3 - WORK STUDY_114 AND 117 EAST FIFTH STREET_COMMENT

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COMMENT: City's Consistency Analysis, as shown above, clearly states that “it is important that any new development not weaken the existing fabric of these long-established areas, particularly those that contain historic resources”. Toll Brothers project, with its out of scale size, weakens the ''fabric'' of the historic character of the City, especially its antique Downtown. Project scale, massing and incongruous architectural style undermines the historic character of the Downtown permanently and irrevocably. REQUEST #12: The Planning Commission must act to protect the ''fabric'' of City's historical character and return the project, as it is now designed, to the Applicant, and request that it work with the community to revise the project to reflect the scale, massing and architecture of the historic Downtown. CONSISTENCY ANALYSIS (TRANSIT ZONING CODE EIR) The design and development standards contained within the Transit Zoning Code (SD 84A and SD 84B) contain detailed requirements in regards to building types, frontage types, massing, height, architecture, accessibility, parking, street presence and landscaping. These standards are specifically designed to ensure that new development within established neighborhoods, as well as existing commercial areas, is sensitive to the existing built form of that area. (page 4.4-17) Figure 4.7-1, Land Use portion of the Transit Zoning Code EIR includes the First American site as part of the Downtown (DT) zoning. Page 4.4-18 states: The Transit Zoning Code (SD84A and SD 84B) creates a new zone, the Downtown (DT) Zone for the area generally contained within the Downtown Santa Ana National Register District...Specifically, the DT Zone limits building heights based upon the existing historic context of the buildings currently located in the Historic Downtown. The DT Zone allows for the addition of residential uses within the existing historic structures, which will contribute to the long-term economic viability of these buildings, allowing for adaptive re-use and reinvestment in these historic properties. COMMENT: The Project fails to ensure that it is sensitive to the existing built-form of the Downtown. The majority of the built=form is low, 2-story, and intimate. The current historic building heights along the south side of Fourth Street, and to its east, is only 2 stories. A 4- story building is west of the site. There is also one 3 story and several four story buildings, and a single 6-story building nearby, however none of these structures occupies more than a single corner of one block. The project proposes a 6 to7 story building, covering much more space than any of the other Downtown buildings, which is significantly different from the current built condition. REQUEST 13: Direct the Applicant to redesign its project to include lower height buildings to be sensitive to the Downtown's dramatically lower scale.