2 - COMBINED PUBLIC COMMENTS_2525 N MAIN STREET

Home Browse Search

Page 1 of 17 Dale Helvig 2536 N. Valencia St. Santa Ana CA 92706 714‐541‐7254 helvig_denny@msn.com January 10, 2019 Chairman McLoughlin and Planning Commissioners City of Santa Ana Santa Ana CA 92702 Subject: Comments on the Staff Report for the 2525 Main Residential Development The residents of Santa Ana are deeply concerned over the applicant’s desire to seek the approval of several discretionary applications for developing their property. While we aren’t opposed to development, we are opposed to the applicant asking for discretionary approvals that would allow them to create something that is supported by few, other than people receiving funds from the applicant and a few citizens of the community. We would like to see the Main Street gateway to Santa Ana pop. One idea is to have Discovery Science Center pedestrian walkway span Main St. like the one connecting the Performing Arts Center to So. Coast Plaza. Changing the General Plan is serious. The Mayor of Laguna Niguel, Elaine Gennawey, put it well when presented with a similar situation: “When you’re entering Laguna Niguel, you know you’re in Laguna Niguel, and that’s by design,” Gennawey said. “Changing the general plan should only be done when the change is to the greater benefit of the public. Increasing 35 homes to 60 is almost double the number of homes, I can’t approve the change of the general plan because it’s not for the greater benefit of the city or its residents.” We’re not Laguna Niguel, nor are we Los Angeles. We are Santa Ana and proud of it. We don’t want McMansion’s and we don’t want high density or high intensity developments encroaching upon single‐family homes like in Los Angeles. The video presentation the applicant showed the Planning Commission at the November 26th meeting said they are a locally family owned business. They are not. They live in Los Angeles with one of the “owners” living in a McMansion in an otherwise nice neighborhood.