Santa Ana : Greenleaf Street Wall Sought to Stop Parking

Residents of Greenleaf Street will seek City Council approval tonight of a plan to construct a wall at the south end of the street to keep customers of 17th Street businesses from parking in front of their homes.

They filed a petition with the city in March and have deposited checks to pay for the estimated $8,000 in construction costs with attorney Arthur Donahue, who is also a Greenleaf resident.

Most of the problems, they say, are generated by a lack of parking at Adelphi Business College and First Interstate Bank at the northeast corner of Greenleaf and 17th streets. In addition to drivers making U-turns and double parking while using the bank’s automated teller machine, cars park in driveways and leave litter on the street, said Bruce Sinclar, one of the residents.

But city officials say a wall would cause too many problems, such as restricting emergency vehicles from quick access. A recommendation for permit parking for residents was proposed last month but a staff report rejected that plan because it could bring a deluge of requests from other citizens for the same setup.

The issue will come to a head at tonight’s council meeting. “We’ve got to deal with the Planning Commission, the staff and the City Council,” said Sinclair. “We’re hoping the council will be more supportive.”