2014-006 - Santa Ana General Plan Housing Element and Public Safety Element Updates

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HOUSING CONSTRAINTS District Centers The City of Santa Ana's Land Use Element guides the long -range vision for land use and development in specific areas of the community. Areas designated District Centers are intended to serve as anchors and to be developed with a mixture of high -rise office, commercial, and residential uses. These areas provide a range of shopping, business, cultural, educational, recreational, entertainment, and housing opportunities. Residential development in District Centers is guided through the implementation of specific plans, overlay zones, and the Specific Development (SD) Zone. District Centers where development interest is strong include City Place, MacArthur Place, Transit Zoning Code area, and Metro East. City Place is adjacent to MainPlace regional mall, and includes a planned office complex and additional high intensity mixed -use development, such as the mid - rise City Place The 301 Apartments. MacArthur Place, near I -405 and SR -55, includes an existing office complex. a supportive service uses t, and recent high and mid -rise multi - family housing projects. Metro East, near I -5 and SR -22, is envisioned as a vibrant urban village with a balance of office, mixed -use and live - work units, and commercial and retail land uses connected by pedestrian and transportation linkages. Finally, the Downtown is one of the county's major employment centers, with the potential for a vibrant mixed -use and mixed - income environment benefitting from transit - oriented development at the Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center. High Density General Plan Designation The General Plan Land Use Element was amended in the late 1990s to eliminate the high density residential (HR) land use designation that supported the R -3 and R -4 zoning districts. Both these zones encompassed approximately 1,175 acres throughout the city. This action was taken to allow the City to address long -term neighborhood stabilization goals. Since that time, the City has created comprehensive design and development standards, developed programs to improve public infrastructure and traffic control, and undertaken other planning efforts to improve and rehabilitate housing. The absence of the HR land use designation does not constrain the City's ability to achieve its RHNA, nor does it constrain the production of housing. More than 80 percent of the R -3 and R -4 zones have multiple - family projects with five or more units. Although a small portion of sites are underutilized, the City has been directing more than 1,000 new multiple - family units to its SD Zone in District Centers. The Housing Element will also redesignate land for residential/mixed use along transit corridors. The Transit Zoning Code and Metro East areas will also provide additional housing opportunities. _J CITY OF SANTA ANA GENERAL PLAN HOUSING ELEMENT B -7