Welcome to the City of Orange Santa Fe Depot Specific Plan Update website. The City of Orange is going through an exciting process of refreshing its vision for the historic Santa Fe Depot and its environs. You are cordially invited to participate in this exciting planning process by attending public meetings and offering your viewpoints on the future of the Santa Fe Depot area.

The Santa Fe Depot Specific Plan was originally adopted in December 1993 with policies and standards for new development in the area immediately surrounding the City of Orange’s Santa Fe Depot train station and Orange County Transit Authority (OCTA) bus transfer station. The Specific Plan was originally conceived to address the development of a commuter rail station, as well as aesthetic and physical improvements to existing infrastructure, preservation of historic buildings, and the concentrated integration of specialty retail uses and housing around the Depot. While the Metrolink Station has been phenomenally successful, the Specific Plan area has struggled economically and has yet to live up to its full potential of becoming a viable and cohesive mixed-use district that links the Depot to the Plaza business district.

Many changes have occurred within the Specific Plan area since 1993. The City has seen the ongoing revitalization of Old Towne and its designation as both a local and National Register Historic District; Metrolink service has been established, with the Orange station experiencing the highest level of use among stations on the Orange County line; OCTA has announced its intent to spend $28 million on parking improvements at the Metrolink Station; the Orange Barrio Historical Society has organized to represent a historic Latino neighborhood adjacent to the Specific Plan area; and Chapman University is in the process of constructing the Lawrence and Kristina Dodge College of Film and Media Arts directly north of the planning area. In response to these important developments and the dynamics they introduce to the area, the City of Orange would like to update the Specific Plan with innovative and up-to-date policies, development standards and implementation tools. The ultimate goal is to further the original objectives of the 1993 Specific Plan, and transform the Depot into a vibrant transit-oriented district while strengthening its connections to adjacent residential neighborhoods and the Old Towne Historic District.

For more information about various aspects of this project, go to the Santa Fe Depot Specific Plan Update fact sheets, by clicking here. Check back here to learn about the latest news regarding the Santa Fe Depot Specific Plan Update and upcoming community workshops. We look forward to your participation in this process. For additional information regarding the Specific Plan Update, please contact Anna Pehoushek, Principal Planner at (714) 744-7228 or click here to send an e-mail.