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www. kennedycomm ission. org 17701 Cowan Ave., Suite 200 Irvine, CA 92614 949250090 February 5, 2019 Fax 949 263 0647 Mayor Pulido and City Councilmembers City of Santa Ana 20 Civic Center Plaza P.O. Be 1988, M31 Santa Ana, CA 92701 RE: Support 75A: SANTA ANA UNITED METHODIST CHURCH PROJECT Dear Mayor and Councilmembers, The Kennedy Commission proudly supports the National Community Renaissance (National CORE) and Santa Ana United Methodist Church's affordable housing project, Legacy Square. The Kennedy Commission is a broad based coalition of residents and community organizations that advocates for the production of homes affordable for families earning less than $20,000 annually in Orange County. Formed in 2001, the Commission has been successful in partnering and working with jurisdictions in Orange County to create effective policies that has led to the new construction of homes affordable to lower income working families. Ranked among the top ten least affordable metropolitan areas in the country, Orange County is suffering from an affordable housing crisis. The Kennedy Commission supported the City of Santa Ana's Housing Opportunities Ordinance, which applies to residential developments that request discretionary approval and requires 15 percent of new homes to be affordable for low and very low-income households. As such, we support National CORE's Legacy Square project, which will include affordable housing and permanent supportive housing in the Lacy neighborhood. Community engagement has been a cornerstone of this project. National Core and Santa Ana United Methodist Church engaged with Vecindario Lacy en Accion (VeLA), a grass-roots community group of Santa Ana residents who live in the Legacy Square project neighborhood, who has organized to improve the quality and availability of affordable housing in the area. Over the past few months, the Development team has facilitated discussions and provided opportunities to learn about Legacy Square at regularly scheduled VeLA meetings and has used feedback to influence the development of the Project. Specifically, VeLA advocated for additional and deeper affordability for the housing units in the project to better meet the needs of the families that are struggling to stay in Santa Ana. The community engagement events held for the Project have allowed the design to evolve into an entirely affordable project, with additional 2- and 3 -units for low-income families as well as mobility and transit improvements that will help students travel safely to school. Community residents have also agreed to advise the Development team to establish a Marketing Plan that will provide priority placement to local, low-income Santa Ana residents at Legacy Square. National CORE and Santa Ana United Methodist Church have engaged with community residents from the initiation of this project to ensure the development will serve as an asset to the community. This development will fold into this community beautifully. The Lacy neighborhood will have a new SAUSD Wellness Center and a new city park by the year 2020. The park at the intersection of 6th and Lacy will be