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property. It can provide a financial reward in the millions of dollars to Orange Lutheran High School <br />and Concordia University while preserving a historic resource like no other in the city of Santa Ana. <br />You will hear lots of things at the public hearing. Some will say the orchard is not financially viable. <br />Others will say there is no plan for utilizing the orchard if it were protected. Still others will say that <br />more homes is what Santa Ana needs. <br />I can tell you that the model used by the property owner to develop a cost /profit analysis on the <br />orchard is an outdated industrial model that is not based on sustainable agriculture principals. I <br />currently harvest from 62 citrus trees for sales at local farmers markets where I can sell them for as <br />much as $2.00 a pound. A single tree can produce hundreds of pounds of produce every year. <br />I can also tell you that the Old Orchard Conservancy has a plan to develop the Sexlinger Center for <br />Urban Agriculture that is designed in phases based on available funding. It is also designed to become <br />financially sustainable almost immediately. The Center would provide numerous services to the City <br />and its residents including becoming a clearing house for sustainable agriculture information and <br />education programs. It would provide the community with a source of local, healthy and organic food. <br />The Center would also be a source of community inspiration and civic leadership. <br />The Property could also be partially developed to provide "move up" housing for the residents of Santa <br />Ana while protecting the historic resource of orchard and farm house to an extent that maintains <br />financial viability and historic integrity. <br />Finally, the concepts of private property rights and fairness have been raised. If Martha Sexlinger had <br />chosen to write Orange Lutheran High School and Concordia University a $2000000 check would they <br />have sent it back with a note saying it isn't enough? Well in all fairness I know the owners have <br />received offers of well over the $2 million mark. I ask that you, the City Council also consider the <br />private property rights of the thousands of other property owners in Santa Ana who deserve the <br />highest quality community resources possible. Twenty -four new houses costing the loss of <br />irreplaceable open space, historic resources and sustainable healthy living options hardly achieve the <br />quality community standards you and I believe in. <br />I hope these comments help you make a difficult decision that is not typical of elected officials. One <br />that goes against the grain but that is equally the right decision. I urge you to direct staff to include a <br />true preservation alternative in the EIR. <br />In closing, you will hear the comments that this project should be approved because it has taken too <br />long already. When considering this comment, I also ask that you consider the consequences of <br />approving the project today. The time it takes to properly plan for the future of this site, is far less than <br />the eternity it could take to ever regain what is lost if it is poorly planned and developed. <br />Please feel free to call me if you have any questions. <br />Sincerely, <br />Patrick Mitchell <br />