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LS 12.15.16 <br />ORDINANCE NO. NS -2906 <br />AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY <br />OF SANTA ANA APPROVING AN AMENDMENT TO <br />PROVISIONS OF CHAPTER 41 OF THE SANTA ANA <br />MUNICIPAL CODE RELATING TO THE REQUIREMENT <br />OF UNDERGROUND UTILITY INSTALLATIONS <br />THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA ANA DOES ORDAIN AS <br />FOLLOWS: <br />Section 1. The City Council of the City of Santa Ana hereby finds, determines <br />and declares as follows: <br />A. The Santa Ana Municipal Code (SAMC) requires updates periodically in order <br />to streamline requirements and procedures and/or gain compliance with new <br />state or federal legislation. <br />B. In a continuing effort to establish high-quality development standards and to <br />create a user friendly environment for residents and the business community <br />within the city, the Planning Division is proposing revisions to various sections of <br />Chapter 41. <br />C. After a thorough analysis of the current code requirements in the city, staff <br />identified a code amendment and additions necessary to ensure clear, uniform, <br />and legally consistent regulations for various sections of the SAMC. The <br />proposed changes and additions will enable the City to implement a regulatory <br />framework that both protects the health, safety, and welfare of the city and limits <br />undue strain on home owners, business operators and developers. <br />D. Section 41-626 of the SAMC requires that all utility cables, wires, or feeds be <br />placed underground for certain projects, including new or relocated buildings, <br />additions to existing structures, conversions of buildings to other uses, and <br />changes or increases to services. Currently, this section of the SAMC requires <br />undergrounding of utility cables for any building addition in excess of 25 percent, <br />including residential additions above this threshold. The proposed code <br />amendment would increase the threshold to 50 percent for residential (one -family <br />or two-family/duplex) structures, and would keep the 25 percent threshold for <br />multi -family and non-residential structures. Moreover, the amendment will clarify <br />that the provisions requiring undergrounding of utility cables do not apply when a <br />second/accessory dwelling unit is being constructed <br />Ordinance No. NS -2906 <br />Page 1 of 4 <br />