10 (125)You don't often get email from joe.branche@yahoo.com. Learn why this is important
Date:2/28/2026 6:57:08 PM
From:"Joe Branche" joe.branche@yahoo.com
To:
"Public Comment" publiccomment@anaheim.net, "Ashleigh Aitken" AAitken@anahe im.ne t, "Carlos A. Leon"
CLeon@anaheim.net, "Ryan Balius" RBalius@anaheim.net, "Natalie Rubalcava" NRubalcava@anahe im.net, "Norma
C. Kurtz" NKurtz@anaheim.net, "Kristen Maahs" KMaahs@anaheim.net, "Natalie Meeks" NMe e ks@anaheim.net
Subject:[EXTERNAL] Festival Project – Traffic and Evacuation Concerns Ahead of March 3 Vote
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Dear Mayor and Members of the City Council,
I am writing in advance of the March 3 consideration of the Festival project in Anaheim Hills to reiterate and clarify my concerns regarding traffic and
evacuation impacts.
My concern is straightforward. I do not believe the traffic impact and evacuation analysis being relied upon adequately reflects current, real-world
conditions in our area.
The theater on the Festival site has not been in regular use for some time. Even when operational, it primarily drew patrons from within the surrounding
community and did not represent a sustained, permanent increase in daily vehicle volume. In contrast, the current proposal introduces an ongoing and
concentrated traffic load into a corridor that is already experiencing routine gridlock.
We have lived in this area for approximately five years, and traffic conditions have deteriorated substantially even within that short period. Congestion is
no longer occasional. It is daily. Any evaluation that assumes off-peak movement or theoretical flow rates does not align with lived experience on these
roads.
More importantly, emergency planning cannot assume convenient timing. A wildfire will not occur at an ideal hour. If evacuation coincides with rush hour
congestion, the consequences would be severe. While I appreciate the City’s efforts to improve preparedness since 2017, the proposed “Know Your
Way” concept remains unproven under worst-case conditions. Neighbors who experienced the Canyon Fire have shared deeply concerning accounts of
evacuation bottlenecks that exposed serious vulnerabilities.
Before approving additional density in a high fire-risk area with known congestion constraints, I respectfully urge the Council to require a deeper, stress-
tested analysis that evaluates evacuation capacity during peak traffic conditions rather than modeled averages.
I would also respectfully ask for clarity regarding precedent. The SALT development proposal at Deer Canyon was rejected based in part on concerns
about traffic impact and strain on infrastructure in this same general area. From a resident’s perspective, the Festival proposal presents similar issues.
To date, no one has clearly articulated how this project materially differs in a way that substantially changes the risk profile. If the Council’s assessment
has shifted, I believe residents deserve a clear explanation of why.
Finally, I ask that you weigh the input of the residents you were elected to represent. Many of us in District 6 have raised consistent concerns about
traffic congestion and evacuation safety. These concerns reflect daily lived experience and legitimate public safety considerations. As our District 6
representative and as Mayor, your leadership carries particular importance in ensuring those concerns are fully heard and meaningfully addressed before
irreversible decisions are made.
This is not about opposing development categorically. It is about ensuring that public safety, particularly evacuation feasibility under worst-case
conditions, is evaluated with the highest level of rigor. With wildfire risk increasing year after year, this is an area where assumptions carry real
consequences.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Joe Branche