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<br />Public Outreach
<br />The City of Santa Ana conducted an extensive outreach program over the
<br />course of roughly four years. The Citys motto, "Creating Community Together,"
<br />carried through as an overarching theme for each event Events included an
<br />open house, an idea fair with bus tour, attendance at neighborhood meetings,
<br />a focus group of property and business owners, a coordinated workshop with
<br />the Circulation Element Update, and a scoping meeting far the EIR.
<br />Significant input was obtained from residents, property owners, local business
<br />owners, community organizations, the local police and fire departments, the
<br />county transportation authority, and local developers. Feedback was wllecled
<br />through several methods, including individual conversations, group discussion,
<br />question and answer sessions, comment cards, and visual preference surveys.
<br />Overall thousands of people in western Santa Ana were contacted and
<br />informed about the project. Regecting the current makeup of residents around
<br />Harbor Boulevard, many materials were distributed in English, Spanish, and
<br />Vietnamese, and translators were present at multiple meetings. Hundreds of
<br />people participated directly in all three languages at the various meetings and
<br />workshops.
<br />Five topics emerged as having the greatest importance to the community:
<br />safety, land use aesthetics, transportation, and development intensity.
<br />Safety
<br />Residents and businesses voiced safety concerns regarding crime and the
<br />Interaction between pedestrians, cyclists, and motorist along the corridor.
<br />During conversations at workshops between the City's Planning and Building
<br />Agency, the Santa Ana Police Department, and members of the community,
<br />partici pants suggested increasing lighting, improving crosswalks and sidewalks,
<br />and creating safer pathways for bicyclists.
<br />Land Use
<br />The community expressed a desire for a broader range of uses that are less
<br />focused on auto dependency. Nice restaurants and sidewalk cafes were
<br />suggested to increase pedestrians on the street. Some people were excited
<br />about the possibility of creating new job opportunities along the comdor.
<br />Families in the area requested a day care facility.
<br />Many residents emphasized the need to preserve existing open space and
<br />to add more open space. The types of open spaces suggested included
<br />community gardens, rooftop spaces, larger parkways, and large open areas.
<br />Many residents and business owners agreed that new housing opportunities
<br />should be made a priority. A number of residents were skeptical of workforce
<br />housing but all agreed on the need to attract new, high quality development.
<br />Some suggested that this portion of Harbor Boulevard could support museum
<br />or hotel uses.
<br />Aesthetics
<br />Wide sidewalks, attractive landscaping, and a variety of building designs
<br />ranked as the most desirable streetscapes in the visual preferences survey.
<br />Improving the streelscape was also the topic of many discussions, comment
<br />cards, and letters received throughout the City's outreach events. In addition to
<br />improving the aesthetics of the street, enhanced landscaping and new building
<br />facades were suggested as ways to make the corridor more pedestrian friendly
<br />and to increase community pride. A local community group coined the phrase
<br />"Clean and Green Harbor Boulevard" as their vision for the corridor.
<br />Transportation
<br />Harbor Boulevard is a major roadway connector through the City and the local
<br />region. Residents and business owners understood the need to maintain a
<br />good level of service for motor vehicles while improving conditions for other
<br />forms of travel. None wanted to see Harbor Boulevard ever expanded from its
<br />current six -lane configuration to an eight -lane configuration.
<br />Many were excited and eager to see enhanced bus service came to the
<br />area, which hosts some of the busiest bus routes in all of Orange County.
<br />A bike sharing program and secure bike parking closer to businesses were
<br />recommended to promote cycling as an alternative mode of transportation.
<br />Finally, all agreed that improvements should be made to increase safety, for
<br />adults and children who walk throughout the area and along Harbor Boulevard
<br />every day.
<br />Development Intensity
<br />In general, outreach participants indicated that they envision Harbor Boulevard
<br />as a trans t -oriented candor with an urban style of development. While some
<br />preferred that the height of buildings remain limited to two stories, many
<br />residents and participants agreed on the need for and desirability of intensifying
<br />development. However, they all cautioned that it should complement the
<br />existing adjacent residential neighborhoods.
<br />Outreach Timeline
<br />Community Open House at Union building
<br />Dry Cddndl Study Session
<br />CHAPTER 2: Context
<br />Community Link Fomml Existing CMdluorls Analysis
<br />Sank Pnllz N®@it,xi Meeting
<br />October 2014 2 - l
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