Parks, Recreation, and Community Services
www.santa-ana.org/parks
Item # 15
City of Santa Ana
20 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92701
City Council Staff Report
November 19, 2024
TOPIC: Naming of Park between Fairview and King Streets
AGENDA TITLE
Approve the Naming of a Park Located Between Fairview Street and King Street
RECOMMENDED ACTION
Affirm the Planning Commission’s adoption of a resolution approving Public Facilities Naming No. 2024-01 and recommend approval of the name “Artesia-Pilar Park” for the park located between Fairview Street and King Street.
GOVERNMENT CODE §84308 APPLIES: No
DISCUSSION
The City of Santa Ana’s Parks, Recreation, and Community Services Agency (PRCSA) solicited suggestions from the community for the park between Fairview Street and King Street by crowdsourcing. Site naming ideas were submitted via PRCSA’s and the City’s Instagram accounts. In addition, PRCSA leveraged the King Street Urban Greening Project groundbreaking ceremony to assist in naming the latest addition to the Parks system.
The site’s location transformed an unused 10,000 square-foot right-of-way area between Fairview Street and King Street into a new park with a stormwater capture system. Residents can now enjoy bike and pedestrian pathways, new lighting features, community art installations by Marina Aguilera, seating areas, interpretative signage, and drought tolerant landscaping. In addition, the park brings an innovative approach to managing stormwater runoff through two bio-retention basins and an underground stormwater infiltration system in the park that will capture up to 117,000 gallons of stormwater per storm.
In naming or renaming public facilities, the Santa Ana Municipal Code (SAMC) provides that consideration must be given to the following guidelines (in part):
•A name which serves to identify the location of the subject by reference to distinct geographic, environmental, or development features in the immediate area.
•A name which references the history of the subject site or its immediate area.
Naming of Park between Fairvew and King Streets
November 19, 2024
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•A name which identifies a person or family which made an extraordinary donation of land or funds to promote the construction or improvement of the subject public facility.
•A name which recognizes a person or family who made a distinct, significant contribution to the well-being of the city, including past mayors, councilmembers, board or commission members, officers or employees of the city, but not anyone who currently holds any such position.
Staff reviewed over 30 suggestions for the park’s name using the SAMC criteria. The park name list below is in order of the overall votes received via social media voting that took place between July 2-July 16, 2024 and were recommended by staff for consideration, as these submissions align with the SAMC guidelines for naming a public facility.
•Artesia-Pilar Park
•El Caminito Park
•El Rey Park
•John Acuna Park (Santa Ana College Counselor and Adjunct Professor) At the July 25, 2024, Parks, Recreation, and Community Services Commission (PRCSC) meeting, information was provided on the naming of the subject park. The four submissions were presented to the PRCSC and, as a result, Artesia-Pilar Pocket Park was approved by a vote of 6-0 as a recommendation for Planning Commission determination.
At the October 14, 2024 Planning Commission Meeting, information was provided on the naming of the subject park, with the recommendation of Artesia-Pilar Pocket Park. A motion was made and seconded to approve recommending the name Artesia-Pilar Park, without the word “Pocket.” The item was approved by a vote of 6-0-1 (Commissioner Pham absent). Accordingly, Artesia-Pilar Park is recommended to the City Council for their consideration.
Per Section 33-8 (a) of the Santa Ana Municipal Code: “Following the decision of the planning commission under section 33-6, the director of planning and development services shall prepare a report for the commission’s action, summarizing the public input, if any, and the reasons for the commission’s decision. Such report shall be submitted to the city council at its first regular meeting occurring at least ten (10) days after the commission’s action. The city council may affirm the commission’s decision, remand the matter back to the planning commission for further consideration, or make its own decision on the matter.”
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
There is no environmental impact associated with this action.
Naming of Park between Fairvew and King Streets
November 19, 2024
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FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact associated with this action.
EXHIBIT(S)
1. Executed Public Facilities Naming No. 2024-01 Resolution Submitted By: Hawk V. Scott, Executive Director of Parks, Recreation, and Community Services
Approved By: Alvaro Nuñez, City Manager