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Susana Barrios
From: Jennifer Jacobs <
Sent: Monday, October 28, 2024 4:58 PM
To: Public Comment <publiccomment@anaheim.net>
Subject: \[EXTERNAL\] Fwd: Deer canyon development project
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I forgot to add pictures from that day…
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Sent from my iPhone
Begin forwarded message:
From: Jennifer Jacobs <
Date: October 28, 2024 at 4:48:22 PM PDT
To: Publiccomment@anaheim.net
Subject: Deer canyon development project
To whom it may concern,
I have live in Anaheim Hills for the last 15 years, I even convinced my then fiancé, now
husband, to move from Santa Barbara and we are now raising our son in this wonderful
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community. We love how it only takes us a few minutes to get to everything we need,
markets, restaurants, medical, my son’s sports and other activities. We love our son’s
school and have made great friends. While we love our current home, we have been
searching for our forever home. With the pending development we have been hesitant to
buy in Anaheim Hills due to the increase in traffic and possibly more crowding in schools
and other effects this may cause. We do know there is always a risk living in the hills, but
we always had a plan. However, our experience in 2017 was very traumatic and we pray
that it never will happen again. With that being said I would like to share a bit of our
experience on the day the fire started.
I was on my way to take my 18 month old son to a class when I saw a plethora offire trucks
speeding up Serrano as I was going down towards the 91. I stopped at Target and checked,
social media, thanks to the Anaheim Buzz and Anaheim fire I was able to determined there
was a fire close so I headed home, while notifying my husband who works in Irvine, to
come home. About 30 minutes later a helicopter was over our house stating to evacuate.
While my husband was driving home he stated he saw many people not obeying traffic
laws, and this was before the true gridlock started.
We loaded up the car and quickly left with our important documents and memories, along
with medical supplies for our 18 month old. We hit traffic from The Highlands to Canyon
Rim rd, to Nohl Ranch rd all the way to the city of Orange. At one point flames were coming
over the hills where Canyon Rim intersects with Serrano. I was nervous the embers flying
may start a fire in front and block our way, and with no movement I was prepared to run.
I think it took at least 1.5 hours if not longer just to get to chick fil a in Orange, with a
screaming 18 month old in the back..it was very scary and hectic. By that time more
neighbors were trying to get home, driving the wrong way, in the medians and doing
anything they could just to get home to get their belongings and protect their loved ones.
With the 91 east closed it took me 5 hours to get up to my mom’s house in San Dimas, a
drive that should normally take a hour during heavy traffic, this did include a 20 minute
stop to feed my son.
I know the planning commission discussed the “know you way plan”, but with many
commuters who don’t “know the way plan” and neighbors who will do just about anything
including disobeying traffic laws, to protect their loved ones and property, building this
property and widening Santa Ana Canyon will only add to the chaos and traffic. Even on a
typical day Santa Ana Canyon gets back up with commuters trying to bypass the 91 traffic.
Serrano ave is congested starting at 3:30 when I leave to take my son to practice. The very
thought that when, not if, but when there is another fire and all of those commuters,
current Anaheim Hills residents and the potential new residents, get on the streets to leave
it will be even more chaotic. I have seen pictures of Paradise, please don’t let that be
us. There is a reason why it’s harder for “the hills” to take on large housing projects as
opposed to the flat lands. The infrastructure with the roads and the topography is not
conducive to high density housing. The festival center is already slated for housing.
Between that and this pending project, I can guarantee during the next fire, the know your
way plan will go to the wayside and it will be mass chaos.
Finally, during the last meeting, Lucille Kring said she would pray that a “perfect storm”
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will never happen during the next fire. While I believe in the power of prayer and pray this
never happens again, this is the perfect opportunity to be the solution and deny this
project. Approving this project will only add to the “perfect storm.”
Lucille, thank you for your prayers, at this point we will need them more than you will ever
know. I too will pray for you that you never have to experience an evacuation and I pray for
our community that we won’t have to go through one as chaotic and traumatic as the one
in 2017.
Thank you for you time,
Jennifer Williams
Sent from my iPhone
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