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December 20, 2016 • • www.kennedyaonunission.org 17701 Cowan Ave„ Suite 200 Irvine, CA 92614 949 250 0909 Mayor Pulido and Santa Ana City Council Members Fax 949263 0647 City of Santa Ana 20 Civic Center Plaza P.O. Box 1988, M31 Santa Ana CA, 92701 RE: Support - 65F. IA. Option A: Public Safety and Neighborhood Improvement Committee Initiative for Skate Park and Park Development/Joint Use Dear Mayor Pulido and City Council Members: The Kennedy Commission (the Commission) is a broad based coalition of residents and community organizations that advocates for the production of homes affordable for families earning less than $20,000 annually in Orange County. Formed in 2001, the Commission has been successful in partnering and working with jurisdictions in Orange County to create effective policies that has led to the new construction of homes affordable to lower income working families. The purpose of this letter is to express support for the development of a new open space in the Lacy neighborhood. The Commission has a history of working with community residents in the Lacy neighborhood in partnership with other community-based organizations to improve the quality of life. This has included open space, affordable housing, complete streets, increased programming for children and youth, and the establishment of a Wellness District in the adjacent business improvement district. Through our work with the Santa Ana Collaborative for Responsible Development in 2010, we heard very assertively that the residents of that neighborhood wanted an open space. Since then, there has been great progress with the construction of new recreational spaces, such as the Garfield Community Center, the adjacent fitness park, and the Familias Corazones Verdes Park and Community Center. Despite these new amenities, we continue to hear from community residents that more open space is needed which prioritizes and programs outdoor activities for youth. In the past year there have been community input sessions in the Lacy neighborhood regarding the conversion of 3 parcels previously zones as residential into a.42 acre open space. In these input meetings, residents were very supportive of the idea, and consistently made a recornmendation for open space that will serve as a place for youth to recreate. Some recommendations included a skate park, a soccer field, a pool, and urban agriculture opportunities. If you consider the demographic profile of this neighborhood, you will see that resident concerns and recommendations about open space are consistent with what data reveals. According to the 2010 Census, almost half (46%) of residents in that area are under 25 years old. Additionally, the Lacy neighborhood is