Open Space Element

The purpose of the Open Space Element is to identify, preserve, and add open space areas that provide value to the community and enrich the quality of life. Such lands or waters provide value in the form of recreation, health, biodiversity, wildlife conservation, and aesthetics. Additionally, open spaces are used for climate change mitigation and adaptation, flood risk reduction, managed natural resources production, agricultural production, and protection from hazardous conditions. The Open Space Element will guide the City in its efforts to plan for open space lands in what is largely a built-out, urban environment.

Open space is a limited and valuable resource that provides multiple benefits to those living and working in Santa Ana. It provides a place of relaxation and reprieve from the urban environment. It also offers a place to gather, celebrate, learn, or exercise, whether one is alone, with friends or family, or with other members of the community. Open space is so important that its presence (or absence) can profoundly shape the physical, social, mental, and economic health and well-being of our communities.

The City boasts dozens of parks and joint use facilities, hundreds of recreational programs and classes, and miles of off-street trails weaving through neighborhoods and along the Santa Ana River. These varied resources provide hundreds of acres for public open space and recreation.

The City continues to explore ways to provide more open space and a more equitable distribution across our many communities. The demands for new open space and the pressures on existing open space will rise alongside planned growth on our corridors and around current and future activity centers.

To create more open space in an urban environment where nearly every parcel is developed requires new approaches, creative solutions, and strong partnerships. A parks master plan is underway to better define and guide the City’s strategies and investments in the coming years. The City will also continue to engage with regional partners to expand the public use and connectivity of the Santa Ana River Parkway.

Through the community engagement process for this General Plan, participants identified numerous open space considerations and values that they believe should form the basis of and be addressed by this element. Specifically, participants highlighted the following topics, areas of concern, and/or community strengths:

• More open space and community centers
• More equitable distribution of open space
• Improve park safety and accessibility
• Enhance facility maintenance
• Increase public events and programming
• Expand senior services

Provide an integrated system of accessible parks, recreation facilities, trails, and open space to serve the City of Santa Ana.

• Policy OS-1.1
  Park Master Plan
  Create and regularly update a citywide parks master plan to provide guidance for the acquisition, development, maintenance and programing of parks, recreation facilities, trails and open space to meet community needs.
  
• Policy OS-1.2
  Parks and Recreation System
  Provide and support a comprehensive and integrated network of parks, recreation facilities, trails, and open space that is diverse, with a variety of active and passive recreational opportunities.
  
• Policy OS-1.3
  Park Standard
  Establish and maintain public parks, open space and recreation requirements for new residential and nonresidential development to provide sufficient opportunities for Santa Ana residents and visitors. Attain a minimum of three acres of land per 1,000 persons residing in the City of Santa Ana.
  
• Policy OS-1.4
  Park distribution
  Ensure that all City residents have access to public parks, recreation facilities, or trails in the City of Santa Ana, within a 10-minute walking and biking distance of their homes. Prioritize park provision, programs, and partnerships in park deficient and environmental justice areas.
  
• Policy OS-1.5
  Park and Open Space Types
  Provide a mix of community, neighborhood, and special-use parks, along with greenway corridors, natural areas, and landscape areas, to meet community needs for greenspace, recreation space, social space, and trail connectivity.
  
• Policy OS-1.6
  Park Access and Connectivity
  Create a Safe Routes to Parks program that establishes and enhances access to existing and new parks and recreation facilities through safe walking, bicycling, and transit routes.
  
• Policy OS-1.7
  Trail Connectivity
  Collaborate with other City agencies, partners, and regional entities to provide, and connect regional and local trails, travelways, and access corridors to support recreation, active transportation, and park and program access. Consider greenways along the OC Streetcar route, flood control channels, and other underutilized sites.
  
• Policy OS-1.8
  Land Acquisition and Equitable Distribution
  Acquire available lands for parks, open space, greenways and trail corridors, with priority given to sites that are within park deficient and environmental justice areas.
  
• Policy OS-1.9
  New Development
  Require all new development to provide adequate parks and open space, including via parkland dedication or development fees, in order to meet the City’s park standard. Ensure that new development includes pedestrian and multi-modal travelways to promote a quality living environment. For new development within park deficient and environmental justice areas, prioritize the creation and dedication of new public parkland over the collection of impact fees.
  
• Policy OS-1.10
  Creative Solutions for Deficiencies 
  Develop creative and flexible solutions to provide greenspace and recreation activities in park-deficient neighborhoods. Encourage private and commercial recreational facilities that are physically open to the public and are affordable to residents of surrounding neighborhoods, and serve community needs.
  
• Policy OS-1.11
  Funding Sources
  Explore and pursue all available funding, including nontraditional funding sources, for park acquisition, facility development, programming, maintenance of existing and new parks, and to increase investment per resident and meet the City’s park standard of three acres per 1,000 residents. Set aside park funding to have monies on hand to acquire and develop parkland when opportunities arise and to leverage grant options.
  
• Policy OS-1.12
  Shared Use
  Collaborate with school districts, faith-based communities, and community serving organizations to expand shared use facilities through cooperative agreements to maximize recreation options.
  
• Policy OS-1.13
  Water Features
  Maintain, protect, and program the City’s lakes, river and creek to support recreation, resource and water quality protection, and community aesthetics.
  

Provide welcoming, inclusive, safe, and healthy parks, recreation facilities, and activities to serve Santa Ana residents regardless of age, ability, or income.

• Policy OS-2.1
  Recreation Variety
  Provide a variety of recreation facilities and activities to meet the diverse needs of the community. Consider needs for indoor and outdoor recreation opportunities, as well as traditional and trending activities.
  
• Policy OS-2.2
  Healthy Parks and Public Spaces
  Invest in and activate parks, recreation facilities and greenspace to support active lifestyles, mental health, youth development, lifelong learning and environmental health benefits that support individual and community wellbeing.
  
• Policy OS-2.3
  Active Lifestyles
  Invest in parks, trails and programs that support sports, fitness, active transportation, and active lifestyles.
  
• Policy OS-2.4
  Urban Agriculture and Healthy Foods
  Expand urban agriculture opportunities in private development and public spaces, including home gardens, community gardens, and urban farms. Support healthy food choices through amenities and programs.
  
• Policy OS-2.5
  Air Quality and Heat
  Coordinate park renovation and development to address air quality and climate impacts by reducing heat island effect by providing green infrastructure and shade, and reducing air pollution by providing vegetation that removes pollutants and air particles.
  
• Policy OS-2.6
  Connections to Nature
  Design and develop parks, greenspace, and trail corridors to support community respite, wellness, and the mental health benefits found in connections to nature.
  
• Policy  OS-2.7
  Healthy Indoor Options
  Encourage or incentivize new commercial and residential development to provide private indoor recreation space when located in areas with high levels of localized air pollution or if site is adjacent to freeways or heavy industrial uses.
  
• Policy OS-2.8
  Hazardous Materials
  Reduce or eliminate, where feasible, the use of pesticides and herbicides that negatively impact human health at park facilities and publicly accessible open spaces.
  
• Policy OS-2.9
  Safety through Design
  Create a safe environment through implementation of Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles in public spaces.
  
• Policy OS-2.10
  Safe Use
  Ensure the safety of park visitors and usability of facilities through facility upkeep, landscaping maintenance, surveillance, recreation and social service programs, and partnerships with public and private entities that address public safety and related issues in parks.
  
• Policy OS-2.11
  Community Involvement and Volunteerism
  Encourage residents, stakeholders, neighborhood groups, businesses, schools, social organizations, and public agencies to volunteer and partner in the development, maintenance, and activation of publicly-owned parks and recreation facilities.
  
• Policy OS-2.12
  Park and Facility Character
  Ensure that parks and recreation facilities incorporate placemaking elements that foster social connections and community pride such as art, landscaping, murals, and amenities and facilities that reflect site character and local needs.
  
• Policy OS-2.13
  Neighborhood Needs
  Consider unique neighborhood and demographic needs in the development of local parks, open spaces and programs. Balance these unique needs with efforts to ensure affordability and serve residents citywide.
  
• Policy OS-2.14
  ADA Accessibility
  Design new and renovate existing parks, recreation facilities, and trails to provide access to residents of varying abilities, including people with special needs.
  
• Policy OS-2.15
  Inclusive, Affordable Recreation
  Provide parks, recreation facilities and programs that reflect the different demographics of the Santa Ana community, including diverse races, ethnic groups, identities, family configurations, abilities, and incomes.
  

Maintain and manage parks, recreation facilities, trails and open space to sustain City assets and support safe use.

• Policy OS-3.1
  Park and Facility Maintenance
  Ensure all parks, recreation facilities and open spaces are well maintained.
  
• Policy OS-3.2
  Maintenance Resources
  Ensure that funding, staffing, and other resources are available to maintain existing parks and facilities, as well as new ones when added to the park and open space system.
  
• Policy OS-3.3
  Asset Management
  Ensure that funding is earmarked for the repair, replacement, and renovation of old or worn amenities, facilities and landscaping in parks when needed or at the end or their lifecycles. This would include deferred maintenance and new capital projects.
  
• Policy OS-3.4
  Protection of Natural, Cultural, and Historic Resources
  Maintain, preserve, and interpret the City’s natural resources, landmarks, urban tree canopy, and designated historical and cultural features.
  
• Policy OS-3.5
  Landscaping 
  Encourage the planting of native and diverse tree species in public and private spaces to reduce heat island effect, reduce energy consumption, and contribute to carbon mitigation.
  
• Policy OS-3.6
  Sustainable Parks and Facilities
  Integrate drought tolerant or native plantings, water-wise irrigation, design and maintenance efficiencies, and sustainable development practices to reduce water use and energy consumption.
  
• Policy OS-3.7
  Urban Forest
  Maintain, preserve, and enhance the City’s urban forest as an environmental, economic, and aesthetic resource to improve residents’ quality of life.
  
• Policy OS-3.8
  Naturalizing the Santa Ana River
  Explore opportunities to reintroduce natural habitat along the Santa Ana River to provide natural habitat and educational and recreational opportunities.
  

An implementation plan is a coordinated series of actions the City desires to take in the future that are intended to advance, over the long term, the City’s Shared Vision, Core Values, and the General Plan goals and policies. An implementation plan is thus a follow-up measure for this element. Taken as a whole, these programs represent the City’s best thinking today on what actions should be taken to address the considerations and concerns of the community and make sure that the plan’s aspirations are achieved.

Implementation is in large part contingent upon adequate funding. Many of these actions can be pursued through initiatives already underway. Other programs will require additional resources. Therefore, the exact mix and timing of programs the City may pursue will in part be opportunity driven, dependent on the availability of funding, staffing, and other necessary resources. The Time Frame in the Implementation Table below is the target for completion of the Action.

This element may be implemented by amendments to existing plans, ordinances, development standards and design guidelines; capital investments/projects; and interagency/interjurisdictional coordination. The following table identifies the implementation action, the responsible City agency, and targeted timeline for accomplishment.