2014-006 - Santa Ana General Plan Housing Element and Public Safety Element Updates

Home Browse Search

PUBLIC OUTREACH Multigenerational Housing. Due to a myriad of factors, such as culture, affordability, and shifting demographics, participants voiced their support for multigenerational housing. Collective housing was also suggested as a supportive and affordable option for young adults, single parents, and seniors. ■ Healthy Neighborhoods. Living a healthy lifestyle is important to many Santa Ana residents. Feedback received through the outreach workshops included a desire to have increased access to fresh food and open space, improved living conditions, a sense of community, and quality places for children to play. OUR COMMUNITY Although the focus of the workshop was on housing, residents felt there were additional ways to make Santa Ana a better community to live and work. Comments were made on education, congestion and transportation options, a health community, and many other concerns. Participants actively commented on how to make Santa Ana the best place to live. Common themes were: ■ Education. Most notable was the concern over the perceived poor quality of the City's public educational system. Many residents make great financial sacrifices to put their children through private education. Although improvements have been made in certain schools and neighborhoods, the public school system is also one of the main reasons why people leave Santa Ana. Transportation. Attendees felt that as the City grows, transportation will need to improve to accommodate new housing and mobility. Suggestions for transportation improvements included light rail, improved street conditions, transit services near housing, and walkable neighborhoods. Many residents wanted their streets repaired. Several residents also voiced concerns about the safety of children walking to school; they advocated for the City to make safe routes to school a priority. Density. Housing density continues to be a concern. It was mentioned at the project level (blighted projects) and the neighborhood level. There was a concern that higher density housing has been allowed to change the character and quality of life in neighborhoods. Others felt that the City must build more housing to reduce overcrowding. Crime and Safety. Crime and safety, although affecting individual neighborhoods, are citywide concerns mentioned by residents discussing future housing needs. Crime, particularly gangs and graffiti, is one reason why people move out of Santa Ana to safer suburbs. Some participants also expressed concern regarding crime at certain types of higher density housing. Healthy Community. The City should promote a healthier community. The idea means different things to different people: a city with ample parks, open space, and recreational centers; better and safer routes for people to walk or to bicycle from neighborhoods to places of interest; a smoke -free environment; and integration of public health planning into land use decisions. CITY OF SANTA ANA GENERAL PLAN HOUSING ELEMENT "Don't let the state dictate how many and what type ofhousing units we must accommodate. We need to reduce density, not increase it. We need to redevelop existing housing and increase and improve our recreational facilities... " "Find a way that would encourage people to think ahead.- yearplan, 10 yearplan, and 25- yearplan. Stop the quick fix method. "