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

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HOUSING PLAN BUILDING DESIGN 22. Building Design Guidelines Building design is a key component of the City's overall housing strategy. Poor quality housing design, in the long term, leads to premature deterioration, adverse impacts to quality of life, poor resident health, and public opposition to new housing. Santa Ana's Citywide Design Guidelines provide specific guidance about preferred and discouraged methods ofplanning, neighborhood design, and construction. In recent years, however, planners have become increasingly aware of the need to integrate emerging concepts of sustainability, health, and wellness into how buildings are designed, built, and operated. One such effort is the Active Design Guidelines. As the City encourages new forms of housing that further health, wellness, and sustainability, new evidenced -based research offers an opportunity to amend design standards to foster sustainability, health, and wellness. 23. Green Building Recent advances in technology and environmental awareness have led to a greater understanding of how the design, construction, and operation of buildings have profound implications for energy use and global warming. Green building is the practice of creating structures and using processes that are environmentally responsible and resource efficient throughout a building's life cycle: from siting to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation, and demolition. Although CalGreen Code is now state law, the City is committed to developing a Green Building policy that incorporates sustainable concepts for housing, supports the renovation of housing with resource- efficient equipment, considers incentives for Green practices, works with developers to create demonstration projects, and provides recognition for best practices. 24. Development Review Santa Ana's urbanization has raised the awareness of the individual and cumulative impacts of land use decisions on community quality of life. Consistent with state law requirements and city policy, the City of Santa Ana requires Site Plan Review, Design Review, and Environmental Review of proposed residential projects. City staff review projects for compliance with City development standards and operating standards, building and site design standards, and potential environmental impacts. In an effort to continue to improve and protect the community's quality of life and implement healthy community best practices, the City will continue to ensure appropriate review with existing requirements and development a simplified healthy design checklist for use by planners. SANTA ANA GREEN JA& CITY OF SANTA ANA GENERAL PLAN HOUSING ELEMENT 59