Planning and Building Agency
www.santa-ana.org/pba
Item # 26
City of Santa Ana
20 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92701
Staff Report
October 20, 2026
TOPIC: General Plan Amendment No. 2024-01 – 10th and Flower Street Park (915, 921, and 925 N. Flower Street, 841, 842, 843, 848, and 852 N. Garnsey Street, and portions of W. Tenth Street and N. Garnsey Street)
AGENDA TITLE
General Plan Amendment No. 2024-01 – 10th and Flower Street Park (915, 921, and 925 N. Flower Street, 841, 842, 843, 848, and 852 N. Garnsey Street, and Portions of W. Tenth Street and N. Garnsey Street)
Legal notice published in the OC Reporter on October 9, 2026 and notices mailed on October 8, 2026.
RECOMMENDED ACTION
Adopt a resolution approving General Plan Amendment No. 2024-01 to re-designate portions of the project site’s General Plan land use designation from Professional and Administrative Office (PAO) to Open Space (OS) and the street portions of the project site from undesignated public right-of-way to OS, update associated figures and table data of the City’s General Plan, and determine that the project was adequately analyzed under the previously adopted IS/MND, and pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15162, no subsequent environmental review is required.
RESOLUTION NO. 2026-XXX entitled A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA ANA APPROVING GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT NO. 2024-01 TO
CHANGE THE GENERAL PLAN LAND USE DESIGNATION FOR CERTAIN
PROPERTIES TO REFLECT THE INTENDED USE OF THE SUBJECT PROPERTIES AS THE “10TH AND FLOWER STREET PARK,” UPDATE ASSOCIATE FIGURES AND TABLE
DATA THROUGHOUT THE GENERAL PLAN, AND CONFIRM PREVIOUS
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS UNDER THE CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT
GOVERNMENT CODE §84308 APPLIES: No
BACKGROUND
On May 17, 2022, the Santa Ana City Council adopted a citywide Parks Master Plan (PMP) with goals established to develop parkland within a 10-minute walk for all residents and provide three acres of parkland per 1,000 residents citywide. Within the PMP, the City identified the project site as the future location for a new park intended to create a GPA No. 2024-01 – 10th and Flower Street Park Project (915, 921, and 925 N. Flower Street; 841, 842, 843, 848, and 852 N. Garnsey Street; and portions of W. Tenth Street and N. Garnsey Street)
October 20, 2026
recreational amenity in a “park gap” area. As part of implementation of the PMP, the City acquired the respective parcels. Project funding, an Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration, Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program, and a construction contract were approved and awarded by City Council on October 15, 2024. Construction of the 10th and Flower Street Park commenced in June 2026 and is anticipated to be completed by March 2027.
The proposed General Plan Amendment is being processed independently from the General Plan Cleanup (General Plan Amendment No. 2026-02) associated with the Citywide Comprehensive Zoning Code Update. This independent processing is necessary because a project-specific Initial Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration (IS/MND) was prepared and adopted specifically for the development of the 10th and Flower Street Park.
Planning Commission Action
In accordance with Section 27-12 of the Santa Ana Municipal Code (SAMC), on September 14, 2026, the Planning Commission held a public hearing for the Project and voted to recommend that the City Council adopt a resolution approving GPA No. 2024-01 by a vote of 6:0:1, with Commissioner Oliva absent, to re-designate the portions of the project site’s General Plan land use designation from Professional and Administrative Office (PAO) to Open Space (OS) and the street portions of the project site from undesignated public right-of-way to OS and update associated figures and table data of the City’s General Plan.
DISCUSSION
Table 1: Project and Location Information
Item Information
Project Address & Council Ward
915, 921, and 925 N. Flower Street; 841, 842, 843, 848, and 852 N. Garnsey Street; and portions of W. Tenth Street and N.
Garnsey Street – Ward 5
Nearest Intersection Tenth Street and Flower Street
Existing Professional and Administrative Office (PAO) General Plan Designation Proposed Open Space (OS) Existing Professional (P) Zoning Designation Proposed No change North Multifamily Residential, Single-Family Residential East Single-Family Residential, Professional Office,
Cultural Center
South Professional Office
Surrounding Land Use
West Single-Family Residential, Professional Office
Property Size 1.2 acres
Existing Site Development Vacant properties and street segments Use Permissions Section 41-584 of the SAMC
Code Sections Affected Sections 27-12 and 41-665 of the SAMC GPA No. 2024-01 – 10th and Flower Street Park Project (915, 921, and 925 N. Flower Street; 841, 842, 843, 848, and 852 N. Garnsey Street; and portions of W. Tenth Street and N. Garnsey Street)
October 20, 2026
The City proposes to re-designate the portions of the project site’s General Plan land use designation from Professional and Administrative Office (PAO) to Open Space (OS) and the street portions of the project site from undesignated public right-of-way to OS to align the General Plan land use designation with a new 1.2-acre neighborhood park under construction. Portions of the project site are in the Professional (P) zoning district and balance of the project site is located in the public-right-of way. While a zone change is not proposed as part of this project, the property is proposed to be rezoned to Open Space (OS) as part of the separate Citywide Comprehensive Zoning Code Update under Zone Change (ZC) No. 2026-0004.
The proposed amendment includes revisions to eight figures and one table. The figures listed below are proposed to be revised as part of the amendment and appear in Exhibit A of Exhibit 1.
1. Community Element Figure CM-1 Community Facilities
2. Mobility Element Figure M-4 Pedestrian Opportunity Zones
3. Public Services Element Figure PS-1 Public Facilities
4. Open Space Element Figure OS-1 Open Space Resources
5. Open Space Element Table OS-1 Open Space Resources
6. Open Space Element Figure OS-2 Walking Distance to Park Facilities
7. Land Use Element Figure LU-1 Land Use Map
8. Land Use Element Figure LU-4 Density and Intensity Map
9. Urban Design Element Figure UD-2 Urban Design Elements Analysis
The existing and proposed General Plan land use designations appear below:
Existing
General Plan Land Use Designation
Proposed
General Plan Land Use Designation
GPA No. 2024-01 – 10th and Flower Street Park Project (915, 921, and 925 N. Flower Street; 841, 842, 843, 848, and 852 N. Garnsey Street; and portions of W. Tenth Street and N. Garnsey Street)
October 20, 2026
The OS designation provides for recreational and green spaces and aligns the General Plan land use designation with the site’s use as a neighborhood park.
Designating the project site OS supports several goals and policies of the General Plan.
The OS designation ensures that residents have access to a diversity of land uses, including sufficient open space in the form of a neighborhood park in an area that is currently underserved, thereby promoting equitable creation and distribution of open space (Goal OS-1: Policies OS-1.4 and OS-1.5; Goal PS-1: Policy PS-1.2; Goal LU-1:
Policy LU-1.3; and Goal LU-2: Policies LU-2.3 and LU-2.9). Furthermore, the designation encourages positive community interactions and neighborhood pride (Goal CM-3: Policy CM-3.5) and promotes a clean and safe environment (Goal LU-3: Policy LU-3.7).
Park Naming
A name for the 10th and Flower Street Park has not yet been formalized. Pursuant to Sec. 33-5 (Names of streets and other public facilities – Submittal of requests), all requests for the naming of a park are referred to the Planning Commission. In reaching a decision, the Planning Commission shall consider names that identify, reference, or recognize distinct characteristics of the immediate area, history of the vicinity, or notable person or families.
The Parks, Recreation, and Community Services Agency is coordinating with the Public Works and Planning and Building agencies to bring forward a separate park naming for the Planning Commission’s consideration. The timing will align with completion of the park, which is expected to take place in March 2027.
Public Notification and Community Outreach
Project notifications were posted, published, and mailed in accordance with City and State requirements. Copies of the public notice, including the 2,000-foot notification radius map, are provided in Exhibit 4. At the time this report was printed, no issues of concern had been raised by the public regarding the requested action.
A Notice of Intent (NOI) to adopt a Mitigated Negative Declaration was published in the Orange County Register and mailed to property owners and occupants within a 2,000- foot notification radius. The NOI welcomed public commenting from Wednesday, September 4, 2024, and concluded on Friday, October 4, 2024. Additionally, Tribal consultation was conducted pursuant to Assembly Bill (AB) 52 and Senate Bill (SB) 18 with Tribes identified by the Native American Heritage Commission. The NOI was also filed with the California State Clearinghouse and the Orange County Clerk-Recorder’s Office. The NOI identified the availability of the Draft Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration and provided details on where electronic copies could be accessed on the City’s website, as well as the locations where hard copies were available for public review, including the Public Works Agency counter.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
GPA No. 2024-01 – 10th and Flower Street Park Project (915, 921, and 925 N. Flower Street; 841, 842, 843, 848, and 852 N. Garnsey Street; and portions of W. Tenth Street and N. Garnsey Street)
October 20, 2026
In accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the City of Santa Ana, acting as the Lead Agency, previously prepared and adopted an Initial Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration (IS/MND) on October 15, 2024, for the 10th and Flower Street Park Project (SCH No. 2024090074), and a Notice of Determination (NOD) was filed on October 16, 2024. The City has reviewed and considered the environmental effects of the project as shown in the previously adopted IS/MND, including the proposed General Plan Amendment. The proposed General Plan Amendment is within the scope of the previously adopted IS/MND, and none of the conditions set forth in CEQA Guidelines Section 15162 requiring a subsequent of supplemental environmental document exist. There are no substantial changes to the project or circumstances, and no new information of substantial importance that would require subsequent environmental review. Furthermore, the proposed project would not have a significant effect on the environment with implementation of the previously adopted mitigation measures identified in the IS/MND and Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (MMRP). The IS/MND can be viewed at the hyperlink provided in Exhibit 3.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact associated with this action.
EXHIBITS
1. City Council Resolution Approving General Plan Amendment No. 2024-01
2. September 14, 2026 – Planning Commission Staff Report and Exhibits
3. 10th and Flower Street Park Project Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration (hyperlink)
4. 10th and Flower Park Site Plan
5. Copy of Public Hearing Notice
Submitted By: Ali Pezeshkpour, AICP, Executive Director of the Planning and Building Agency, and Rudy Rosas, Acting Executive Director of the Public Works Agency
Approved By: Alvaro Nuñez, City Manager