We spoke exclusively with Cottle about the project as well as the market for transit-oriented development in Santa Ana.

GlobeSt.com: What was the thought process behind making Santa Ana the location for this development?

Cottle: The underlying thought process for the successful development of this unique workforce-housing project revolves around the transit-oriented site location and the benefits of a public/private partnership. The Depot at Santiago is the result of a long-standing partnership that C&C Development and its non-profit partner, Orange Housing Development, have with the City of Santa Ana. This partnership is the basis of a positive business relationship with city officials for the development of affordable housing such as the Depot and many other projects we have built in the city. When the city identified this highly urbanized, 1.35-acre location directly across from the Santa Ana Transportation Center as a site for a mixed-use, affordable-housing development, we submitted our project concept to the city housing staff with a sense of confidence. We had recently completed development of another very successful affordable, transit-oriented project, Terraces at Santiago, in partnership with the city that was close to the Depot of Santiago location. With this success, we had established a positive track record with the City for this type of urban infill project. The City staff was receptive to our plan that included 70 apartments designed for working families with incomes ranging from 30% to 60% of area median income, as well as approximately 8,500 square feet of ground-level retail space. Only with the City of Santa Ana's participation as a public partner, along with its guidance and support through the planning and entitlement process as well as providing development funding, were we in a position to build this TOD project.

GlobeSt.com: What is the market for transit-oriented development like in Santa Ana?

Cottle: Transit-oriented development is a very popular concept in California and especially in Orange County and is being heavily promoted by the state as part of its Strategic Growth Council programming to decrease greenhouse gas via the reduction of vehicle miles traveled. A key part of the Depot's funding package is the cap-and-trade financing of $3.9 million we received from the state through the Strategic Growth Council in 2015. The increasing popularity of TOD is based on the fact that, as a key element of smart growth, it provides convenient access to public transit such as commuter trains and bus transportation within walking distance of a residential property, reducing or eliminating the need for use of a private vehicle. The Santa Ana Transportation Center across the street from Depot at Santiago is a regional transit hub served by Amtrak and Metrolink trains and is a key transportation connection between Los Angeles and San Diego. The center also has Greyhound and other bus and public-transportation services.

To enhance its TOD location, the Depot will also be served by the OC Streetcar that is being planned by the cities of Santa Ana and Garden Grove in collaboration with the Orange County Transit Authority to connect with the Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center. The City of Santa Ana believes that access to public transit for lower-income individuals and households, such as those residents who will be living in the Depot at Santiago, is significantly beneficial for families and for the city itself. These public-transit services will provide more-efficient, less-costly and less-impactful transportation options for Depot residents, in effect lowering their transportation costs and giving them more money for necessary items such as food, healthcare and education.

GlobeSt.com: Which elements must be in place for projects like these to work?

Cottle: For an affordable, transit-oriented development such as the Depot at Santiago to work, two elements are critical. First, the affordable-housing developer must have access to a TOD site that he or she can afford to acquire. And second, as with most affordable housing, outside funding must be available to acquire the site and develop the project. Generally located in urban areas, TOD sites are in high demand, especially among market-rate builders, creating strong competition and higher cost for these sites. Consequently, for an affordable housing development such as the Depot to see the light of day, a local government like the City of Santa Ana must be committed to supporting the development.

Our company and Orange Housing Development jointly responded to a request for proposal issued by the City for the development of an affordable-housing property near the transportation center. We were awarded the contract, and we acquired the site from a private owner. The city provided funding in the form of HOME and Community Development Block Grant financing, and also Section 8 affordable-housing vouchers. Additional financing came through the Mental Health Services Act funding, which is administered by the County of Orange. Quite clearly, without the City of Santa Ana and County of Orange as our public finance partners, as well as the cap-and-trade funding, development of the Deport at Santiago would not have been possible.

GlobeSt.com: What else should our readers know about Depot at Santiago?

Cottle: It's an exciting project. Along with providing quality, affordable housing for families, the Depot at Santiago will bring important social and educational benefits to the surrounding community. For example, the Depot will provide space in the retail section for the Wooden Floor, a local non-profit social-services provider that annually gives hundreds of underserved local youth the tools to live fuller, healthier lives through a unique approach grounded in dance. The Wooden Floor will use the Depot at Santiago as an annex to its existing facility in Santa Ana so it can continue to make a long-term investment in more of these young people as well as supporting academic and family services.

Another key benefit of this project is the community-serving retail and employment opportunities that it will provide, not only to Depot residents, but to the larger community that has historically been underserved by retail. All of the Depot's retail space is on the ground floor, and the building's retail section opens onto a large outdoor plaza for social gatherings, community events and opportunities for display of public art. In addition to creating a new community hub of housing and life services, the Depot at Santiago is the only residential project in Orange County that was selected by the Southern California Association of Governments for its 2016 SCAG Sustainability Award for Achievement in Integrated Land Use and Transportation. The award honors a project, plan or public facility that integrates land use and transportation planning; advances infill, transit-oriented development; promotes a sustainable land-use mix, including new housing; and locates new housing near existing jobs and/or new jobs near existing housing.

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SANTA ANA, CA—Projects like the Depot at Santiago need an affordable-housing developer with access to a transit-oriented-development site that he or she can afford to acquire, and outside funding must be available, C&C Development principal Todd Cottle tells GlobeSt.com. C&C, along with Orange housing Development Corp. in partnership with the City of Santa Ana, recently broke ground on the transit-oriented, workforce-housing development here that will create a new community resource and activity center for surrounding neighborhoods and families.

Being developed on a 1.35-acre urban infill site across the street from the Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center and on the proposed OC Streetcar line, the 70-unit project is designed for working families with incomes ranging from 30% to 60T of area median income. With funding provided by the Mental Health Services Act administered by the County of Orange, the Depot will provide housing for families and individuals who have special needs as well people living with disabilities.

Consisting of two urban-styled, multifamily buildings at the intersection of Santa Ana Blvd. and Santiago Ave., the Depot at Santiago is a mixed-use development that includes approximately 8,500 square feet of ground-level retail space. The retail building will open onto a large, vibrant outdoor plaza at the intersection for social gatherings, community events and the display of public art.

The residential component includes 14 one-bedroom, 29 two-bedroom, and 27 three-bedroom apartments. It also features a 3,000 square-foot community room, open space, a barbecue pavilion and a demonstration kitchen.

We spoke exclusively with Cottle about the project as well as the market for transit-oriented development in Santa Ana.

GlobeSt.com: What was the thought process behind making Santa Ana the location for this development?

Cottle: The underlying thought process for the successful development of this unique workforce-housing project revolves around the transit-oriented site location and the benefits of a public/private partnership. The Depot at Santiago is the result of a long-standing partnership that C&C Development and its non-profit partner, Orange Housing Development, have with the City of Santa Ana. This partnership is the basis of a positive business relationship with city officials for the development of affordable housing such as the Depot and many other projects we have built in the city. When the city identified this highly urbanized, 1.35-acre location directly across from the Santa Ana Transportation Center as a site for a mixed-use, affordable-housing development, we submitted our project concept to the city housing staff with a sense of confidence. We had recently completed development of another very successful affordable, transit-oriented project, Terraces at Santiago, in partnership with the city that was close to the Depot of Santiago location. With this success, we had established a positive track record with the City for this type of urban infill project. The City staff was receptive to our plan that included 70 apartments designed for working families with incomes ranging from 30% to 60% of area median income, as well as approximately 8,500 square feet of ground-level retail space. Only with the City of Santa Ana's participation as a public partner, along with its guidance and support through the planning and entitlement process as well as providing development funding, were we in a position to build this TOD project.