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LS 11.14.16 <br />ORDINANCE NO. NS -XXX <br />AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY <br />OF SANTA ANA APPROVING AN AMENDMENT TO <br />PROVISIONS OF CHAPTER 41 OF THE SANTA ANA <br />MUNICIPAL CODE RELATING TO THE REQUIREMENT <br />OF UNDERGROUND UTILITY INSTALLATIONS <br />THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA ANA DOES ORDAIN AS <br />FOLLOWS: <br />Section 1. The City Council of the City of Santa Ana hereby finds, determines <br />and declares as follows: <br />A. The Santa Ana Municipal Code ($AMC) requires updates periodically in <br />order to streamline requirements and procedures and /or gain compliance with new state <br />or federal legislation. <br />B. In a continuing effort to establish high- quality development standards and <br />to create a user friendly environment for residents and the business community within <br />the city, the Planning Division is proposing revisions to various sections of Chapter 41. <br />C. After a thorough analysis of the current code requirements in the city, staff <br />identified a code amendment and additions necessary to ensure clear, uniform, and <br />legally consistent regulations for various sections of the SANK. The proposed changes <br />and additions will enable the City to implement a regulatory framework that both <br />protects the health, safety, and welfare of the city and limits undue strain on home <br />owners, business operators and developers. Staff analyzed several projects including <br />small residential additions, major residential additions, and the construction of <br />second /accessory dwelling units. Several projects had been affected with the high cost of <br />providing underground utilities or having to apply for a waiver, which meant that continuing <br />construction, was determined by the amount of time it took to have the waiver reviewed <br />and by the final decision to approve or the deny the application. <br />D. Section 41 -626 of the SAMC requires that all utility cables, wires, or feeds be <br />placed underground for certain projects, including new or relocated buildings, additions to <br />existing structures, conversions of buildings to other uses, and changes or increases to <br />services. Currently, this section of the SAMC requires undergrounding of utility cables for <br />any building addition in excess of 25 percent, including residential additions above this <br />threshold. For many of the projects that are approved over - the - counter, the 25% threshold <br />is often seen when property owners wish to add a master bathroom, a family room, or <br />even one bedroom. The proposed code amendment would increase the threshold to 50 <br />Ordinance No. NS -XXX <br />Page 1 of 5 <br />75A -8 <br />