4 - CUP19-46_3820 S FARIVEW STREET_COMMENTS

Home Browse Search

SANTA ANA NEEDS EQUITY info@saneplanning.org | Santa Ana, CA February 10, 2020 PLANNING COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF SANTA ANA 22 Civil Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92701 RE: Comments in Opposition to the Proposed Car Wash Project at Dear Chairman McLoughlin and Members of the Planning Commission of the City of Santa Ana: Santa Ana is now considering approval of a 24th car wash in the City. Santa Ana does not need another car wash! The City leaders are required to act in the interest of the City, which includes the best interests of its residents and business owners. If you do this, you must vote NO on this car wash. First, the City really need a 24th car wash? Certainly not, and this is especially true when all of the negative environmental and social impacts of car washes are considered. First, car washes like the one proposed create few new jobs, they create little to no sales tax revenue, they detract from the community’s aesthetics, and they create traffic issues and unsafe traffic conditions. They also create odors, chemicals, vibrations, noise, and air and water quality issues to the surrounding area. This proposed car wash will be located immediately adjacent to a school, so children will suffer these harms, endure the pollutants, and face these unsafe conditions! Car washes also pose serious issues for the City’s homelessness concerns. The City is already trying to deal with the staggering number of homeless within its borders. Since car washes notoriously attract the homeless, why would the City consider approving a 24th car wash? The homeless routinely flock to car washes because of the open tunnels, which they use as shelter, and the available sources of water. The homeless are regularly seen at car washes, where they sleep and defecate in the tunnels, bath and wash their belongings with the hoses, and leave behind used needles, drug paraphernalia, and other illicit materials. For all these reasons and more, other cities in southern California have enacted moratoriums to stop approval of additional car washes so that they can review their municipal code and revise the conditions and terms for approval so to minimize these environmental and social impacts on the City. In fact, Santa Ana’s councilman, Mr. Phil Bacerra, recommended just that in October of last year. We implore the Planning Commission to deny the requested approvals for this car wash, and to adopt a moratorium on all further car washes in Santa Ana, and to revise the Santa Ana Municipal Code in light of the foregoing.