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Feb 11, 2019 <br />Santa Ana City Council, <br />I oppose the proposed 476 unit multi -family development at 2525 Main Street for many reasons. <br />1. The site backs up onto the Park Santiago neighborhood. This is a big deal and the City of Santa <br />Ana Planning Department has not taken this into account as much as they should. When you <br />change zoning and the General Plan you are in effect breaking a contract with the local <br />community who had no reason to believe that there would not be a level of continuity in the <br />City's plans. A decision of this magnitude should not be taken lightly. The current zoning of <br />Office/Professional is the correct zoning for that parcel as the effects on the surrounding <br />neighborhood, when viewed over a twenty-four hour period seven days a week, are much less <br />significant than a 476 unit 6 story apartment building. I have owned apartments for the past 22 <br />years, my parents owned apartments when I was growing up, and so I know a few things about <br />the effects of apartments. One thing that I can state unequivocally is that apartment dwellers <br />have lots of cars and they will park those cars in the most convenient places to them. In the <br />case of 2525 Main St., this means that tenants of that building will be parking their cars in the <br />Park Santiago neighborhood even if they have dedicated parking spaces in the proposed 8 story <br />parking structure located in the center of the apartment complex. Why ? Because it's more <br />convenient. Nobody likes parking in tall parking structures and the currently proposed single <br />access "right in, right out" on Main Street will cause congestion as tenants of 2525 Main Street <br />attempt to make a right turn followed by a difficult sprint to the first left hand turn lane so that <br />they can make an immediate U-turn so that they can reach the 5 Freeway. The current design is <br />horrible and I question the competence of the City's Traffic Engineer if he thinks this design is <br />manageable. <br />2. The applicant wants to use Specific Development language of the Santa Ana Municipal Code in <br />order to change the zoning to a customized zoning to fit his proposed building. I DO NOT THINK <br />THIS IS LEGAL. If you read the language of this code contained in Division 26 — (SD) SPECIFIC <br />DEVELOPMENT, Sec 41-593.1— Purpose and Intent, it is very clear that the SPECIFIC <br />DEVELOPMENT language cannot be used for this zoning change. Some highlights: "The Specific <br />Development District and suffix is authorized and established for the purpose of protecting and <br />promoting the public health, safety and general welfare of the city and its residents by:.. . <br />Recognizing the interdependence of land values and aesthetics and providing a method to <br />implement this interdependence in order to maintain the values of surrounding properties and <br />improvements and encouraging excellence of property development, compatible with the <br />general plan for, and character of, the city, with due regard for the public and private interests <br />involved." In the opinion of hundreds of concerned neighbors who live in the Park Santiago <br />neighborhood Including myself, as well as Real Estate Professionals such as Phil Schaefer of <br />