South Coast Metro

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South Coast Metro is an area in Orange County, California loosely defined by its proximity to South Coast Plaza and comprising the parts of Santa Ana and Costa Mesa nearest it. It lies completely within the 714 area code. Used often in real estate listings, it distinguishes the more cosmopolitan environment of the South Coast area from the surrounding suburbs. This area of the Santa Ana/Costa Mesa line is a mix of upper-middle and middle-class communities, although the racial makeup remains somewhat diverse.

South Coast Metro area at night, looking southeast

1 Geography
2 Metropolitan Environment
3 Transportation
4 Future Expansion
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Geography

South Coast Metro's boundaries are generally defined as:

North: Alton Ave. / Macarthur Blvd.
South: San Diego Freeway & Corona Del Mar Freeway
West: Santa Ana River (Fountain Valley city boundary)
East: Costa Mesa Freeway

When used in residential addresses, the South Coast Metro moniker is generally restricted to the area east of Bear St. and North of the 405. Also, Single-family homes in this area generally use Santa Ana or Costa Mesa for their address instead.

[edit] Metropolitan Environment

The South Coast Metro area includes its namesake, South Coast Plaza, along with approximately twenty high-rise office buildings, hotels and residences, including the 21-story Center Tower, the tallest building in Orange County at 285 feet.^[1] The area also includes additional retail shopping and dining, entertainment, and several upscale restaurants.

In addition to South Coast Plaza, South Coast Metro encompasses the Orange County Performing Arts Center and South Coast Repertory theater company. The South Coast Repertory building was expanded and renovated in 2002, with the design done by architect César Pelli. Pelli also designed the Plaza Tower, opened in 1992, and Segerstrom Hall, the newest addition to the Performing Arts Center which opened in 2006.

Several prominent outdoor sculptures and other works of arts are displayed in the area around these buildings by artists such as Isamu Noguchi, Jean Dubuffet, Henry Moore, and others. This sub-section of South Coast Metro is sometimes referred to as the Costa Mesa Theater and Arts District.

A satellite of the Orange County Museum of Art is located in South Coast Plaza. Recently, plans have been drawn to move the main museum, currently located in Newport Beach, to a high-rise building in South Coast Metro also containing apartments.

[edit] Transportation

South Coast Metro is served by the San Diego (I-405), Costa Mesa (SR-55), and Corona Del Mar (SR-73) freeways. During rush hour, the 405-55 interchange becomes one of the most congested in the United States, with an average daily traffic volume of 433,000 cars.^[2] The congestion has worsened in recent years despite an upgrade completed in 2005 which included the addition of carpool lane connectors.

Public transportation is provided by bus lines operated by the Orange County Transportation Authority. South Coast plaza is currently the most-served location in Orange County, connected by 12 bus routes.

South Coast Metro was to be served by several stations of the now-defunct CenterLine light rail project, including an underground station at South Coast Plaza. As a replacement, a bus rapid transit line connecting the area to John Wayne Airport, downtown Santa Ana, and Anaheim is scheduled to begin service in 2010.

[edit] Future Expansion

Both the cities of Costa Mesa and Santa Ana have plans for additional development in the South Coast Metro area, which over a dozen high-rise buildings currently planned or approved. However, many of the residential projects, along with others in Orange County, have been delayed in light of the 2007 subprime mortgage financial crisis.

The Irvine Company is currently constructing a large apartment complex known as "The Enclave" on formerly agricultural land east of South Coast Plaza. The complex consists of approximately 50 Santa Barbara-style three-story buildings, and will occupy most of the remaining undeveloped land in the area.

Two high-rise residential towers, dubbed Skyline at Macarthur Place, are under construction in the northeast corner of South Coast Metro by developer Skyline OC. The 25-story towers are marketed as high-end luxury condominiums and will be completed in 2008, at which time they will become the tallest buildings in the county (by number of floors).