying to be in downtown now 3. It definitely is going to affect our city, and people are worried this will make shit more gentrified
Wondering how to pronounce Raitt Street? It was named for the family that singer Bonnie Raitt came from here in OC. Her father John Raitt was a Broadway Star in the 1940s. I was partly raised in Santa Ana and once had the opportunity to sit next to John Raitt in the church choir I was a part of long ago. I can only hope that the OC Streetcar eventually expands in both directions to reclaim a bit of the old Pacific Electric right of way that once was the faster way from Santa Ana to LA before Disneyland and the freeway were built. The original Santa Ana Freeway was incomplete in 1956 when my family moved to northeast Santa Ana where it became a two lane highway once again a few blocks into Tustin. There were two lane highway gaps in that freeway all the way to LA's four level Stack, that did not get filled in until many years later but I would not know that watching the Disneyland promotions Walt was putting on national TV. Walt loved trains, so I believe his choice of Anaheim along side that Pacific Electric Santa Ana route right of way that only ended a few years prior to our arrival was influenced by that fact.
Cali, especially OC has mostly great weather all year round, so using weather as an excuse for not building light rail is just dumb. I would love to see these tracks expand throughout of OC so that not only the locals can start driving less, it can also increase businesses in the area. Loves mom and pop shops around here.
Streetcars sharing narrow streets with automobiles doesn't sound like a good idea. Either the rail lane will cause more traffic by reducing lanes for cars (exasperated by bike lanes and street parking), or it will be shared by cars which will make the streetcars stuck in traffic.
A simple solution would be to make them one way streets. But also, with good traffic light preemption it's possible to keep a through way clear of traffic, and just have the traffic lights have any "excess" traffic back up on the side streets rather than clog up the shared part. Obviously dedicated right of way for each mode is the better, but you have to use what you have. The street cars will for sure not take up more space than for example buses, and even like 5-10 people on a street car will be a more efficient use than cars with about one person traveling on board. (Yes, sometimes people ride share, but on the other hand a taxi/uber with no passenger on board is a car driving with zero passengers on board).
Great video! Did I miss something, or are they planning on single track running in mixed traffic at one end of the line? Recipe for disaster. Also judging by your video it seems like there aren't switches to allow street cars to turn around the downtown loop. Even though the vehicles are bidirectional it seems like a good idea to have switches making it possible to avoid ether end outside the loop if there are any disruptions. Especially the short end next to the loop seems like a prime candidate to be able to bypass if needed.
The C (green) line is operated by LA Metro in LA County. OCTA is responsible for transit in Orange County. Both agencies would have to create a new temporary agency to build something that serves to different counties. But it's a good idea others have proposed.
I'm an Irvine resident who's _deeply_ skeptical of the OC Streetcar. Another short, slow, street-running, nearly useless streetcar that goes from basically nowhere to really nowhere. Like streetcars in Kansas City, Oklahoma City, Memphis and elsewhere, it's a little trophy that Orange County can hold up to say "see? We have urban rail tooooo!" rather than actually building a full and useful service. People want something that they believe is a viable option to get to where they need to go, and this ain't it. What would people even use this streetcar for? Other than getting from the Santa Ana train station to downtown Santa Ana more comfortably (I actually had to run that distance once and it was not pleasant), I can't imagine what I would do with this thing. If anything, like the other streetcars I mentioned, it strikes me more as a novelty item. Like a little thing that people who have never seen a streetcar before can sit in and go "ooh this is kinda cool", and then get off of it and go back to their cars. I'll be sure to check it out myself when it opens, but I'm not gonna treat it as anything more than a curiosity that maybe saves me a walk from the Santa Ana station. And no, I'm not one of those who will argue that some rail is better than no rail. A useless first phase of a rail network will turn people off to the idea of urban rail in general, and will end up being free ammunition to rail opponents looking to kill any future expansion. A full rail network running across all of OC is ultimately what's needed, and the first phase of any full rail network should always be the no duh, obvious route. In the case of OC, that's a line that connects John Wayne Airport to Disneyland. I don't care if it's only out-of-town tourists riding it. This is the first impression of urban rail that most residents will get and it needs to pass with flying colors. What the OC Streetcar actually is is a miserable first impression of a line that runs slowly in traffic for a bit between Santa Ana and some intersection in Garden Grove that I don't even remember anymore. And that's a terrible first impression that will kill any enthusiasm for future expansion and improvement. Good luck, OC.
What you said is exactly what i have been saying for a while now. Like you, my fear is that this street car will fail leading to a major turn off to building more light rail in Orange County. It is already opening much later than anticipated and I have heard it went over budget as well. That's not to mention the businesses that suffered greatly while it was being built hence , probably why there are so many vacant suites . And yes, a John Wayne Airport to Disneyland would have been a great start (aside from the original plan this video talks about). Then connect that to ARCTIC (which is a ghost town) which can connect to Disneyland area as well, while going through the downtown Anaheim area.
I've actually seen that, if the OC Streetcar is successful, there may be long-term plans to add extensions to John Wayne Airport, Disneyland, and Anaheim's Platinum Triangle. The extension to Disneyland would figure to be the easiest of those to build, consindering they'd simply have to just go up Harbor Blvd. to reach Disneyland, where there's a public transportation hub and a bus stop that serves several OCTA lines and LA Metro's 460 to downtown LA at the entrance to Disneyland.
Dang it. It wasn't just Cerritos that blocked re-using that line for public transit, but also Garden Grove and Stanton, maybe. At least judging by what's on the right of way right now. The LA Metro 'Southeast Gateway Line', formerly the West Branch Santa Ana Corridor Line, is planned to stop at Pioneer Blvd and South St in Artesia, because Cerritos said no to a stop at Norwalk and 195th. I'm in Cypress. We've kept that corridor clear and open for re-use for decades, but we're surrounded by cities who haven't. Could you imagine a line that went from Union Station to Santa Ana? Of course it couldn't be the same line, but it could be two stations with two lines on the county line at Del Amo Blvd and Coyote Creek (Bloomfield Ave/Cerritos Sports Complex on the West and Denni Street Park on the East). It looks like Garden Grove and Stanton mostly have parking lots and a bike path on the corridor, so it wouldn't involve buying up single family homes, at least. The start of those parking lots is what's on the West side of Harbor Blvd, though. Cerritos has left the corridor undeveloped, but I hear their city council has been firmly against public transit for decades. I just want to walk to a tram line to catch my Pacific Surfliner trains... I do worry that our car centric culture in Orange County has convinced us that we should all be able to walk 5 minutes from anywhere in the city to catch a train. Even in the most transport developed cities I've lived in, there are always times when you have to walk a half hour to catch a train.
There may be improper use of the Pacific Electric Right of Way. Cities don't own that land with the track on it. OCTA does. And LA Metro owns it on their side. Santa Ana, I assume, or the city in tandem with OCTA did have to clear some trucks using the PE ROW for parking. It looks like there's similar misuse along the PE ROW up to the county line.
Taking the bus is great just as long as the seat isn't covered in piss and a crazy person isn't yelling at the window.. I'm assuming the rail cars will have the same type of experience.
Interesting. I grew up in Orange County before I moved to the East Coast city life on my own. I never got into car ownership and I dislike visiting OC because of the car dependency. I would never move back, but I think this could help a lot of people there, even being small and limited. A start?
Do you think OCTA *will* extend it NW, past Harbor? I’ve been eyeing the satellite map myself for some time, and gaze at the empty lot across from the terminus as I drive past. Garden Grove has a plan to turn that old line into an elongated park further up toward Euclid Street, so I wonder if it could coexist with rails running along it 🤔
It's supposed to connect to the county line at Artesia. It's up to GG, Stanton and Cypress though. I'm not sure if there's a power that can override them though.
The large gas station adjacent to the Harbor Transit center is an obvious candidate for multi-story mixed-use development. It's practically screaming to be done.
This is definitely cool for Orange County but still completely underwhelming. We need light rail to and from DTLA - not the $10.00/runs twice a day surf liner. Will we ever get it I wonder?
Went on the maps and based on what I see, the original Street Car route goes to the 710/105 merger. If it went any further, I couldn't see it beyond that (based on current development). As for future stops, I can see the street cars turn onto and off of Harbor Blvd. Passing Disneyland as well as go to Downtown Fullerton and terminating at La Habra. While I won't benefit from the project based on my location in the OC, I am happy that it will benefit others and add eye candy to the area. If Irvine is a consideration, the Irvine Spectrum could be a stop as well. Don't know how you would route it to John Wayne. Only way I see is to have it parallel the 55.
Hopefully they will see that building many of these around the county is a great idea and you’ll get one in your area! That’s the reason we support things we won’t benefit from directly😉
LA Metro already approved the Southeast Gateway line that will use this old ROW from the LA County side and end in Cerritos. It will connect with the C line at the Norwalk station near the 105. And it will start at the Slauson station on the A line. The second phase would go from the Slauson station to Union Station via another route from the A line.
I read somewhere that they'd consider expanding it east on 4th Street, up through Irvine Blvd, which it eventually becomes. Former mayor Pulido tried to sell the idea of it connecting to Disneyland via Harbor Blvd. All the while, the main purpose of reusing the PE ROW was to connect to Los Angeles. LA Metro was a major if not the main proponent of reusing the West Santa Ana Branch, which they recently rebranded to Gate Cities line or something like that. The problem is that the political will to connect to LA is lacking in parts of OC, particularly in Stanton, and it's unknown what the willingness to build is in Garden Grove and Cypress. Seeing how long it took Santa Ana to build is not exactly inspiring, although the city has benefitted from a transit-oriented housing boom. There was also a planned stop at Willowick, which is on the edge of Santa Ana and Garden Grove, but both cities have failed to determine what to do with that land. Garden Grove owns it though it's in Santa Ana proper. Lastly, around the time that the CenterLine was proposed in the 90s, there was another study / proposal by OCTA to have an elevated light rail along Main Street in Santa Ana, connecting to the SNA airport. That would've connected to "The Block" in Orange as it used to be called, along The City Drive and up State College towards the stadium and Cal State Fullerton. Everything went nowhere thanks to Costa Mesa and other city and county politicos, which have traditionally and stubbornly leaned conservative. My guess is that these main attractions in Orange County like CSUF, Angel Stadium, Disneyland and the airport will one day be connected via light rail. I just hope to be alive to see it.
I live in Santa Ana and I’ve pretty much seen it progress. What sucked is that a few businesses had to close because the tracks were being built in front of their front doors. Not only that, but the started right at the start of Covid so that was even worse. Hence, the Streetcar was the reason there are so many empty buildings. When i was a kid, it was so full of life. Food carts with Churros and more. The City was happy to kick out the small businesses to gentrify the area, but the new people coming in were not interested in moving in.
One can imagine a future where OC, LA, SF, and SD form a megapolis connected by high speed rail with a mix of light and heavy rail for local transportation.
An urbanism UA-camr talking about my area?! Crazy
And he wishes for urbanism to trend for many years to come, in OC. I don’t agree.
It’s insane that LAX and SNA get edged by light rail that never actually reaches it.
truly
no one in orange county is going to be taking luggage on light rail to get to the airport. This is a pie in the sky dream that is impractical
@@joeyscleaninglady2877 Seems like it would be great if I'm doing a short flight to the Bay Area or Vegas, just a backpack or a small luggage
@joeyscleaninglady2877 for a streetcar, yes. For a proper rail system, no. Taken Bart to sfo endless times and it was the fastest option each time.
One of the reasons for all the empty storefronts is because of the street car construction affiliated with is project. Many went out of business with all the delays and the customers stayed out of the area.
To be fair, Covid had a lot to do with this.
that and they kicked out most the little mom n pop shops that were there for decades
And don't forget the greedy landlords that jacked up the rents in anticipation of the streetcar
Yes, it’s so sad all the businesses I have been there for 10 2030 4050 even 60 years. Had to shut down because of the construction that was going on for the last 5 to 10 years tore up the street cars cannot get through. It’s so sad it’s disgusting. Gentrification is radical and disgusting
@@triggered-u8d it did not this construction was going on before Covid construction’s been going on for 5 to 10 years. I work off the main street. It’s a disgusting project. It was disgusting to witness. All of this people are monsters and who thinks this is a good idea is very dumb very manipulated in a fool there’s train stations in Santa Ana Tustin Orange all of the surrounding cities, which are all 10 minutes driving from each other there’s buses on every single busy street that goes to the train stations. This is just unnecessary bullshit.
If the existing residents dont get priced out of the neighborhood, its not gentrification as far as I know.
Improving amenities isnt gentrification
Displacement doesn’t have to be just financial. Getting evicted due to ownership change, condo conversion or redevelopment is very much part of gentrification. Eminent domain can also be part of gentrification. It’s very much about the change being for the people who are of a different socioeconomic class from the existing residency. Whether it’s financial, change of use or other, if the people who are there can’t stay, I’d consider it gentrification.
@@ttopero Sure, but I don't see any of those happening here either. So what would make this gentrification?
Improving amenities for the community that lives there is a good thing. Attempting to displace people of color with wealthier white people (i.e. gentrification - what this content creator is supporting) is NOT.
@@yiannisd8286I completely agree. Isn't Santa Ana mostly Latino? So this content creator is implying to get rid of low/middle income Latinos for higher income whites before he feels comfortable spending time in Santa Ana? I'm not personally familiar with Santa Ana so I'm genuinely curious about his implications about the current Santa Ana situation.
@@yiannisd8286i live across the street where they are building it, will say the downtown area is changing a lot, they built an apartment complex but that rent😢
"Santa Ana has a violent crime rate of 48 out of 100. To put this in perspective, California's violent crime rate in 2023 is 56/100, while the US average violent crime rate for that year is 57/100. This indicates the city has average crime levels."
this should be viewed in the context of decades of declining crime and specifically violent crime around the United Staes.
What indicators are you using to suggest it "feels" unsafe?
Neighboring Irvine is the safest city in the country so for someone growing up in OC, Santa Ana is the "unsafe area" even if outside of OC its considered relatively safe
Please keep all of those cities away from Irvine, Santa Ana, Anaheim and Fullerton, they are just bad news.
Santa Ana has the highest crime average in OC.
@@lcfflc3887you have nothing to worry about. The cities can not move
You’re believing the lying mainstream media. Crime is up across the nation. Fact is many cities in California haven’t even reported their crime stats to the federal government. Not to forget democrats have lowered the penalties on crime to make it look like crime is down. Turning felonies into misdemeanors is not crime going down.
Never heard anyone call it downtown Orange County
This was a super dumb branding move by Santa Ana.
I've lived in OC for over 30 years and this is the first time I've ever heard of it. Okay, sure, Santa Ana, you're the county seat, now stop rubbing our faces in it when other cities have you beat in the "downtown" department.
@@MMuraseofSandvich There is no downtown equivalent to Santa Ana anywhere in Orange County. Santa Ana is as historic as LA, Long Beach and Pasadena. Anaheim demolished their historic downtown. Downtown Orange is nice, Fullerton is okay but not to the scale of Santa Ana, which okay because they're not the county seats. They're not supposed to be as large. And now that DTSA has the streetcar, well, it just reiterates its importance in the LA region, dating back to the time when the red cars ran through Santa Ana and LA.
Yeah everyone calls it down town Santa Ana or La cuatro
Santa Ana is the county seat, nothing more.
I think your take on gentrification is misguided. For one, usually gentrifiers who benefit from "new businesses and investment" are the exact types of nimbies with no community spirit who are the ones who block transit in the future. They don't tend to have solidarity and public welfare as values, and they abandon the area as soon as they can find a boom to exploit elsewhere. Look at SF to see how this played out. Also, it's so typical for infrastructure to get built in a way where gentrification forces out the people who were there, so completely new people can use it. I saw this happen in Berlin Germany, bike lanes were only built in a neighbourhood once the demographics flipped from Kurdish/Turkish/Arab to mostly white. So great, there is investment, there is infrastructure, but displacement means that inequality of access still exists. This is a pretty consistent pattern of gentrification.
It Increases crime so eventually businesses move out.
That's a very skewed outlook. The unholy alliance of extreme preservationism and pervasive fear of gentrification that control the SF city council is the reason for its absurd unaffordability. The rich want their Victorian aesthetic 'character of the neighbourhood' and the poor want their old stores, familiar demographics, and grandfathered rents. The bulk of the voting public (who tend to be older and have housing security either through outright ownership or rent control) actually doesn't care as much that the city is unaffordable. When a new building of any notable size is proposed, you see it play out well with the wealthy lobbying at official zoning meetings and the poor protesting on the streets. California has constrained the housing supply for three generations now, people are leaving by hundreds of thousands per year to the hellscapes of Arizona and Texas because there they can afford a stable roof over their heads. This isn't the most elegant solution, but overall allowing for more development is a good decision, especially in Orange County which is largely allergic to any housing without a front lawn. Also, since when are Germans not the people who live in Berlin?
@ I said white vs Turkish/kurdish/arab, they may all be German, that I’m talking about ethnic background
So you hate gentrification when it brings in money.
I feel sad for you.
@ nah I hate gentrification when it causes displacement. Everyone wants to twist my words but they can’t 😂
Anaheim-er here, my mom used to work for OCTA for about 23 or 25 years and she retired about a few years ago, I never knew this existed, this would be SUPER awesome.
This is a huge win for Orange County.
It's an area with so much potential.
It’s a lose a big lose and did you have to sit through traffic for the last 10 years because of all the construction did you lose your business because the construction tore up the whole entire street and cars couldn’t get to the businesses where you left hungry starving and unable to pay rent due to this construction all the money going to this no you weren’t. It’s a big lose.
@@Leafylover You know how many houses and businesses were demolished to build the freeway? Do you think we shouldn't have built the freeway?
It won’t happen….Newport doesn’t need the riff raff😏🇺🇸
I think the reason for all the for lease signs is that building this lightrail system really affected the businesses along the routes, all the construction drove away business revenue for the business owners.
Covid had more of an effect
@@ciello___8307no. It was mostly this project. I know several former business owners and a few current ones down there off of 4th st. The biggest impact was when the property owners started increasing rents in anticipation of this damned project.
agreed, I'm an HB/Westminster dude with little reason to venture into Santa Ana other than the old Carvin Guitar shop on Main, and a few old school tool and wood suppliers. But that down town area was such a mess for so long I just stopped going anywhere near. So much so, we've all been stuck on I-5 and looked for an exit, except any of the Santa Ana exits! Sadly, this might end up like that "Bridge to Nowhere" and become another mobile homeless shelter like the Metro Rail C line.
The buildings that were shown are also condemned or something !
the problem with gentrification surrounds -who- receives the benefits of redevelopment. without securing more affordable housing units, a gentrified area’s increased property values can displace current residents who cannot afford to move or live within the changed neighborhood.
Agenda 2030
It only benefits those who make less money or those who don't even want to work.
The average rent in SA is $2800. That’s Los Angeles rates.
@@bngr_bngr no shht and San Diego too
Rail service from John Wayne to Disneyland would be amazing
I frequently travel on Amtrak, Metrolink, and the Orange County buses. Coming in from 1st and Main Street, I walk along the Orange County Streetcar route to the Santa Ana Train Station. I have enjoyed the walk for over two years because the area was safe. Great restaurants, shops, and outdoor markets are struggling, but everyone, including families, has FUN there. The city builders (generally speaking) took their daYum time working on the rails with fencing all over the place! Come on, ease up! The corner lot in front of the Santa Ana Train Station was an eyesore. And yet, they still have excuses for not completing it sooner. The Santa Ana Train Station just got "renewed" with fresh colors and gorgeous improvements! YEAH! By the way, I will be among the first to enjoy the ride! YEAH!
i love downtown santa ana but it's really only bc i'm latino and it's very latino-centric. as it stands now, i think it'd be kinda boring for anyone else who isn't comfortable with that
Yeah, excuse us white, black and Asian people, we'll just avoid your no go zones.
Yeah I live in the area and see no issue with what he is describing. I’m also Latino as well. You can tell why he might have an issue with the area…
Yeah, some cultures don’t support diversity as much as others
Downtown Santa Ana is nothing but tech people and trust fund kids. It is not Santa Ana and in this city there is much derision against those who dwell there. They are not from here.
@@socaljarhead7670I get it but I’m from SA too and I go to downtown to have fun and meet friends for drinks. I don’t think it’s that serious, and personally wouldn’t classify myself as a “tech bro”
Extremely odd takes on gentrification, and about the "usefulness" of the streetcar line running through a densely developed business corridor. This is the kind of stuff that makes me think that a decent amount of these "urban revivalist" channels are just champagne socialists/neoconservatives in disguise. Do you think that these rail systems are supposed to be only for bougie (aka, predominately white) people to ride? Santa Ana is "dangerous" (dog-whistle for 'too many minorities')?? You're gushing about French Park like its supposed to be reserved for the richest people in O.C. because of the "history". Of course...
As others have said, "positive gentrification" only can exist if the community can benefit from it. Forcing out a sect of the population in order for rich people to have more $1 mil+ homes/$3k+ per month apartments, and whitewashing the area doesn't contribute anything positive. You aren't fooling any of us minorities that are educated.
I had a similar observation about the emphasis on French Park. There's the Lacy area before French Park and that's served more immediately than French Park. It serves Lacy and the newer housing on 4th street and SNA Blvd more so than French Park. All that said, yes, housing is prohibitively expensive. Even in Santa Ana, like in the rest of SoCal.
Santa Ana is dangerous tho? Compared to the rest of OC. Having the safest city next to a city with average US crime rate really makes SA stand out more as being dangerous. Don’t you think?
@@davidzhang3762 Why are Irvinites flocking into "DTSA" on weekends, weeknights, at all hours really then? The Chase heir, whose family owns a bunch of commercial real estate in the downtown, grew up in Irvine and made it his mission to rebrand "Fiesta Marketplace" to the "East End," all while embracing this urban, street, graffiti vibe to decorate said "East End," with that vibe so common in "the safest city in America." Why? It's one thing to become steward of a family's commercial real estate, it's another to try to adopt those characteristics that Santa Ana is and was known for as part of a branding attempt for said "East End." It looked and felt really contrived. But again, it's like they're trying to "vibe" with something that they were lacking growing up outside of Santa Ana.
@@AvalosGallegos well personally, i havent observed anyone that I know in Irvine go to "DTSA" for fun. You could be right but I dont see it. However, everything does close super early in Irvine so maybe that is why you see Irvine residents go to Santa Ana on weeknights and etc.
@@davidzhang3762 UCI, CSUF students, young adults from neighboring Little Saigon, etc. This going back over 10 years. Now we're seeing young families of varying ethnicities walking up and down 4th street and the area. I don't know exactly what dangers people are alleging, but I don't see mugging, pushers. I'm not sure what outsiders are expecting to see. What is dangerous in every last corner of the planet is being inebriated and causing a ruckus and brawls. We have had our share of outsiders coming to start a mess of things though. I'm not going to describe what I've seen non-locals come and do here, so I'll leave it at that.
finally, a channel covering my area. Informative, relating, and smooth yet simple edits. yup, instant sub. Thank you!
The LA Metro Blue Line opened in 1990. Later that year, sales taxes were increased when voters supported Measure M. Measure M was supposed to build a metro system that would serve the county and connect it with the LA Metro. And then NIMBYism killed it. OC Center Line was a consolation prize that dwindled and died. This street car is not what was originally invisioned for mass transit in Orange County.
We truly need to fight this NIMBY efforts coming ahead
@@Cyrus992 The video is saying that the OC congressional delegation killed any federal funding for OC light rail. The incoming government is led by the same party who thinks spending tax money on mass transit is a "waste", and the other party is interested but isn't keen on spending (more) money on California...
@@MMuraseofSandvich The other party often does rail projects with costs exceeding expectations (several times more than other developed countries) and opening times delayed.
The Blue Line is the deadliest above ground rail system in the US. I’ve seen several of these tragedies. Now crime is so bad that I stopped using the Blue Line to get into downtown Los Angeles.
@ yup
The OC Streetcar is especially noteworthy because it has a key segment between downtown Santa Ana and the Metrolink/Amtrak station, but has a lot of TOD potential too.
100%
@@fourth_place - Personally, I expect to be making regular visits to downtown Santa Ana. Without the streetcar, it isn't an attractive destination, but now it will be fun to explore downtown after a train ride from Oceanside, my home.
It’s the worst thing to happen to Orange County ever it’s such a big waste of money there’s tons of buses. The Amtrak station is a five minute bus ride maybe 15 if you’re going to Tustin it’s totally waste of money. They’ve wrecked the historic streets. It’s taken them pretty much 510 years now I work down the main road that they did this on and Most of the businesses that had the construction went out of business that were there for 50+ years the street car ruined a lot of people and businesses and lives and taking our money that could’ve gone to veterans or sick American people who need help financially it’s just a big waste. It’s stupid.
@@pacificostudiosbut come on the bus take you directly to the station already!!!!!!!!
@@Leafylovercompletely agree. Santa Ana’s trolley goes nowhere. It shares the road thru tiny streets. Train, cars, and bicycle lanes is so lame. Plus who wants to go to DTSA it’s so ghetto. All the uncontrolled homeless people.
@ Fourth Place, great video!
I appreciate your positive views on gentrification, and I understand your perspective. However, it’s important to consider that while new investments and businesses can be beneficial, they should not lead to the closure of established local businesses or force community members out of their homes due to rising property values largely driven by gentrification. Investment is valuable, but it should aim to support and uplift the existing community rather than displace residents and create a clean slate.
100% agree
Very well said. The existing community needs to have a voice on how the gentrification will happen for them and not to them.
Just FYI, the "estimated" cost to build this out is $100 million per lineal mile, and the estimated cost is always intentionally lowballed. And once built the maintenance costs will be substantially higher than the cost to run bus lines, which will result in substantial net reduction in transportation options for the people who need them most.
As usual, this depends on ridership. One set of streetcars can hold five or ten times as many people as a standard bus. So if ridership is high, operation costs can be equal or less, potentially much less, on a per rider basis. Likewise, if ridership is low, costs per rider will be high.
Personally, I don't like streetcar or light rail systems with significant mixed traffic sections such as this one, as they are as slow as regular buses but have significant start up construction costs. Hopefully the western section is quick, although there's not much there to drive ridership other than connections with various OCTA buses.
The video & your description is excellent. I'm just mad at how pathetic the streetcar line is.
Imagine the thrill of traveling from Santa Ana to Garden Grove. Wow! It's what... less than four miles? What a joke. Again, your video is excellent. I'm just astonished at OC politics that limits public transportation & is perpetually frightened by the poor.
Oh, I totally agree!
Yes, and it's even worse that a relatively short streetcar doesn't have a dedicated ROW. This fact alone, will negatively impact its efficiency and usefulness.
I support public transit infrastructure, but I'm not optimistic about the success of this line if it's constantly going to be stuck in traffic with other vehicles? What happens if a vehicle simply breaks down on the track?
Usually, streetcars are more useful when they operate in a closed loop design as a way to support FLM connections to higher capacity rail infrastructure. They are not a good solution for longer distances.
Yeah. I don't think we need it. We already have busses
@TheUpHillMachine If designed well, these systems are more efficient and cost less to operate than busses. However, not having a dedicated ROW is a mistake. Hopefully, they will correct that in the future.
@@fourth_place I think you have some unnecessary and racially biased comments about your perception of safety in Santa Ana. As an LA native and living out here for the last few years. SA is very welcoming of outsiders and "urbanism", meanwhile the rest of OC wants to retain it's homogenous affluent "rural" identity. I agree the vacant businesses need to be uplifted, but I don't think cheering gentrification and displacement of Hispanic communities is a stance an ethical urbanist should take. If you want to see more "urbanism" take hold in OC, it's "flighty" communities need to confront the fact they will encounter more "urban" demographics. I'd like for you and I share a ride on the tram line when it opens up and introduce you to my neighborhood if you'd like to take me up on the offer.
Very nice! Great video again 👍
Loved the video! I can't wait to ride the Streetcar myself when it finally opens!
A very exciting prospect. I'm aware of many defunct rail corridors throughout the county and I've always wanted to see modern light rail going through them.
Indeed, that's what LA Metro has been doing in LA County since 1990 when the Blue line opened using a significant section of the old Red Car ROW between DTLA and Long Beach.
Sounds like you like history. So, for LA County there are a couple of bridges that I thought of off the top of my head which are still used:
Mr. Bradbury’s Bridge, Duarte (walk bridge over Pacific Electric, 1908)
Puente Largo Bridge, Duarte(rail bridge converted to walk bridge, Pacific Electric, 1907)
Santa Fe’s Arroyo Seco Bridge, Los Angeles-Highland Park (rail bridge still used by Gold Line, Santa Fe Railroad, 1896)
So the first two you can walk over and the last one you can view from a park and other places.
Never heard of you before, excellent video, thank you!!!
Born and raised in Santa Ana I’m excited they have been putting money into it for the past 2 decades .
kind of cool to see you going through my area! I hope they do continue to build like you said it'll make orange county much better
America is so behind. Look at Japan and South Korea as they have great rail system throughout their country to reduce commute time for people. They need to hire engineers from those countries to help them figure out an effective system in California
The OC streetcar construction killed a lot of these businesses. Next was the owners of most of these buildings who exponentially increased the monthly rent on the businesses.
It was the property owners that jacked up rents first. During the whole Downtown Santa Ana PBID roughly 20 years ago.
I live in Santa Ana, and man, I know that you're probably right that like its dangerous, and I'm probably desensitized but like, seeing my city in those views while saying how dangerous it is is a little comical to me.
LETS GO STREETCAR 2025 WOOOOO
Once you move out of SA, you'll go back and be like fk. This place really is ghetto and dangerous. lol
Santa Ana has very low crime rate compared to other cities
Yeah, its not dangerous haha. If anything its gotten much better the last 10 years
Also in Santa Ana and thought the same thing. That’s such a tired trope for Santa Ana which has imo felt significantly safer in the last decade.
this is so exciting as an oc resident !!! i'm so happy to hear this i hope to get to travel in a transit-able oc in the next 10-20 years !!!
They need to redeck that old streetcar bridge a part of a mixed use trail. Many of the rail corridors have room to combine rail and bike routes together.
It's not a simple as that. It's an entirely riveted steel structure (something that modern building codes in SoCal do not like) and it hasn't been maintained since the Red Car Line went out of business. Its highly susceptible to collapse from a major earthquake, and trying to retrofit it just so pedestrians can use it...isn't something local government wants to pay for.
It's disappointing that this streetcar won't have a dedicated ROW, but hopefully, OCTA will retrofit the ROW so it prevents other vehicles in the future. However, I will still be there on inauguration weekend. I hope they have free rides to promote it.
If this is ready around August, it could be a very busy time for public transit infrastructure projects. LA Metro is set to open 3 projects around the same time. The LAX/Metro Transit Center Station, The A line extension to Pomona, and the opening of the D subway line extension to La Cienega. Very exciting stuff. Thanks.
As a Pacific Electric Red Car fan, I can say that I love what OC is doing. I wish that OC and LAC could connect their systems together to resemble at least a big chunk of former Red Car routes. If these routes are compatible with the original Red Cars track size that would be a plus for historic parades or events. Imagine having a Red Car going from LAC to OC for the first time in 80 or so years!
Pretty sure OC doesn’t want LA coming to OC. Crime rates from LA are already bad enough.
They don't want that LA trash coming back on the rails
What kind of security would these trains have. The Blue line in Long Beach is riddled with crime.
I beleive OC has missed out on a great opportunity on getting traffic from LA to OC with the coming LA Olympic games in 2028. The 405 and 5 will not handle the amount of traffic and rail could have great way of getting people into the heart of OC. great coverage!
I've said that the 405 expansion would have been better spent by building a commuter rail line like some bits of the 110, rather than adding 2 pointless toll lanes each way.
I have looked at that abandoned right of longingly for years. So glad to see a part of it resurrected!
I have been occasionally checking updates on this project the last couple years along with the Southeast Gateway line. I cannot wait to use this one for fun when it opens! (I take metrolink into DTLA for work) I wish they would expand it further down the old right of way to one day meet up with the southeast gateway line though!
Great video, but I have a few notes!
First off, the current western terminus at Harbor Blvd is situated there because OCTA needs to do more long-term studies for the future of the system. This current segment is a permanent backbone regardless of what future extensions will be made and when, but further work on where to go next will have to be done. There are currently a few main options though that are immediately apparent: 1) a northern extension along Harbor Blvd to Disneyland. This is actually the most likely extension to be funded and built first, as it would generate massive amounts of ridership and is one that OCTA has done at least some studies for. 2) SNA Airport. While the airport is much further south, extending the line to the terminals and surrounding area would massively boost ridership as well. The options to get directly to the airport, however, are a bit limited, as there are no direct rail links in place already, but I do see a likely viable route via an older freight right of way near Santa Ana station, before rejoining the street, navigating south to MacArthur Blvd and continuing along to the airport. If built this way, then it could ultimately be extended to UC Irvine, which would be another massive trip generator. 3) A northwest extension along the former Red Car ROW to LA County. While this may actually sound like a major, difficult to plan project that would rely upon LA's plans, LA Metro already has plans to bring the Southeast Gateway line to Cerritos, the county line, and further discussions with OCTA over a terminus station for the streetcar and a potential extension of the Metro LRT into OC are all things that would need to be researched first, however, before long-term plans, as there is a possibility for LA Metro to operate the entire dedicated corridor while the OC Streetcar meets it at Harbor Blvd and continues directly north to Disneyland. Further extensions from there more so depend on if further lines would be branches from the main spine that extend into new neighborhoods or if they'd be new lines cobbled together from regular roads and old rights of way. If there is, however, a second branch up to LA County instead of LA Metro just running trams into OC like I would honestly expect, then I would be more likely to expect another branch south, maybe to somewhere like South Coast Metro/where The Observatory & IKEA are located.
Secondly, you'd touched on gentrification in a positive manner, and I would like to point out that gentrification itself isn't entirely negative, the negative effect that people associate with gentrification is displacement, which happens in spite of gentrification for many reasons. Cities, especially in California, need to do what they can to minimize displacement of its current normal, working class citizens whilst still building new, high quality homes for those who now have the money to move in while also giving the less fortunate residents access to new opportunities created by the incoming wealth and density. In other words, cities like Santa Ana or even the entire Orange County need to build lots and lots of new "luxury" housing but legislate that 30%+ must be affordable housing that is price restricted, and do what they can as well to promote social housing in other methods, like helping housing co-ops to secure loans to build new dense housing. If this is done properly, then regular, average people can continue to live within OC and thrive while new residents can move in from further away and live in beautiful new housing instead of buying up every single cottage and bungalow until the mid-century modern houses are all $3m and the 1930s shacks are all $1.5m (*cough* like The Bay *cough*)
Finally, I heard you refer to mixed-use housing by the number of stories over street level retail (2 over 1s and 3 over 1s). This is incorrect and is a common misunderstanding of what the term Five-Over-One, the most common method of building new, dense mixed-use buildings, actually means. Five-over-one refers to the standardized codes for building materials, not the amount of floors, as five means wood, usually treated timber, and one means concrete. This gives the structure a much higher fire resistance from the ground up, and while ironically the wood itself is basically soaked in oil to be treated, it's actually very very fire resistant and these buildings actually very rarely burn down past construction. Mixed-use buildings can be made of any materials, though, and five-over-ones can be any height. The term you'd be looking for would be something more like "ground floor retail apartment buildings."
Overall, you made a good video! Can't wait for the OC Streetcar to start up later this year!! Hopefully OCTA and the local governments will do enough to bring riders aboard and encourage new businesses and homes to spring up around the stops!!
Positive gentrification and all the safety talk and your take on the storefronts sound dog-whistly. I'm not saying that's what you're doing. But it's a little tone deaf.
Agreed, “positive gentrification” is oxymoronic
Your summation of 4th street and Santa Ana is spot on.
What an outstanding video - so glad to have found it - and you!
Excellent coverage, thank you! Reminding me why I'm glad to be subscribed.
CoVID and the Street Car development helped push out even more business over the years. It was more lively pre gentrification but recent years had seen local businesses forced to leave.
Good video! I'm 60 and have lived in the area my whole life. Currently, I'm in downtown Orange. DTSA has changed for the better in the last 10-15 years and you are right about mixed-use properties coexisting with great old architecture. Unfortunately, the light rail project is the "Cart before the horse" situation. The small line will not carry commuters as it is. It will be used by some shoppers as a novelty. If the city makes zoning changes to encourage growth, then more will come to live and work in Sanat Ana. However, many in the city (and council) see gentrification as racist displacement which hinders growth. I believe the next phase is, or was, to connect the rail to Disneyland but I also think your idea of south and the airport is great. I'm hopeful like you but I think it's a waste of money that will not work until the city allows more growth.
OCTA needs to get the streetcar to the airport or up to the Anaheim Resort. Not easy with politics in Anaheim and at the County Supervisor level.
More growth is literally what the city has allowed for with all of the transit-oriented housing that has boomed around the streetcar stops. I think many don't see that its main users will be South OC residents who work in the Civic Center, and that one of its main purposes is to alleviate traffic on the 55 entering Santa Ana during work hours. I've seen detractors use the "it's only 4 miles long" argument, while ignoring that it intends to serve the many, many more miles of residents along South OC, who can hop on Metrolink then ride the streetcar to Civic Center. That's what I would do if I were in their shoes.
@AvalosGallegos good point. I hope you're right and it's successful
As someone who lives in “successful” vibrant urban cities in different parts of the world. And spends most my time in Downtown Santa Ana when I’m home. The downtown is doing fine - it’s perfect for the people it serves. It’s a slow progressive improvement. If anything the city needs to get rid of the bars and stop the cheap apartment complexes popping up with shitty marketing names. Santa Ana does not want to be art district of LA or east side Costa Mesa. Mind your own business.
For example, let’s talk about how they got rid of the North Gate market off 4th street. A great fairly priced market that served a lot of the residents in the area. They tore it down to put new apartment complexes up. Apparently they will now put one under apartment complexes, but for the time being it is a big loss to the community.
But interesting perspective on the light rail. I am cautiously optimistic about it.
The average rent in SA is $2800. Those apartments are not that cheap. You seeing the apartments at Main Place those are no5 cheap.
@ cheaply made - not cheap rent. Santa Ana has made some nice apartments that are priced high. But there are too many of these greedy developers buying up property to flood the city with apartments made at the bare minimum and then charge the $3K
It sounded like you said the streetcars are made by Zeemens - but I think you meant Siemens?
They look both modern and traditional the low design for safety. I enjoy riding Amtrak from OC (Sand Canyon aka Spectrum/Great Park) to LA for certain trips. The Anaheim center is great. These are really hubs and destinations so more routes would be great.
Personally I LOVE Santa Ana it’s a very vibrant and welcoming community! There are many little tech and service companies around there, the historic Yost Theatre great little shops and restaurants. And the FREDA independent movie theater has an absolute CULT following of young and old classic movie lovers! I can see so many different types of riders! When I was a kid growing up in Long Beach my mom would complain about big oil and GM that pushed local governments to rip out the tracks because hey cars!
I was stationed in Germany for almost 5 years and took so many local and long great trips without a car! I trust this will be a hit and support building out further, as well as building great communities!
They should have made it compatible with Metro’s future South East Gateway line!
They really need a few dozen of these around the county! Connecting the first one to a proposed route that is many years away is foolish. One closer to the SE GW area is probably more appropriate-this isn’t commuter or even light rail after all!
@@ttoperoYes, but his point is that it was designed wrong. It should have been a true LRT line with high floor cars and platform stations using a dedicated ROW so it would be compatible with the Southeast Gateway line.
BTW, the Southeast Gateway line is scheduled to start construction by next year and be operational around 2032.
Since they both use different sections of the same ex-Red Car alignment, it is logical for them to eventually meet up if not combine into one system. However, neither system comes anywhere near the county line and there are no plans to build an expansion to do so by either LA Metro or OCTA.
LA Metro has a list of planned projects until 2050 or so, and, since this isn't on the list, the earliest it could reasonably be built is some time after that. By then, the fact they use different rolling stock won't matter since it would be almost time to replace it anyways.
@Geotpf Yes, there are no immediate plans to extend the C line East, but LA Metro already approved the construction of the Southeast Gateway line that will end in Cerritos. I believe it will partially use the same ROW of the old Red Car. So it could connect to the Southeast Gateway line. BTW, the Southeast Gateway line will connect to the C line at the Norwalk station.
@ I’ll review this again for details. One thing to investigate is how non-commuter transit lines work at county borders. Beyond Metrolink, I don’t think we have transit lines that cross county borders. This is limiting for longer distances as most people don’t behave in political boundaries but in economic ones.
Garden grove resident here, ever since i was a small child i saw thr Pacific electric signs. The block i live on is split by the old line and it disapointed me seeing overflow lots for dealerships pop up and bike paths in the industrial district which no one uses. I had hoped that the land would be bough back but it does not appear to be the case. I think light rail to beach blvd would be great, but theres an rv lot or something built there last year as well as self storage and other businesses that have been there for decades at this point.
OC needs rapid transit, not streetcars tbh
lmao at his gentrification comments. I low key wonder what he means by unsafe. It seems like he just means minor property crime and minorities being outside.
According to the most recent Orange County coroner's report, published in 2022, 35% of all homicides in the county occurred in Santa Ana alone. Only 9% of OC residents live in Santa Ana.
Santa Ana has been a major distribution hub for various international drug cartels since the 70s, which naturally brings a unique set of safety risks to the residents and businesses there.
Glad that I'm not the only one wondering what the hell he is talking about? Is Santa Ana the crime hub of OC lol? Like obviously crime goes down when the average resident is richer (and not as desperate or in poverty)
1965 Hart Cellar Act changed a lot
By "unsafe" he means minorities living and roaming in downtown areas. The vast majority of "urbanists" are white, well-situated people who vacationed in Europe once and think that pushing all minorities into suburban high-rise buildings like over there is something desirable. Let’s be real.
@@GirtonOramsayyes sa is the crime hub of oc lol
✅Very cool, this was an excellent overview! So long overdue for our OC friends… I don’t know why these kind of projects have to take so painfully long to complete. Thanks for uploading!👍🏻
Its becoming a common thing how things are coming back after disappearing for decades on streetcar... people keep forgetting how nice it is to have good affordable commute. Less cars, less traffic, less burden to buy expensive vehicles... including those monster trucks... they should be banned tbh.
The city had to tear out many junkyards along Raitt and 5th Streets to make room for the street car. It was kind of known to locals as Junkyard Row. I bought a few parts and engines from there over the years.
I went to a community meeting many years ago before they started building the street car and the civil engineer said the Harbor Blvd/Westminster Ave intersection was one of the busiest pedestrian intersections in the county, and there is a major bus line that goes up and down Harbor Blvd. This street car is still kind of a proof of concept for the county and is being used as an active prototype for the rest of the county's transportation systems.
Your video showed my girlfriend's office prominently in one shot. I love seeing my home town in these kind of videos.
Weren't there two junk yards that got demolished? The Wrecks West and I think one recycling center relocated, didn't it?
Western terminal at Los Cerritos Center and an eastern terminal at OC Great Park would be amazing for OCTA. OCTA can other lines cross the main line. ROW running parallel to Lambert can run from La Habra to 91 fwy it can be the North Hills Line. With stations Santa Grentrudes, 1st Ave, Beach, Euclid, Harbor, Puente, Brea, State College, Birch/Valencia, Valencia/Imperial, Rose, Bastanchury, Eureka, Lemon, Kellogg, Imperial/La Palma. Another OC Streetcar from Huntington Beach to UCI. From Beach and PCH to Adams to Fairview to Fair/DelMar/University Dr. to Irvine to Campus to Jamboree. With stations at Beach/Adams, Magnolia, Brookhurst, Placentia, Harbor, Orange Coast College, OC Fair, Newport Del Mar, Perez Park, Irvine/ Mesa, Bristol, John Wayne Airport and UCI.
With those 3 lines running West to East. OCTA can run North and South lines on BEACH from Whittier to PCH, HARBOR from Whittier to Newport. STATE COLLEGE/BRISTOL from Lambert to Jamboree, JAMBOREE from Irvine Regional to Fashion Island.
Great video, thank you for covering the OC Streetcar! I am super excited for when it opens too. While I believe the streetcar alignment will struggle with ridership when it opens, it does cross the county's busiest bus routes on Main, Bristol, Fairview, and Harbor. The long term goal was to have the streetcar connect to the Anaheim Resort and Fullerton but politics got in the way.
While I disagree with your take on the current situation of the neighborhood/City being unsafe and Downtown Santa Ana not being prosperous or having low quality businesses (as a person who lives here) I do agree that the hope is to attract more mixed-use and new housing development into the neighborhood.
Next time you're in town, shoot me an email and we can meet up and I can show you around and give you more background on all things transit and planning around here!
Just out of curiosity, do you consider the large 5-over-1’s to be mixed use if they have any non-residential space?
I live right next to the old right of way from the pacific electric line. Less than a 5 minute walk away. Drives me nuts that there hasn't been a train going through there in like a century. But this makes me hopeful that maybe one day we will see one go through there again.
I'll have to drive down to Santa Ana when this opens just for the sake of checking this out. Pretty stupid that I have to drive to get on this train instead of just walking down the street, but I'll take what I can get at this point.
Positive gentrification can only exist if the community can benefit from it. This means property ownership, so no one gets evicted.
Especially at the commercial level. I've seen gentrification happen in LA communities like Echo Park, Silver Lake, and Highland Park. Many, many old school mom and pop businesses have been pushed out because leases have skyrocketed since many businesses don't actually own the buildings. And the building owners get more money from higher end businesses thst move in. Out with the 25 year old Mexican bakery and in with the vegan pastry patisserie.
Si se puede
Evictions are necessary if people cant pay the market rate rent they certainly cant afford to own. An owner should be able to evict if needed, that is part of property ownership. The real problem is comically high real estate prices in california being driven by lack of supply created by artificially inflated building costs due to regulations.
@hyperreal And who sets the market rate? The market? Who controls the market? Predatory practices by owners are not uncommon. History has proven that. Yes, supply can exacerbate the issue, but why would property owners hurry to build more supply if it leads to lower rents? What's the incentive? It is better to keep supply just tight enough to exploit the market in their favor. The free market is a fallacy con job dreamt up by the people with the money and influence, which are the minority. The free market is not free or fair.
@@mrxman581 your premise makes no sense, why would they squeeze the market when they could easily double or triple the amount of housing they can sell? Your entire argument is around the idea of “fairness” well who determines that? Surely not some lobbyist in washington. The basic idea of free markets is that they are free of coercion. You have been mislead. All other systems like our mixed economy with all of its market distortions are exactly why we have housing problems today.
Hi. I work at Orange County Civic Center and have an inside view of the OC Street Car project.
1. The project was barely green lit. One of the only reasons why it got built and the reason why it ends at Harbor Boulevard is because it was designed for Santa Ana residents to go from downtown Santa Ana to Harbor Boulevard to hop on a bus and go to the Disneyland Resort area for work. The street car project actually went over budget multiple times, and is estimated to now cost billions of dollars. They expect to recoup most of the costs with street car ticket sales but it might be decades before the costs are recouped or the project is possible.
2. The maker of this video mentioned the economic decay of Santa Ana with all the “for lease” signs in the area. The street car killed a lot of businesses in that area because they had to close road and sidewalk access numerous times during the street car development. Imagine being a business owner and not only do you have loss of foot traffic because of the pandemic, but you also have to deal with public street access to your store being cut. It would be tough to compete with that. Downtown Santa Ana also had a thriving Latino business district. Think of a “Chinatown” but for Latinos. A lot of those Latino/family businesses had to close and become the empty stores you see in the video.
3. The street car is expected to increase traffic exponentially. If you look at the video you can see a lot of the tracks cover one lane streets. That means cars and buses can’t move as quickly through streets and this might hurt public perception of the street car.
4. With all that being said, I am actually pro street car. While I live in Orange County, many of my co workers commute from the Inland Empire and it would be good for them to get off a metro link train and hop on a street car to get to work. Metrolink is also doing an environmental study to determine the feasibility of a metrolink from Santa Ana to Los Angeles. And if the street car is a success, it wouldn’t be that hard to extend the line all the way down Harbor Boulevard, past Disneyland, into Downtown Anaheim. My coworkers plan to go deeper into Garden Grove on our lunch breaks. 😅
Some great places in Downtown Santa Ana to visit.
The Frida Cinema shows classic movies: Star Wars, Casablanca, The Matrix, etc.
Hopper and Burr has great coffee
Taqueria Bandito has great tacos.
Benchmark has upscale dining.
My hope is that it’s as useful for residents & guests once they arrive as it is for commuters & people coming from out of the service area. I know it’s difficult (maybe even uninteresting) to make a video about how people will be able to use it within the service area itself as well as to connect with other places that require another transfer.
I’ve flown out of SNA each time I visit LA in order to observe progress over the last few years-glad to see light at the end of the tunnel. Once I got off the MetroLink, it was a decent walk to Main St to get the bus within walking distance of the airport-assuming you are VERY adventurous and willing to go through spaces never intended for human occupancy! It will be nice to have a rail ride option when the weather isn’t nice, I’m not interested in walking with luggage, or whatever. I’m also curious how events that have closed 4th St to car traffic will impact or be impacted by the OCSC.
Maybe your follow-up video could get a little more into the utility for locals as the core topic with some shorts showing the “fun” stuff this video was focused on.
Regarding gentrification--California law has something called "Right of first refusal." Tenants whose buildings are demolished to make way for higher density get to move back in to one of the new units with the same rent as before, no questions asked.
The real issue is "displacement"--when landlords raise rents to keep up with the market, pricing out longtime lower-income residents. But displacement is actually driven by the lack of housing construction, because higher income folks will always outbid lower income folks for existing, older housing. New apartment complexes absorb the influx of yuppies, keeping rent lower in older apartments.
This vid answers a couple questions I've had. I'd seen the bridge over the SART and wondered what the plan was. Second, I was recently on 4th St. in downtown SA. I saw the new looking rail track in the street and wondered what it was for. Thanks for the vid.
The Harbor Transit Center is also the point where one can catch OCTA 43 on Harbor Blvd., which runs every 20 minutes from Fullerton to Costa Mesa, and OCTA 60, which reaches as far west as CSU-Long Beach. One hopes that OCTA will improve service on both routes once the Streetcar is feeding them passengers. A Rapid bus to the LA Metro Line A or C would be even better.
That would be very optimistic for this area. The fact that MetroLink connects areas between DTLA and Orange County is a big accomplishment for the fear-based decision makers. Just making good connections between the two county transit systems would be a great service!
@@ttopero - True, but at present, one can travel from Santa Ana to Long Beach by Metrolink and Metro Rail via DTLA about as fast as one can go by bus. The ride is a solid hour across just this small part of the OC. It's like taking the bus from the Norwalk Metrolink station to the Norwalk/I-105 Line C station.
@@pacificostudios As logical and rational as this would be, politics and bureaucracy tower over and crush it as if it were an annoying mosquito! It takes me 4 hours to go from San Pedro to SNA, even with the J line and MetroLink for the LA portions, so I would love something E-W to connect Torrance Beach to Orange or North Tustin in a single rail ride. The PCH for the west half would be a great improvement for the corridor😉
I love downtown Santa Ana. I used to work at the civic center. Bowers Museum, the Arts District and lots of great restaurants. French Park is beautiful. Lots of parrots hang around there.
This guy has a unique view of Santa Ana. Lived here for 8 plus years and have not felt unsafe at night. Of course if SA didn’t take care of all of OCs homeless population then it would be cleaner and “safer”. Let’s keep it unsafe so it keeps it cheap for people who enjoy living there. Also keep people like this guy out of the city since he’s so scared to live there. 😂 Stick to the facts of the rail buddy.
@@thealdocasanova yeah weird biased editorial comments felt xenophobic and dehumanizing regarding the Hispanic community in SA
Great news! Thank you for taking the time to make this awesome video! :)
Being from Santa Ana, i can tell you 3 things for sure:
1. Locals will probably not use it a lot
2. Itll be annoying to be in downtown now
3. It definitely is going to affect our city, and people are worried this will make shit more gentrified
No boondoggle train/light rail/ buses will ever get Americans out of their cars. Cars are freedom.
Wondering how to pronounce Raitt Street?
It was named for the family that singer Bonnie Raitt came from here in OC. Her father John Raitt was a Broadway Star in the 1940s. I was partly raised in Santa Ana and once had the opportunity to sit next to John Raitt in the church choir I was a part of long ago. I can only hope that the OC Streetcar eventually expands in both directions to reclaim a bit of the old Pacific Electric right of way that once was the faster way from Santa Ana to LA before Disneyland and the freeway were built. The original Santa Ana Freeway was incomplete in 1956 when my family moved to northeast Santa Ana where it became a two lane highway once again a few blocks into Tustin.
There were two lane highway gaps in that freeway all the way to LA's four level Stack, that did not get filled in until many years later but I would not know that watching the Disneyland promotions Walt was putting on national TV. Walt loved trains, so I believe his choice of Anaheim along side that Pacific Electric Santa Ana route right of way that only ended a few years prior to our arrival was influenced by that fact.
Wonder if they’ll keep the homeless and druggies of of it?!?!
Cali, especially OC has mostly great weather all year round, so using weather as an excuse for not building light rail is just dumb.
I would love to see these tracks expand throughout of OC so that not only the locals can start driving less, it can also increase businesses in the area. Loves mom and pop shops around here.
Thank you for this.
I took the still photos of Santa Ana for the OCTA materials-glad to see that the project is moving forward!
Streetcars sharing narrow streets with automobiles doesn't sound like a good idea. Either the rail lane will cause more traffic by reducing lanes for cars (exasperated by bike lanes and street parking), or it will be shared by cars which will make the streetcars stuck in traffic.
A simple solution would be to make them one way streets.
But also, with good traffic light preemption it's possible to keep a through way clear of traffic, and just have the traffic lights have any "excess" traffic back up on the side streets rather than clog up the shared part.
Obviously dedicated right of way for each mode is the better, but you have to use what you have. The street cars will for sure not take up more space than for example buses, and even like 5-10 people on a street car will be a more efficient use than cars with about one person traveling on board. (Yes, sometimes people ride share, but on the other hand a taxi/uber with no passenger on board is a car driving with zero passengers on board).
Was it a good idea to put this street car in streets with one and two lanes... Much more traffic and congestion.
i love how this is all in my backyard
can't hardly wait!! Go OC!
I'm from San Diego we have several lines very well used. You guys will have many more lines eventually
Fantastic news! Any new infrastructure is win for the community
Great video!
Did I miss something, or are they planning on single track running in mixed traffic at one end of the line? Recipe for disaster.
Also judging by your video it seems like there aren't switches to allow street cars to turn around the downtown loop. Even though the vehicles are bidirectional it seems like a good idea to have switches making it possible to avoid ether end outside the loop if there are any disruptions. Especially the short end next to the loop seems like a prime candidate to be able to bypass if needed.
Why not extend the Metro Green line to Disneyland so it connects to LAX.
The C (green) line is operated by LA Metro in LA County. OCTA is responsible for transit in Orange County. Both agencies would have to create a new temporary agency to build something that serves to different counties. But it's a good idea others have proposed.
I'm an Irvine resident who's _deeply_ skeptical of the OC Streetcar. Another short, slow, street-running, nearly useless streetcar that goes from basically nowhere to really nowhere. Like streetcars in Kansas City, Oklahoma City, Memphis and elsewhere, it's a little trophy that Orange County can hold up to say "see? We have urban rail tooooo!" rather than actually building a full and useful service. People want something that they believe is a viable option to get to where they need to go, and this ain't it.
What would people even use this streetcar for? Other than getting from the Santa Ana train station to downtown Santa Ana more comfortably (I actually had to run that distance once and it was not pleasant), I can't imagine what I would do with this thing. If anything, like the other streetcars I mentioned, it strikes me more as a novelty item. Like a little thing that people who have never seen a streetcar before can sit in and go "ooh this is kinda cool", and then get off of it and go back to their cars. I'll be sure to check it out myself when it opens, but I'm not gonna treat it as anything more than a curiosity that maybe saves me a walk from the Santa Ana station.
And no, I'm not one of those who will argue that some rail is better than no rail. A useless first phase of a rail network will turn people off to the idea of urban rail in general, and will end up being free ammunition to rail opponents looking to kill any future expansion. A full rail network running across all of OC is ultimately what's needed, and the first phase of any full rail network should always be the no duh, obvious route. In the case of OC, that's a line that connects John Wayne Airport to Disneyland. I don't care if it's only out-of-town tourists riding it. This is the first impression of urban rail that most residents will get and it needs to pass with flying colors. What the OC Streetcar actually is is a miserable first impression of a line that runs slowly in traffic for a bit between Santa Ana and some intersection in Garden Grove that I don't even remember anymore. And that's a terrible first impression that will kill any enthusiasm for future expansion and improvement.
Good luck, OC.
omg this is so long
Holy s**t get that cat off of your keyboard.
What you said is exactly what i have been saying for a while now. Like you, my fear is that this street car will fail leading to a major turn off to building more light rail in Orange County. It is already opening much later than anticipated and I have heard it went over budget as well. That's not to mention the businesses that suffered greatly while it was being built hence , probably why there are so many vacant suites . And yes, a John Wayne Airport to Disneyland would have been a great start (aside from the original plan this video talks about). Then connect that to ARCTIC (which is a ghost town) which can connect to Disneyland area as well, while going through the downtown Anaheim area.
Good points.
Try personal rapid transit
curious if you see any potential for urbanism in irvine?
I've actually seen that, if the OC Streetcar is successful, there may be long-term plans to add extensions to John Wayne Airport, Disneyland, and Anaheim's Platinum Triangle. The extension to Disneyland would figure to be the easiest of those to build, consindering they'd simply have to just go up Harbor Blvd. to reach Disneyland, where there's a public transportation hub and a bus stop that serves several OCTA lines and LA Metro's 460 to downtown LA at the entrance to Disneyland.
Dang it. It wasn't just Cerritos that blocked re-using that line for public transit, but also Garden Grove and Stanton, maybe. At least judging by what's on the right of way right now.
The LA Metro 'Southeast Gateway Line', formerly the West Branch Santa Ana Corridor Line, is planned to stop at Pioneer Blvd and South St in Artesia, because Cerritos said no to a stop at Norwalk and 195th.
I'm in Cypress. We've kept that corridor clear and open for re-use for decades, but we're surrounded by cities who haven't. Could you imagine a line that went from Union Station to Santa Ana? Of course it couldn't be the same line, but it could be two stations with two lines on the county line at Del Amo Blvd and Coyote Creek (Bloomfield Ave/Cerritos Sports Complex on the West and Denni Street Park on the East).
It looks like Garden Grove and Stanton mostly have parking lots and a bike path on the corridor, so it wouldn't involve buying up single family homes, at least. The start of those parking lots is what's on the West side of Harbor Blvd, though. Cerritos has left the corridor undeveloped, but I hear their city council has been firmly against public transit for decades.
I just want to walk to a tram line to catch my Pacific Surfliner trains...
I do worry that our car centric culture in Orange County has convinced us that we should all be able to walk 5 minutes from anywhere in the city to catch a train. Even in the most transport developed cities I've lived in, there are always times when you have to walk a half hour to catch a train.
There may be improper use of the Pacific Electric Right of Way. Cities don't own that land with the track on it. OCTA does. And LA Metro owns it on their side. Santa Ana, I assume, or the city in tandem with OCTA did have to clear some trucks using the PE ROW for parking. It looks like there's similar misuse along the PE ROW up to the county line.
Taking the bus is great just as long as the seat isn't covered in piss and a crazy person isn't yelling at the window..
I'm assuming the rail cars will have the same type of experience.
Interesting. I grew up in Orange County before I moved to the East Coast city life on my own. I never got into car ownership and I dislike visiting OC because of the car dependency. I would never move back, but I think this could help a lot of people there, even being small and limited. A start?
Do you think OCTA *will* extend it NW, past Harbor? I’ve been eyeing the satellite map myself for some time, and gaze at the empty lot across from the terminus as I drive past. Garden Grove has a plan to turn that old line into an elongated park further up toward Euclid Street, so I wonder if it could coexist with rails running along it 🤔
Would love to see it expand to harbor too. If there were a few NS & EW streetcar routes in the future that would be awesome
It's supposed to connect to the county line at Artesia. It's up to GG, Stanton and Cypress though. I'm not sure if there's a power that can override them though.
The track on the road reminds me so much of the streets in Milan
Great news, like this transportation
The large gas station adjacent to the Harbor Transit center is an obvious candidate for multi-story mixed-use development. It's practically screaming to be done.
I know that corner welll, yes perfect opportunity to fix it all up
Great content!
street cars getting stuck in car traffic doesnt help congestion. (if thats a goal). Street cars should have dedicated right of ways.
a future stop at John Wayne would be huge
580 millions for only 6 miles and 7 years to build wow!!!
This is definitely cool for Orange County but still completely underwhelming. We need light rail to and from DTLA - not the $10.00/runs twice a day surf liner. Will we ever get it I wonder?
Went on the maps and based on what I see, the original Street Car route goes to the 710/105 merger. If it went any further, I couldn't see it beyond that (based on current development). As for future stops, I can see the street cars turn onto and off of Harbor Blvd. Passing Disneyland as well as go to Downtown Fullerton and terminating at La Habra. While I won't benefit from the project based on my location in the OC, I am happy that it will benefit others and add eye candy to the area.
If Irvine is a consideration, the Irvine Spectrum could be a stop as well. Don't know how you would route it to John Wayne. Only way I see is to have it parallel the 55.
Hopefully they will see that building many of these around the county is a great idea and you’ll get one in your area! That’s the reason we support things we won’t benefit from directly😉
LA Metro already approved the Southeast Gateway line that will use this old ROW from the LA County side and end in Cerritos. It will connect with the C line at the Norwalk station near the 105. And it will start at the Slauson station on the A line. The second phase would go from the Slauson station to Union Station via another route from the A line.
I've always dreamed of having a rail on Beach Blvd reaching the beaches and Buena park
I read somewhere that they'd consider expanding it east on 4th Street, up through Irvine Blvd, which it eventually becomes. Former mayor Pulido tried to sell the idea of it connecting to Disneyland via Harbor Blvd. All the while, the main purpose of reusing the PE ROW was to connect to Los Angeles. LA Metro was a major if not the main proponent of reusing the West Santa Ana Branch, which they recently rebranded to Gate Cities line or something like that. The problem is that the political will to connect to LA is lacking in parts of OC, particularly in Stanton, and it's unknown what the willingness to build is in Garden Grove and Cypress. Seeing how long it took Santa Ana to build is not exactly inspiring, although the city has benefitted from a transit-oriented housing boom.
There was also a planned stop at Willowick, which is on the edge of Santa Ana and Garden Grove, but both cities have failed to determine what to do with that land. Garden Grove owns it though it's in Santa Ana proper.
Lastly, around the time that the CenterLine was proposed in the 90s, there was another study / proposal by OCTA to have an elevated light rail along Main Street in Santa Ana, connecting to the SNA airport. That would've connected to "The Block" in Orange as it used to be called, along The City Drive and up State College towards the stadium and Cal State Fullerton. Everything went nowhere thanks to Costa Mesa and other city and county politicos, which have traditionally and stubbornly leaned conservative. My guess is that these main attractions in Orange County like CSUF, Angel Stadium, Disneyland and the airport will one day be connected via light rail. I just hope to be alive to see it.
It’s a little bit of a stretch that a streetcar system will reduce crime
I live in Santa Ana and I’ve pretty much seen it progress. What sucked is that a few businesses had to close because the tracks were being built in front of their front doors. Not only that, but the started right at the start of Covid so that was even worse.
Hence, the Streetcar was the reason there are so many empty buildings. When i was a kid, it was so full of life. Food carts with Churros and more.
The City was happy to kick out the small businesses to gentrify the area, but the new people coming in were not interested in moving in.
One can imagine a future where OC, LA, SF, and SD form a megapolis connected by high speed rail with a mix of light and heavy rail for local transportation.
While we are dreaming, maybe we finish the the HSR project to SF
@@slowlydrifting2091They’re currently working on the first phase of that. Hopefully, it will be complete no more than a decade from now.