OCTA bus terminal is no place for the homeless, according to city planners

The Santa Ana Planning and Building Agency fired back today at those who are trying to force the City of Santa Ana to turn the vacant OCTA terminal building into permanent housing for the homeless.   The Planning Agency  sent a memo to City Manager Paul Walters, that you can read here, explaining in great detail why this is a very dumb idea.  Walters, in turn, sent that memo to the Orange County Board of Supervisors.

The memo makes it clear that the City of Santa Ana wants to do its share to end homelessness, but the OCTA bus terminal building simply is not an appropriate place to shelter the homeless, for a number of reasons, including:

• The suggested usage does not conform to the City’s General Plan – or zoning
• The required building code upgrades would be very costly and challenging
• Housing the homeless in this building will not improve conditions in the Civic Center
• The housing plan will jeopardize pedestrians
• Santa Ana Blvd. is already a barrier to pedestrian traffic from the Civic Center to the Downtown area
• Community and business input has NOT been considered by the County of Orange

Again, click here to read the Planning Agency’s memo.