10 (127)Date:2/28/2026 7:40:52 PM
From:"annawentges@icloud.com" annawentges@icloud.com
To:
"Public Comment" publiccomment@anaheim.net, "Ashleigh Aitken" AAitken@anaheim.net, "Carlos A. Leon"
CLeon@anaheim.net, "Ryan Balius" RBalius@anaheim.net, "Natalie Rubalcava" NRubalcava@anaheim.net, "Norma C. Kurtz"
NKurtz@anaheim.net, "Kristen Maahs" KMaahs@anaheim.net, "Natalie Meeks" NMee ks@anaheim.net
Subject:[EXTERNAL] Please vote NO on the Shea/Festival Center apartments – It's a safety issue
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Dear Council Member,
I am writing to you as a resident of Anaheim to ask you to please vote "No" on the proposed apartments at the Anaheim Hills Festival Center. I lived here during
the Canyon Fire 2 in 2017, and I will never forget the feeling of being stuck in my car, watching the smoke and flames moving closer, ash raining from the sky, and
literally not moving for over an hour, taking 3.5 hours from the top of Serrano to the post office corner St Ana Canyon and Marguerite!
If I didn’t have my cat in the car I would’ve abandoned it! It wasn't just "traffic"—it was a total standstill. The thought of adding hundreds of new apartments and
about 1000+ more people to that exact same escape route is terrifying to those of us who have actually been in that situation.
The reports for this project say that adding these cars will "only" add about 7 minutes to the evacuation time. But when you're already stuck for three hours and
the fire is moving toward you, 7 minutes is a lifetime. We don't have extra roads or "secret" ways out of the Hills; we all end up on the same few lanes. And in this
case for ‘safety’ reasons Serrano was closed going down to Cannon! Adding more people to a neighborhood that is already a bottleneck during a fire just feels
like a tragedy waiting to happen.
I understand that the city needs housing, but it shouldn't be built in a place where people are already struggling to get out safely. Please don't make an existing
danger even worse just for a new development. We are asking you to prioritize the lives and safety of the people who already live here and pay taxes here.
P lease also bear in mind the enormously increased traffic caused by commuters and commercial vehicles heading toward Corona and Riverside, utilizing our roads
as a shortcut to avoid the 91! This creates a huge back up on Santa Ana Canyon Rd at any time of day, and especially during rush hour!
I most sincerely ask you for your sympathetic and careful consideration of the dire facts at hand, with possibly irreparable consequences!
Much appreciated,
Sincerely,
Anna Wentges
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