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GPA No. 2016-03 & AA No. 2016-03 <br />January 23, 2017 <br />Page 4 <br />Prolect AnalvsIs <br />General Plan Amendment <br />The existing General Plan land use designation for the project area is Low Density Residential (LR,7), <br />which only allows the construction of single-family homes or seven dwelling units per acre. In orderto <br />facilitate the future construction of a park, this land use designation needs to be changed to Open <br />Space (0), which allows for the construction of parks, water channels, cemeteries and other open <br />space uses. Currently, a total of 1,014.7 acres are included in this land use designation. Of this total, <br />358 acres of public park land are Included in this land use designation, This General Plan <br />amendment application will change this to a total of 1,015,13 acres of land, <br />The creation of additional public open space or park area implements the City's Open Space, Parks <br />and Recreation Element Goal I of providing' sufficient open space to meet the recreational and <br />aesthetic needs of the community. Furthermore the City's Land Use Element Goal 1 promotes a <br />balance of land uses to address basic community needs and Policy 1.7 calls for the support of open <br />space in under -served areas, such as the project site. The change to an Open Space land use <br />designation will provide an additional 45,911 square feet or 1.1 acres of public parkland and will <br />provide park space in a neighborhood Currently under -served. <br />Amendment Application <br />The project area is currently zoned Single -Family Residential (R-1), which does not Identify park or <br />open space as a permitted use. The proposed zone change (amendment application) is required to <br />change the zoning for the 1.1 acre site from Single -Family Residential (R-1) to Open Space (0) to <br />facilitate the future park construction to serve the surrounding community. In addition, the project site <br />is physically suitable to be developed as a park and will conform to the development standards of <br />Division 23 (Open Space) of the Santa Ana Municipal Code (SAMC). <br />The zone change would need to be approved in conjunction with the proposed General Plan <br />amendment. This would result in a project that is consistent with the goals and objectives of the <br />City's General Plan land use designation of Open Space. Because the proposed General Plan <br />Amendment is consistent with the General Plan Open Space, Parks and Recreation Element, the <br />zone change would be consistent with the overall visioning for the project site and immediate <br />vicinity. <br />In addition, the project will alleviate a disparity in access to parks and recreation in the city and will <br />serve this park deficient neighborhood. Parks and open space offer multiple benefits. These <br />benefits include the joy of playing in the park; social cohesion; bringing people together; improved <br />overall physical and social health; and promote conservation values of clean air, water and land. <br />The proposed park, when built, will assist in enacting residents into open space and community <br />75A-6 <br />