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Date:2/2/2026 3:25:27 PM
From:"Terry Hanly"
To:"Public Comment" publiccomment@anaheim.net
Subject:[EXTERNAL] Opposition to Festival Center Development – Public Safety and Fire Evacuation Risks
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Dear Mayor and Members of the Anaheim C ity Council,
I am writing to formally a nd s trongly oppos e the propos ed Fes tiva l Center development a t the former Fes ti val Shoppi ng C enter s i te due
to s erious , unres olved public s a fety and eva cuation concerns .
This project is propos ed within a Very High Fire Hazard S ev erit y Z on e, a n a rea tha t ha s a lrea dy demons tra ted dang erous limita tions i n
ing res s , eg res s , and eva cuation capacity. Exis ting res idents of Anaheim Hills a re well a wa re tha t eva cuati on during a wi l dfire or other
emerg ency is alrea dy difficult and, at times , uns afe. Adding a larg e, hig h-dens ity devel opment in thi s loc a tion wi l l onl y wors en thos e
conditions .
The C ity ha s not demons trated that evacua tion s a fety for exis ting res idents will be mai nta ined, let a l one i mproved, by thi s project. Prior
analys es ha ve relied on flawed t raffic calcu lat ion s, a s s umptions that do not reflect rea l-worl d emerg enc y c ondi tions , a nd mi tig ati on
meas ures that ha ve not been proven effective during a n a ctua l evacua tion. A t hree-ho u r ev acu at io n w in d o w is u n ac cep t ab le,
particula rly in a n a rea prone to fa s t-moving wildfires .
Additionally, reliance on “Know Your Way” prog rams or “s helter in place” s tra tegies is not humane, enforc ea bl e, or appropriate i n a
s evere fire zone. Thes e approa ches do not s ubs titute for a dequa te infras tructure, s a fe eva c ua tion routes , or g uara nteed emerg ency
vehicle acces s . C urrent plans fail to s how s ufficient ca pa city for emerg ency res pons e vehic l es or s afe res i dent es cape duri ng a cri s is .
Approving this development would place exis ting res idents at increa s ed and unneces s a ry ri s k. C ity C ouncil members are el ected to
repres ent the s afety a nd well-being of res idents , not to accommodate development tha t c ompromis es public s afety.
Until the C ity can provide a tran sparen t , ind epen den t ly v erified , and demon st rably effect iv e ev ac u at io n an d em er g en c y acc ess
p lan , approval of the Fes tival C enter project s hould be denied or delayed. Public s a fety mus t come before inc reas ed dens ity.
I urg e you to a ct res pons ibly a nd protect the res idents of Anaheim Hills by oppos ing thi s devel opment in its c urrent form.
Sincerely,
Teres a Hanly
C ouncil Dis trict 6