By Alicia Robison
The future look of the Civic Center in Santa Ana is taking shape as Orange County opens a new administration building, but expect to see construction work and traffic detours in the area for several years to come.
The first of several planned modern facilities – and the one the public is most likely to visit – is set to open Tuesday, Sept. 3.
Known as County Administration South, the six-story building facing North Ross Street between West Civic Center Drive and West Santa Ana Boulevard has ample windows, energy-efficient features, visible girders for earthquake safety and underground parking. It will house 11 county departments and a one-stop center to provide a range of customer services.
Need to pay county taxes, apply for a building permit or look up property records? That and more can be done at the ground-floor service center, which includes rows of tables with computer monitors and keyboards where the public can search for information, long counters where representatives of the clerk-recorder, public works, treasurer-tax collector and other departments can answer questions, and an information desk to point people in the right direction.
