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GPA No. 2016-03 & AA No. 2016-03 January 23, 2017 Page 4 Project Analysis General Plan Amendment The existing General Plan land use designation for the project area is Low Density Residential (LR -7), which only allows the construction of single-family homes or seven dwelling units per acre. In order to facilitate the future construction of a park, this land use designation needs to be changed to Open Space (0), which allows for the construction of parks, water channels, cemeteries and other open space uses. Currently, a total of 1,014.7 acres are included in this land use designation. Of this total, 358 acres of public park land are included in this land use designation. This General Plan amendment application will change this to a total of 1,015.8 acres of land. The creation of additional public open space or park area implements the City's Open Space, Parks and Recreation Element Goal 1 of providing sufficient open space to meet the recreational and aesthetic needs of the community. Furthermore the City's Land Use Element Goal 1 promotes a balance of land uses to address basic community needs and Policy 1.7 calls for the support of open space in under -served areas, such as the project site. The change to an Open Space land use designation will provide an additional 45,911 square feet or 1.1 acres of public parkland and will provide park space in a neighborhood currently under -served. Amendment Application The project area is currently zoned Single -Family Residential (R-1), which does not identify park or open space as a permitted use. The proposed zone change (amendment application) is required to change the zoning for the 1.1 acre site from Single -Family Residential (R-1) to Open Space (0) to facilitate the future park construction to serve the surrounding community. In addition, the project site is physically suitable to be developed as a park and will conform to the development standards of Division 23 (Open Space) of the Santa Ana Municipal Code (SAMC). The zone change would need to be approved in conjunction with the proposed General Plan amendment. This would result in a project that is consistent with the goals and objectives of the City's General Plan land use designation of Open Space. Because the proposed General Plan Amendment is consistent with the General Plan Open Space, Parks and Recreation Element, the zone change would be consistent with the overall visioning for the project site and immediate vicinity. In addition, the project will alleviate a disparity in access to parks and recreation in the city and will serve this park deficient neighborhood. Parks and open space offer multiple benefits. These benefits include the joy of playing in the park; social cohesion; bringing people together; improved overall physical and social health; and promote conservation values of clean air, water and land. The proposed park, when built, will assist in enacting residents into open space and community