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Susana Barrios
From:Kristi Tanaka <turningtanaka@gmail.com>
Sent:Monday,
To:Public Comment
Subject:\[EXTERNAL\] Opposition to the Dear Canyon Project
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Hello,
My name is Kristi Tanaka. I am a resident of Anaheim Hills, and I have lived here for over 27 years.
My adult children have lived here their entire lives.
I am deeply opposed to the Deer Canyon Project for a multitude of reasons.
My greatest opposition stems from the desire to maintain the open and natural spaces of Anaheim
Hills, as well as keeping a more small-town feel, over a big city atmosphere. In fact, these are
qualities that founding the city of Anaheim Hills were based on- and a significant reason that many
people including myself have chosen to call this city our home. If we wanted to live in a congested,
downtown-like area, with high-rises and rooftop bars perhaps we would have chosen to live in places
like Anaheim, and not Anaheim Hills.
In addition to calling Anaheim Hills my home for most of my life- I’m also a small business owner here
in the community. I love our community and I have a sincere desire to see it thrive.
I have environmental concerns; these include geological environment issues such as landslides and
drainage and erosion, wildlife including animals and birds, and significant scenic and natural
resources such as trees, rocks, outcroppings, and native plants.
Along the proposed area of development lies the Deer Canyon Preserve, as well as many of
Anaheim’s Riding and Hiking Trails, including the Four Corners trail which contains backbone trails,
regional trails, feeder trails and scenic corridors, with overlay and underlying zones. These are
areas that the city has designated as being of distinctive scenic importance- which means that they
also shall implement local government agency actions for the protection, preservation, and
enhancement of the natural scenic assets of these areas as vital and valuable resources to the
community. As you already know- In conformance with the city of Anaheim and County of Orange
Master Plans- development plans must be conducted by a registered engineer and geologist,
as required by the Hillside Grading Ordinance for the city of Anaheim, and then approved by a
city engineer.
I have not been able to find any records to show that this has taken place- nor having been approved.
In addition to seeing this aspect of the development plans, I would also like to see/inquire about the
drainage study that has been approved by the planning commission- (If one exists) I am also
interested in seeing the planning department's approval of A specimen tree permit which includes
the site plan showing the location of specimen trees which are the protected Eucalyptus, Pepper,
Sycamore, and Oak trees - which are to be removed, relocated, or replaced, the report from a
certified arborist, and the list of replacement trees.
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A further and more devastating environmental impact exists- the proposed area of development lies
approximately 1.1 miles away from the devastating Santiago Landslide in Anaheim Hills, which
occurred in 1993 and has continued to make a significant impact to this area today. The
Environmental Analysis conducted in 2004 shows that the proposed area of development includes
known landslide geology. This area also includes earthquake induced landslide potential.
Rezoning this area for residential construction places unnecessary risk and possible immense danger
on our community.
I am concerned about the infrastructure strain, specifically- the traffic congestion and pressure on
public services including police and fire departments, and moreover- where will kids from these
potential 500+ families go to school? The current enrollment at just one of the local elementary
schools is 727 students. The average number of children in a California family is 2. That means the
potential for roughly 1000 new students in our local schools. Our local schools’ classrooms are
already bursting at the seams with students.
Residents of Anaheim Hills and surrounding areas who navigate Santa Ana Canyon Road are
familiar with the extreme traffic that occurs on any day during times of rush hour. We are also not
strangers to the congestion that occurs during any of the times of school drop-off or pickup from any
of the nearby schools. Not to mention the severe traffic jams that have taken place during times of
accidents, or evacuations. Literal grid-lock- and mayhem along Santa Ana Canyon Road keeps
residents from safely navigating to and from their homes. I know I am not alone in having a real
concern for another potential 500+ families needing to utilize Santa Ana Canyon Road as their only
access road to and from their residences. The evacuation route is already a stressed and heavily
impacted route. The average car ownership in Orange County is 2 cars per household. This means
the potential for at least another 1000 cars in this dense development exists. This does not account
for all the deliveries, maintenance, and extra congestion that will come from 500 new families. It will,
of course, contribute negatively to the infrastructure of the community. There is no possible way or
perspective to put a positive spin on that.
In the plans for the Hills Preserve, there is a section Titled Growth Element- which states the
possibility for more space being utilized for commercial land and office space. This is not in alignment
with the neighborhood feel that the residents of Anaheim Hills desire. The plans have offered a
disguised narrative by using words like “benefit” and phrases such as “smaller developmental
footprint” and “improve the neighborhood”. Anaheim Hills does not need more new housing
developments, specifically- it is irresponsible and unreasonable to the current residents who already
feel the impact of our community’s growth. In Anaheim Hills and surrounding areas, there are
currently over 750 active residential real estate listings- with diverse options ranging from $60k -
$7.8m Our community is not in need of more housing, or commercial development.
What our community does need is an emphasis on preserving the green and natural spaces that
currently exist. We need to focus on the families and businesses that are currently here and trying to
thrive. We need to shift our focus towards a thriving community by turning away from the justification
for more, bigger, more, more, more, and ultimately- greed.
I hope that my concerns will be heard and seriously considered. Our community desires for the
preservation of our safety, and lifestyle and the preservation of the land where we live, love, learn,
work, and play. We hope that you will consider our numerous concerns, and do what is best for our
community and the people who live here- and not with the interest of filling the pockets of private
investors, pursuing special interests, or increasing corporate bottom lines.
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Thank you,
Kristi Tanaka
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