Three cities are drawing a new face for Little Saigon: gateways, lanterns, bilingual signs — and no shop owner has to change a thing

What's happening?

Little Saigon spreads across three cities — Garden Grove, Westminster, Santa Ana — plus a slice of Fountain Valley. Until now, each city has handled its own piece. Garden Grove, Santa Ana, and Fountain Valley have formed a partnership to do one thing together: write a set of design guidelines for the whole district. The stated goal in the city's report: make Little Saigon a premier cultural tourism destination for California while preserving the district's Vietnamese identity. One thing stands out: Westminster — home of the Phước Lộc Thọ (Asian Garden Mall) — is not part of the three-city group, and the report doesn't say why.

The project is paid for through the state's California Jobs First program (the RIIC fund). Gensler won the contract, approved by the Garden Grove City Council on January 13, 2026. The project team aims to finish by September 30, 2026.

On Thursday, September 3, the Garden Grove Planning Commission met at 7 p.m. at the Community Meeting Center, 11300 Stanford Ave. The question on the table: whether to recommend that the City Council adopt the guidelines. The vote's outcome had not been posted publicly when this story went to press — Bolsa Bridge will update as soon as the city releases it.

What's in the guidelines?

Gensler wrote the document after three rounds of community input, surveying more than 100 people. The recommendations come in four groups:

- Streets built for walking. Wider, better-connected sidewalks, shade canopies, seating, and street lighting that reflects the district's identity — including Vietnamese-inspired paving patterns.
- Greenery and public spaces. More planted medians, traffic islands, and shaded pedestrian paths. The document even recommends types of trees, shrubs, and groundcover.
- Vietnamese-inspired architecture. Building forms, materials, and colors that evoke Vietnamese culture. Examples in the document: lanterns, awnings, canopies, and pedestrian lights shaped like traditional lanterns.
- Signage and gateways. One coordinated system for the whole district: gateways, street-pole banners, and directional signs. The document encourages bilingual information and includes recommendations for tenant signage.

What does "non-binding" mean for shop owners?

This is where the report is most explicit — and most worth spelling out. Guidelines are recommendations, not law. The report states that the document does not override existing zoning, does not create new mandatory development standards, and does not require any particular design feature. A business operating today doesn't have to change anything.

So what is it for? When a property owner builds new or renovates big, the city will use the guidelines as a reference and a source of inspiration. The cities also expect the document to help the district compete for grants down the road. At the August 25 study session, council members and commissioners discussed ways to assist or incentivize property owners who follow it — meaning the question of "does money come with this?" is still open.

What did the community say?

From March through June 2026, the project team gathered input over Zoom (March 24, 25, and 30), at two in-person events (April 25 and June 20), and through an online survey. According to the staff report, participants praised three things: the community's deep historical roots, the variety and quality of the food, and the culture. They worried about three things: getting around, access to the district, and a fragmented identity — every corner looks different, with no shared "face."

A joint study session of the City Council and Planning Commission on August 25 received the draft favorably, per the staff report. Feedback included the idea of writing a mission statement to preserve the document's spirit long-term, and an emphasis on culturally sensitive execution.

What happens next

The Garden Grove Planning Commission voted on its recommendation at the September 3 meeting — the result will be added to this story. From there, the guidelines go to the Garden Grove City Council; a hearing date hasn't been set in the file. Fountain Valley's council heard a presentation on the guidelines at its September 1 study session. Santa Ana's timeline isn't mentioned in the Garden Grove file. The project team aims to wrap up by September 30, 2026 — which makes this month the deciding one for the whole effort.

WANT TO FOLLOW ALONG — OR WEIGH IN?

Read the full guidelines in the agenda packet: ggcity.org/commissions/planning-commission (September 3 meeting).

To speak at an upcoming council hearing: fill out a speaker card in person, or email public-comment@ggcity.org by 3 p.m. on the meeting day.

Garden Grove Planning Services Division: (714) 741-⁠5176, 11222 Acacia Parkway.