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Date:1/1/2026 12:02:34 PM
From:"Julie Filppi"
To:
"Public Comment" publiccomment@anaheim.net, "Ashleigh Aitken" AAitken@anahe im.ne t, "Natalie Meeks"
NMeeks@anaheim.net, "Ryan Balius" RBalius@anaheim.net, "Carlos A. Leon" CLeon@anahe im.net, "Natalie
Rubalcava" NRubalcava@anaheim.net, "Norma C. Kurtz" NKurtz@anahe im.ne t, "Kriste n Maahs"
KMaahs@anaheim.net
Subject:[EXTERNAL] Proposed Shea Development located in Festival Shopping Ce nter
Attachment:Letter to City Council Members Festival Center.doc;
Warning: This email originated from outside the City of Anaheim. Do not click links or open attachme nts unle ss you recognize the
sender and are expecting the message.
Mayor Aitken and City Council Representatives,
Please see the attached document regarding the proposed Shea Property Development in the Festival Shopping Center. Thank you for your
careful consideration in this matter.
Respectfully,
Julie Filppi
Mayor Aitken and City Council Representatives:
On October 29, 2024, the City Council denied a 498-unit Hills Preserve project specifically
citing an EIR showing evacuation times in the area already exceeding 3 hours. The council
concluded that the proposed project would become life-threatening with the added density. The
proposal of yet another 450-600 unit project less than one mile from that project would have the
same impact. I am having a hard time understanding how this proposed project is any different.
As of October 14, 2025, the California Department of Housing and Community Development
(HCD) officially certified Anaheim’s Housing Element.
Anaheim is now mandated to plan for 17,454 new housing units by 2029. The Housing Element
identifies “Candidate Sites” to meet this goal. As a resident in this VHFSHZ that has only one
way in and one way out, I sincerely hope that one of those “Candidate Sites” was not the
“potential pipeline” of a 600 unit apartment complex located in the Festival Shopping center. If
this is the case, it could put a potential 1000+ vehicle blockade in front of current residents in an
evacuation situation. Have we learned nothing from Paradise, Lahaina, and the Pacific
Palisades? Approving this project would show a total lack of understanding of how vulnerable
Anaheim residents are in a wildfire evacuation!
Per state law (SB 1035) Anaheim was required to update its Safety Element concurrently with
the Housing Element. This update must specifically address wildfire risks and identify
residential developments that lack at least two emergency evacuation routes.
I would urge you to deal with the current limited ingress/egress that exists for a safe fire
evacuation of the area BEFORE any additional high density building is approved. It would not
be prudent to put existing and hundreds more additional residents at risk. We have a problem
here that needs to be solved FIRST!
This project would have a "specific, adverse impact upon the public health or safety." This
impact is significant, quantifiable, direct, and unavoidable. There is no feasible method to
mitigate the impact other than disapproval.
The following two pages include factual/legal data of interest to read prior to your vote on this
issue on January 13, 2026. I sincerely thank you for your careful consideration of this project.
Many lives depend on your NO vote.
Sincerely,
Julie Filppi
Summary Table: Housing Law vs. Fire Zones
Law Exclusion for High Fire
Zones?How it affects Anaheim Hills
SB 330 Yes Does not apply in VHFHSZs.
SB 35 / SB 423 Yes Projects are generally ineligible in high fire risk
areas.
Builder's
Remedy No (Conditional)Can proceed unless the city proves a "specific,
adverse safety impact."
The following was taken directly from the City of Anaheim website:
Safety Element Update
Project Update
The Anaheim City Council approved Resolution No. 2023-005 on January 10, 2023 amending the Safety
Element of the General Plan
Click the link below to review the approved Safety Element document and
contact SafetyLHMP@Anaheim.net with any questions.
View Safety Element
What is a Safety Element?
A Safety Element is a key component of the City’s General Plan. The purpose of the Anaheim Safety Element is to
identify and include safety considerations during the decision-making and planning process by establishing goals and
policies as they relate to future developments within the city. These goals and policies aim to reduce personal injury
and loss of life, prevent property destruction, and reduce environmental damage throughout the community. The
Safety Element focuses on addressing potential threats associated with:
•Wildland / Urban Fire
•Earthquake
•Severe Weather (Windstorms / Extreme Heat / Drought)
•Dam Failure
•Landslide
•Flood/Storm
Why is the City Updating the Safety Element?
Safety Elements are governed by California Government Code Section 65302(g). This set of regulations governs the
how, when, and what is included in a Safety Element, and identifies the triggers for future updates. Recent additions
to the code requiring the City to update the Element include:
•SB 1241 (2014): Requires the City to address wildfire hazard issues due to the presence of Very High Fire Hazard
Severity Zones (VHFHSZ). To learn more about where these zones are located in Anaheim, view this online map.
•SB 379 (2017): Requires the City to address climate adaptation and resiliency through the preparation of a vulnerability
assessment or reliance on a Local Hazard Mitigation Plan that addresses climate adaptation risks and vulnerabilities.
•SB 1035 (2018): Aligns the update of the Safety Element with the next Housing Element update, which shall be
updated at least every eight years to address new requirements and incorporate updated information during this time.
SB 99 (2020): Requires the Safety Element to identify residential developments in any hazard area that do not have at least two
emergency evacuation routes.
Here is a recent mapping of the VHFHSZ in relation to the proposed Festival Center project. It is
clear that the building would be inside the VHFHSZ. Evacuation from this area is gridlocked in
all directions (currently 3+ hours) as witnessed in the 2017 evacuation from Canyon Fire 2.
PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT