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Chapter 13 TEXT CHANGES <br />Rationale. Preservation of ten of the existing structures proposed for demolition in the Lacy <br />Neighborhood is not feasible because it would inhibit the City's ability to meet its affordable <br />housing goals. Construction of affordable housing units is critical to meeting the City's Regional <br />Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) for 2006 -2014, and the City has an adopted policy to <br />"maximize affordable housing on Agency -owned properties that is of high quality, sustainable, and <br />available to various income levels." (Refer to Santa Ana Housing Element [2006- 2014], Policy HE- <br />2.8.) Additionally, preservation of properties within the Lacy Neighborhood may inhibit the City's <br />ability to "encourage the construction of rental housing for Santa Ana's residents and workforce, <br />including a commitment to very low, low and moderate income residents and moderate income <br />Santa Ana workers" (Policy HE -2.3) and to fulfill its policy to "facilitate and encourage a diversity <br />and range in types, prices, and sizes of housing, including single - family homes, apartments, town <br />homes, mixed /multiuse housing, transit- oriented developments, and live /work housing" (Policy <br />HE -2.4). (Refer to Santa Ana Housing Element [2006- 2014].) Further, preservation of ten of the <br />existing structures proposed for demolition in the Lacy Neighborhood would be inconsistent with <br />the primary objectives of the proposed Developer Project to "redevelop all of the Agency -owned <br />properties" and "provide new affordable housing for families in furtherance of the City's <br />affordable housing goals established in the Housing Element, the Implementation Plan for the <br />Santa Ana Merged Redevelopment Project Area, and the City of Santa Ana Consolidated Plan." <br />Regarding the suggested three -month moratorium on additional purchases, the moratorium on <br />additional purchases would significantly constrain the ability of the Developer Project to be <br />accomplished. This would result in fewer units of affordable housing as stated in the previous <br />paragraph. <br />Further, rehabilitating ten of the twenty properties under consideration for potential acquisition <br />would substantially limit the opportunity to provide new affordable housing for families in <br />furtherance of the City's affordable housing goals established in the Housing Element, the <br />Implementation Plan for the Santa Ana Merged Redevelopment Project Area, and the City of <br />Santa Ana Consolidated Plan. Further it would not enhance the streetscape and urban form of the <br />area, particularly along Santa Ana Boulevard, with the construction of new buildings that meet the <br />standards contained in the Transit Zoning Code and that support future transit planning. Nor <br />would it secure provision of public open space or facilitation of a joint use arrangement with <br />SAUSD for a new community center. Finally, it would not provide an economically viable <br />redevelopment scenario for the Agency -owned properties. Additionally, it would result in the <br />elimination of an opportunity to provide new quality housing. As a result, if demolition of the <br />properties that may be acquired by the Agency were precluded, the Redevelopment Agency would <br />not pursue their acquisition, and the benefits of the Developer Project, including the creation of <br />new public open space, the elimination of blight, and an enhancement of the streetscape, would <br />not be realized. <br />As explained above, it is not feasible to preserve ten of the existing structures proposed for <br />demolition in the Lacy Neighborhood or to rehabilitate ten of the twenty properties under <br />consideration for potential acquisition. Therefore, it would not be possible to create a rehabilitation <br />pool to be funded based on savings /cost avoidance from avoidance of moving or purchasing some <br />of the properties_ However, the Redevelopment Agency has directed its Executive Director to <br />establish a targeted residential loan program for the Lacy Neighborhood and to authorize the <br />expenditure of up to $100,000, cumulatively from various funding sources. The Agency has also <br />authorized the expenditure of up to $60,000 for cultural /historical markers to be installed in the <br />public right of way within the Station District. <br />13 -2 City of Santa Ana Transit Zoning Code (SD 84A and SD 84B) EIR <br />