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Minor Exception No. 2016-02 October 12, 2016 Page 2 Project Background The subject property was purchased by the Nguyen family in March of 2016. At the time of purchase, the property was developed with a single-family residence and a detached garage; however, in July of 2015, the applicant obtained demolition permits. On June 24, 2016, building permits for the new single-family residence and attached garage were issued by the Building Division. During construction, the applicant learned that electrical power needed to be obtained from across the street. Other options to provide electrical power to the property were explored by the applicant, but these other options were impractical and/or costly. Project Analvsis The applicant is requesting approval of a minor exception from SAMC Section 41-626 to allow the installation of an overhead electrical feeder in order to provide electrical service to the new residence. According to Southern California Edison (SCE), the electric utility company, the power pole currently servicing the surrounding residences is at maximum capacity and obtaining power from this pole is not feasible. To obtain power from this pole, the owner must upgrade three nearby power poles to increase capacity. These upgrades will be extremely costly to the applicant and are beyond the typical range of cost experienced by most developers of infill single-family residences in Santa Ana. In addition, the only feasible way of providing power to the new residence is from a power pole located on the south side of First Street, across the project site. Undergrounding the electrical feeder from this location will require trenching through First Street, which contains six traffic lanes and a center turn lane, resulting in the closure of First Street for numerous days creating traffic and inconveniences to the surrounding neighborhoods and the general public. Moreover, the undergrounding would impact two adjacent properties, requiring trenching through their sidewalk frontage. This option will also bear a cost to the applicant and will require permits and approval from the Public Works Agency that are also beyond the typical range of cost for developers of infill single- family residences in Santa Ana. After consulting with the Public Works Agency, undergrounding is not an option the Agency would consider. Lastly, there are existing overhead feeders throughout this segment of First Street. Approving this minor exception to allow the overhead electrical feeder will not have any negative impacts to the surrounding properties or general public welfare and will be the most feasible option to the applicant, SCE, and the City. Public Notification The project site is located within the Riverview West Neighborhood Association. The President of this association was notified by mail 10 days prior to this public hearing. The project site itself was posted with a notice advertising this public hearing, a notice was published in the Orange County Reporter and mailed notices were sent to surrounding property owners and tenants within 500 feet of the project site, as well as concerned citizens listed on the Permanent Notification List.