What did Santa Ana build at Memorial Park, and what should nearby owners check?

If you’re buying, selling or holding a property near Memorial Park, the new pools give you something concrete to check. Santa Ana has completed a $29.3 million aquatic center at 2102 S. Flower Street, and the City has announced programming beginning October 31, 2026.

That tells you what was built and when programs begin. It doesn’t tell you how the project affects nearby property values, rents or demand.

This is general information and not legal advice.

What did the City complete?

The City completed a replacement aquatic center with competition and recreational pools, plus rooms and facilities supporting those uses.

In its October 20 completion announcement, the City of Santa Ana says the $29.3 million project is the largest aquatics investment in Santa Ana history. The City also says it replaces the park’s original pool and community center, which served residents for more than 60 years.

The competition pool holds 500,000 gallons and measures 25 meters, with spectator seating and a digital scoreboard. The recreational pool has an exercise channel, water slide and zero-entry access.

Other features include locker rooms, a community room, pool deck seating, offices and equipment rooms for lifeguards and staff. The City also lists outdoor lighting, security cameras, landscaping and walkways.

Those features are the City’s own description; the announcement says nothing about what they mean for nearby homes.

What do the completion and opening dates mean?

The ribbon cutting marked completion, while the later programming announcement supplied the public schedule.

The City held the ribbon cutting on Saturday, October 17, 2026, with 300 community members touring the facility. Its October 20 release said more information about public swimming schedules would follow.

The October 28 programming announcement then set a start date of Saturday, October 31. It describes programs gradually expanding to achieve full service in spring 2027.

These dates answer different questions. A completed building, a ribbon cutting and a published swimming schedule aren’t interchangeable details. If you’re reviewing a listing or preparing one, use the date that matches the claim.

The October 28 announcement provides a starting schedule, not a promise that every program is already available. The City’s stated spring 2027 target also shouldn’t be rewritten as full service beginning in October.

When checking a statement that the center is open, ask which program and date it refers to. The completion release answers the construction question. The later release supplies the program times, and the Aquatic Center page adds starting dates for lap swim and water walking.

What schedule and fees has the City published?

The City has published separate schedules for recreation swim, lap swim and the exercise channel.

The October 28 release lists:

• Recreation swim on Saturdays, with sessions from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1 to 3:30 p.m.
• Lap swim on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 7:30 to 9 a.m.
• Exercise channel access on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

The Aquatic Center page also lists lap swim starting November 2 and water walking starting November 3. Programming is available except on observed holidays and for inclement weather.

Per-session fees are $3 for Santa Ana resident adults, $2 for seniors and $1 for youth. Non-resident fees are $6 for adults, $4 for seniors and $2 for youth.

Check the Aquatic Center page before planning a visit. The City highly recommends pre-registration for all programs and says all program fees, dates and times are subject to change.

One detail needs confirmation: the City’s two pages differ on age eligibility for lap swim and the exercise channel. Check the Aquatic Center page and call (714) 571-4261 to confirm eligibility.

For a listing, keep each schedule attached to its program. Saturday recreation swim has two sessions; that isn’t a daily swimming schedule. Likewise, the published lap swim times don’t describe recreational pool access. A general statement about pool access leaves out distinctions the City makes in its announcement.

What should you verify about the park and parking?

You should verify park-wide facts separately from details assigned specifically to the aquatic center.

The Memorial Park page places the facility at 2102 S. Flower Street, near the intersection of S Flower St. and W Saint Gertrude Pl. It describes Memorial Park as a 17-acre city park with 314 parking stalls, open from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. every day.

Those are park facts. The City does not identify how many of those stalls serve the new building specifically. Park hours also aren’t pool hours; the swimming programs have their own published times.

Keep the scope of each number attached to it. A park-wide stall count shouldn’t become a claim of dedicated aquatic center parking.

We were discussing a home near Memorial Park when the completed improvements came up. The buyer liked the new facilities but wanted to know how they might change parking, evening activity and access on nearby streets. We reviewed what the city had actually built and encouraged him to visit the area at the times he would normally be home.

What do the construction and funding details establish?

The City’s releases establish the project’s replacement scope, electric design and funding sources.

The April 5, 2025 groundbreaking release describes complete demolition and rebuilding of the aquatics facility, originally built in 1956. That supports describing the work as a replacement, rather than treating it as an update to the old pool.

The completion release says the aquatic center is the City’s first fully electric facility. It also says solar panels will power it and provide shade for visitors.

Funding came through the City’s local sales tax, Cannabis Public Benefit Fund and federal American Rescue Plan Act.

These details explain the public project. They don’t answer whether a particular nearby parcel receives a financial benefit or burden. Keep the funding description attached to the aquatic center; a question about a property’s own tax paperwork needs information about that property.

What rules and contacts can you check?

You can check the Memorial Park page for listed park restrictions and use the City’s published contacts for facility questions or park hazards.

The park page lists events and vending without a permit under Santa Ana Municipal Code 31-3 among prohibited activities. It also lists amplified noise under Santa Ana Municipal Code 31-2.10.

Those entries identify published rules. They don’t describe noise levels at a nearby property, predict future activity or explain how a particular event will operate. If your concern involves a specific proposed use, ask about that use instead of treating the general park listing as its answer.

For Aquatic Center questions, the City lists (714) 571-4261. To report park hazards or damage, the Memorial Park page lists (714) 571-4200.

Keep property documents in the review as well. The City’s facility and park pages don’t answer every question about a home. You can turn to the Learn guides to NHD reports and California HOA disclosures when reviewing those separate documents.

What can you say about a nearby property?

You can describe the completed facility, but a property-specific claim needs its own basis. The City’s materials say nothing about whether the project raises or lowers nearby home values, rents, traffic, parking, noise or demand.

Ask what supports any claimed price adjustment; the pool features and swimming schedule don’t supply that evidence. Insider also covers buying a Santa Ana rental in a separate guide.

The short version

Santa Ana has completed Memorial Park’s $29.3 million aquatic center and announced programming beginning October 31, 2026.

Verify the program you intend to use, its current schedule and eligibility. Treat the 314 parking stalls and daily opening hours as park-wide information. Attribute the City’s claims about the project’s scale and electric design, and keep unsupported property value conclusions out of the description.

For a separate look at your property, use the home value tool.