SANTA ANA : City Restricts Area’s Apartment Density

To reduce overcrowding in central city neighborhoods, the City Council has unanimously approved an amendment to the general plan restricting the building of high-density apartment complexes.

The amendment reduces the number of apartment units allowed from 35 to 15 per acre in the city’s downtown and Civic Center areas.

“This is part of our strategy to bring the quality of life back to our residential neighborhoods,” said Mayor Daniel H. Young, referring to the council’s passage of the general plan amendment.

Elsewhere in the city, developers have been limited for several years to seven apartment units per acre.

Officials have blamed high-density development near the Civic Center and downtown for widespread parking problems, higher crime, and delays in fire and police responses to emergencies. For years, high-density complexes have been approved by the council, a move that Councilman Ron May says has come back to haunt the city.

“I think it’s obvious that the sins of the past are now paying a visit to us,” May said. “We allowed developers to come in and make a fortune.”

The new development restrictions were protested by five property owners who are seeking approval to build apartments in the downtown area. They asked the council to exempt them from the new rules, claiming they have spent thousands of dollars in architectural and building fees.

The council agreed to refund up to $1,200 to each of the landowners for building and processing fees paid to the city.

Of the 19 apartment projects under way in the Civic Center and downtown area, officials said, only six will be allowed to proceed under the old, 35-units-per-acre density rules. The rest will have to reduce the size of their projects to comply with the new law.

“Those people can always apply for an amendment to the general plan and we can look at their projects on an individual basis. If they have merit, we will consider them,” said Young.