Anaheim Canyon is now positioned as northern Orange County’s premier research and manufacturing innovation district for the green economy. The focused Specific Plan establishes the 2,500-acre industrial area—home to one third of the City’s businesses and jobs—as a “Green Zone” with a comprehensive package of programs and policies to encourage development of a unique eco-friendly business center. A key solution was to identify and remove obstacles to reuse and create incentives to re-tool existing structures, promote infill development and ensure the long-term economic health of the region.

We led a collaborative effort between the City and area business and property owners to better understand their collective vision for the area’s future, and what City can do to support economic development. The new identity has boosted Anaheim Canyon’s attractiveness nationally to environmentally friendly and sustainable businesses and entrepreneurs.

The project won the 2017 Comprehensive Planning Award, APA California, Orange Section, and the 2017 Integrated Planning Sustainability Award, Southern California Association of Governments.