CORRESPONDENCE - 75E (IN OPPOSITION)

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Rece1VQd at City Counci Meeting 2/19/2l 019 On November 16, 2017 at 7:47:34 PM, Darcie L. Cancino ( wrote Dear Sir and Madam, As a 20 -year resident of the Park Santiago neighborhood, 1 am strongly opposed to the proposed high- density housing development of 2525 North Main Street. This development will involve an unsightly 6 - story multifamily housing project comprised of over 500 living units and an 8 -story parking garage designed to accommodate over 900 hundred vehicles. Below you will find my detailed objections. Increased Traffic on Main Street and in the City of Santa Ana and Vicinity The section of Main Street between the 5 freeway on -ramps and Memory Lane is chronically congested, particularly south bound during afternoon rush hour. The addition of over 1,000 vehicles (at minimum) to this area will result in paralyzing gridlock and will be detrimental to the civic center, local businesses and museums, impede access to CHOC and St. Joseph's, and hinder anyone — residents and those employed in the area — who are trying to access the freeway or drive through the area. Congestion will impede emergency vehicles and will also increase congestion on already clogged 5, 22, and 55 freeways. Traffic in Park Santiago As things stand today, our charming, quiet neighborhood suffers daily from pass-through commuters seeking to avoid congestion on 17th Street and other major arteries by using our streets as short-cuts from Main to Grand. There are high incidents of speeding and running of stop signs, and the accompanying dangers and disruption this issue presents. Adding a high density housing project on the edge of our neighborhood with over 1,000 vehicles making at least twice daily trips is going to result in an explosion of additional traffic problems. Additionally, there are no services near the location of the planned development. Residents of this housing project will be forced through Park Santiago neighborhood, traversing Edgewood, Santiago, Grovemont, Lincoln, and Santa Clara to attempt to cross the train tracks in order to access fuel and groceries, which will have a significant harmful impact on current residents and the safety of pedestrians, including children and pets, walking and biking throughout the neighborhood. Moreover, these drivers are less likely to be invested in the well being of the existing residents, thus will be even more reckless and create dangerous situations for our homeowners. Parking on Edgewood and Throughout the Neighborhood With no amenities within walking distance of Edgewood and Main, it seems highly unlikely that the residents (and visitors, and staff) will limit themselves to an average of 1.76 vehicles per unit. Assuming that each unit actually has an average of two vehicles, there will be an overflow of at minimum 124 cars that will have to park on Edgewood or the surrounding residential streets. If the average number of vehicles is three per unit, this will be an additional 641 vehicles parked in front of our homes. We simply cannot absorb the additional parking for all these vehicles nor should we be subjected to the trash, noise, and disruption to the peace that will invariably result. Environmental Impact Orange County and Santa Ana in particular are not prepared to accommodate dense urbanization. We completely lack viable public transportation options, and our infrastructure is aging and ill equipped to handle thousands and thousands of additional residents. Drastic population increases will strain scant water and energy resources, clog our freeways and streets with additional automobile traffic (which will be idling and pumping additional emissions into the atmosphere due to gridlock), increase waste and refuse, and harm local species of birds and small wild animals such as raccoons and possums. Santiago Park is a unique rustic treasure protected by our neighborhood. A huge apartment complex on its edge will be an environmental disaster. The Unique History. Charm and Culture of Park Santiago Park Santiago is a historical gem of a neighborhood here at the north end of Santa Ana. We have a number of elements that all create a tight knit, family centered community. Park Santiago has: 2�l