SANTA ANA : Heninger Park Area Target for Upgrading

A program designed to improve run-down neighborhoods will target the Heninger Park area as its next project, the City Council has decided.

As part of the Proactive Rental Enforcement Program, which the council approved in August, code enforcement officers will inspect rental properties in the area bounded by First Street to the north, McFadden Avenue to the south, Flower Street to the west and Main Street to the east.

The program is designed to improve neighborhood living conditions by making property owners and tenants fix potentially hazardous problems such as inadequate plumbing and faulty electrical wiring, according to Robyn Updegraff, executive director of planning and building.

Under the program, code enforcement officers inspect all residential housing units within the target area. Areas are chosen based on the number of code violation complaints, as well as calls for police and fire service.

The council voted last week to include Heninger Park in the program. It was chosen partly because it consistently generates an above-average level of calls for police and fire service, according to a Planning Department report. Additionally, residents there have complained about poor living conditions, overcrowding, sanitation problems and businesses being run from homes.