31B - CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT CONNIE JONES

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Artesia Pilar Neighborhood Association C/o 2234 North Pacific Avenue Santa Ana, CA 92706 August 8, 2010 Mayor Miguel Pulido City Council of Santa Ana Re: Conditional Use Permit No. 2010-12 Honorable Mayor and City Council members: I am writing to you in support of the Southwest Minority' Economic Development Association's (SMEDA) application for a conditional use permit number 2010-12 to allow the reconstruction of the Southwest Community Center for property located in the two family residential (R2) Zoning District. The Artesia Pilar Neighborhood Association held a' community meeting on July 20, 2010. The community reviewed and discussed the SMEDA plan for reconstruction. The neighborhood and residents support the request for a conditional use permit to enable SMEDA to move forward with its reconstruction. plan. Over the years, the Artesia' Pilar Neighborhood Association has struggled and fought to maintain the residential character of the neighborhood from commercial encroachment, non- conforming use and other detrimental development. The Southwest Community Center has been part of that effort to preserve the community. The Center has played a critical role in providing needed emergency and safety-net services to the poor in our neighborhood for over 25 years. As you know, the Center was burnt to the ground but the community came together to raise funds to rebuilt the Center. The Center was created by black members of the community to meet a need and has been a part of our community. They did not come from outside of Santa Ana. The neighborhood decided to support the conditional use permit and support the reconstruction. The new Center will be a great improvement. However, we would like to point out to the City Council that SMEDA does need support for services. Recently, the City has reduced funding. While SMEDA largely serves the people in the community, the homeless situation has increased since the Rescue Mission left the area and there is little or no coordinated effort to mitigate the problems in our neighborhood. The reconstruction plan will help. However, a new building alone cannot address the growing problem of the homeless. We hope the City also help SMEDA find additional resources. We urge the City Council to approve this conditional use permit to allow the reconstruction. But, we want the City Council to also note we do not support any other non-conforming use. We thank you for your attention to this and hope that you join us in supporting the efforts of SMEDA in helping the poor in Santa Ana. Sincerely, i Ruby Gonzales Woo President Artesia Pilar Neighborhood Association 31B-21 ?a