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Santa Ana Building Healthy Communities Building Healthy 1505 E 1711 St, Suite 111, Santa Ana, CA 92705 Communities PHONE: (714)597-6630 1 FAX: (714)647-09011 www.sa-bhc.org February 6, 2017 Dear Mayor Pulido and Members of the City Council: Santa Ana Building Healthy Communities (SABHC) believes in equitable development that meets the needs of underserved communities and individuals through projects, programs, and policies that are inclusive in their planning and implementation, and that reduce disparities while fostering places that are healthy, vibrant, and diverse. SABHC also believe in the right of these communities to remain and thrive in Santa Ana and be safe from the unintended consequences of development that raise property values making the cost of living unaffordable, or that change the surrounding environment to where they no longer belong. We support AMCAL's proposal for several reasons: Given the housing crises, we need affordable housing to be developed immediately, and First Street is approved and ready to move forward. The rental units are 100% affordable to households earning 30% and 60% of Area's Median Income, and half of the project provides three and four bedroom units designed for larger families— a great need and almost non-existent in the Santa Ana housing market. After two years of work, the First Street Apartments project is almost a shovel ready project and prepared to apply for the tax credit financing next month to break ground this year. We know that AMCAL's proposal was approved last year by the City with unanimous approval from the Planning Commission and City Council. We also know that First Street Apartments was approved by the City Council as a companion project of the Heritage to meet the requirements of the Housing Opportunity Ordinance. As a result of The Heritage receiving recent approval to pay the in -lieu fees in phases, First Street Apartments needs the funding requested today. The City funding of $8.795 million ($2.6 million from The Heritage and $6.195 million from the City) is needed to make the tax credit application competitive for an award, similar to past projects funded by the City. First Street Apartments are also part of a key revitalization effort to develop residential uses along the First Street corridor – an important gateway for the City of Santa Ana. Our local residents deserve to be a part of this gateway and not be priced out by market rate projects in our City. Our residents can't afford to live in the newer market rate housing developed in Santa Ana. For example, at Nineteen 01, a luxury apartment