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lira 2 CONTEXT Regional and Local Context The City of Santa Ana is in the heart of Orange County. Harbor Boulevardone of the main thoroughfares in Santa Ana —spans the City and links key local and regional commercial, employment, and residential districts. Starting at the southern end of State Route (SR) 55, Harbor Boulevard travels uninterrupted for 26 miles through numerous cities in Orange and Los Angeles counties. Along its route, Harbor Boulevard serves as a critical link between major regional attractions, including the Pacific Ocean, Triangle Square in Costa Mesa, Disneyland, Downtown Anaheim, and California State University, Fullerton. With its norm –south orientation and intersection with a half dozen freeways, Harbor Boulevard carries over 40,000 cars and tucks every day and serves as a bypass for drivers traveling along SR -55 and SR -57. The Harbor Corridor Plan covers the 2.5 -mile segment of Harbor Boulevard located on the west side of Same Ana. The approximately 305 -acre planning area includes parcels adjacent to Harbor Boulevard between Westminster Avenue and Lilac Avenue, as well as parcels along Westminster Avenue, 1st Street. and 5th Street. Figures 2 -1 and 2 -2 show the location of the Specific Plan area within the regional and local contexts of Orange County and the City of Santa Ana, respectively. Santa Ana Neighborhoods Sane Ana has a rich mosaic of neighborhoods, each distinguished by its history, architecture, housing types, and amenities. The City's neighborhoods are more than simply collections of housing. Neighborhoods are the fundamental building blocks of the community. Neighborhoods are where residents fcel safe, where friendships and social ties develop, and where people identify with theircommunity. More than 60 neighborhood associations have been formed to address neighborhood issues. The Harbor Corridor Plan connects two Santa Ana neighborhoods: Riverview West (west of Harbor Boulevard) and Santa Anita (east of Harbor Boulevard). School District Most of Santa Ana is served by the Santa Ana Unified School District, but me Harbor corridor is served by Garden Grove Unified School District (GGUSO). GGUSD's enrollment boundary generally follows the Santa Ana River and allows the district to serve students in many central and northern Orange County communities. Although residents in the Specific Plan area send their children to a different school District and are somewhat physically separated from the rest of the City by the Santa Ana River, people who live along Harbor Corridor still very much identify as residents of Santa Ana. This sense of community is a testament to the City's ongoing efforts ro strengthen and support its neighborhoods and ensure their integration into the larger vision for the City. Current and Past Planning Efforts North Harbor Speck Plan In 1994, the City adopted the North Harbor Specific Plan (NHSP) to create a strong and viable commercial district along Harbor Boulevard supported by well - maintained neighborhoods. This plan addressed the same geographic area as the Harbor Corridor Plan, as well as the Willowick Golf Course and some adjacent residential neighborhoods. The NHSP established six goals: To retain and upgrade the area's commercial character while improving and expanding its role as a significant regional commercial District. To enhance and support the residential neighborhoods surrounding Harbor Boulevard. To improve vehicular and pedestrian circulation in and around the Harbor Boulevard area. To achieve an aesthetic visual consistency throughout the Harbor Boulevard area while improving and upgrading the visual image of the adjacent areas. To enhance the economic viability of the Harbour Boulevard area. To create a secure atmosphere within which business and residential communities can thrive. The NHSP identified the opportunity to capitalize on its proximity to Disneyland and other major commercial recreation and tourist attractions. As the NHSP was being prepared in the early 1990s, The Walt Disney Company announced plans to develop a new theme park named WesICOT adjacent to Disneyland. WestCOT was officially announced in 1991, and the NHSP identifies focus Harbor Mixed Use Transit Corridor Plan areas within the Specific Plan area that could capitalize on what the plan considered m be the largest private development project in the United States. Unfortunately, financial constraints led The Walt Disney Company to cancel the development of Wl In 2001, the site was developed as Disney's California Adventure Park, but the cancellation and delay of the Disney theme park negatively impacted the NHSP's ability to attract and incenfivize development. Very few uses along the corridor are currently tied into the region's major commercial recreation and tourist activities. The NHSP also recognized the existing Vietnamese community and proximity to Lime Saigon in Garden Grove. When the NHSP was adopted in 1994, the Vietnamese Catholic Church at Harbor Boulevard and Seventeenth Street was already (and remains) a regional destination for Catholics in the Asian Community. The NHSP supported the development of a new ethnic commercial center adjacent W Catholic Church, but it never came to fruition. Although the NHSP envisioned a revitalized corridor with quality commercial uses compatible with neighborhoods, progress has been limited, and land uses did not transition as planned. The dominant use along Harbor Boulevard became auto sales and service. City of Santa Are Housing Element In its Housing Element, the City of Santa Ana identifies three key transportation corridors, including Harbor Boulevard, that could support higher density housing. The selected corridors are consistent with the City's Go Local vision to promote sustainable multimodal transportation options. The Harbor Corridor Plan supports the City's Housing Element by creating the zoning framework to allow for new, compact, transit- supportive housing combined with nonresidential uses along Harbor Boulevard. Former Redevelopment Project Area The Harbor Corridor Plan area was included in a former City of Santa Ana Redevelopment Project area (adopted in 1982). The North Harbor Boulevard Redevelopment Plan comprised approximately 428 acres, generally located along Harbor Boulevard from Westminster Avenue to Kent Avenue; and along 5th Street, 1st Street, and McFadden Avenue from Harbor Boulevard to the Santa Ana River. The Norm Harbor Boulevard Redevelopment Project area was substantially developed and included a mix of older residential and strip commercial uses fronting on Harbor Boulevard, with newer commercial uses developed near 1st Street and 5th Street. As part of California's 2011 Budget Act, the State Legislature approved the dissolution of the slate's 400 plus redevelopment agencies (RDAs). After a period of litigation, RDAs were officially dissolved as of February 1, 2012. October 2014 2 -1