TO: Chair and Members of the Santiago Creek Commission
FROM: Jarad Hildenbrand, City Manager
1. Subject
title
Review of Draft Santiago Creek Strategic Plan
body
2. Summary
On October 10, 2023, the Orange City Council adopted Ordinance No. 13-23. This ordinance created the Santiago Creek Commission. Formed as an advisory body to the City Council, the Santiago Creek Commission has developed a comprehensive Santiago Creek Strategic Plan that seeks to holistically implement the tasks of the Santiago Creek Commission as detailed in Ordinance No. 13-23.
3. Recommended Action
recommendation
Review the draft Santiago Creek Strategic Plan and provide direction to staff on any necessary changes.
end
4. Fiscal Impact
None.
5. Strategic Plan Goals
Goal 3: Enhance Public Communication Strategy and Quality of Life.
Goal 5: Improve Infrastructure, Mobility, and Technology.
6. Discussion and Background
As an advisory body to the Orange City Council, the Santiago Creek Commission (SCC) is exclusively tasked to advise and make recommendations on:
• The implementation of public projects in/along the Santiago Creek Area.
• The implementation of the Santiago Creek Plans for the Santiago Creek Area.
• The preservation/enhancements of public open space within the Santiago Creek Area.
• The acquisition of private property when it becomes available.
• The preservation of ecological, scenic, historical, and recreational resources of the Santiago Creek.
• Relationships with volunteer and non-profit organizations and public/private agencies interested in the Santiago Creek Area.
To achieve these tasks, on July 24, 2024, the SCC separated the Santiago Creek into three segments and developed a consistent analytical framework to evaluate and recommend projects for each segment. After hearing public input and conducting a special meeting on September 26, 2024, the SCC adopted the following boundaries to delineate the three segments.
• Segment 1 - East Orange Sphere of Influence to Villa Park Road.
• Segment 2 - Villa Park Road to the 55 Freeway.
• Segment 3 - 55 Freeway to Hart Park/22 Freeway.
Since the September 26, 2024, special meeting, the SCC has proceeded with a systematic approach to evaluate each segment, develop segment vision statements, and recommend projects. Through this past year, the following topics were discussed at the SCC meetings.
|
Discussion Items |
Meeting Date |
|
Segment One recommended projects and vision statement as well as Segment Two themes. |
January 22, 2025 |
|
Segment Two recommended projects and vision statement as well as Segment Three themes. |
April 23, 2025 |
|
Segment Three recommended projects and vision statement. |
July 23, 2025 |
Draft Santiago Creek Strategic Plan
Since the July 23, 2025, SCC meeting, staff utilized the feedback and recommended projects from each meeting to develop a draft Santiago Creek Strategic Plan (Plan). For readability, staff limited the number of columns from the previous segment planning sheets, and where suitable, combined certain recommendations when they were like one another (e.g., native plant restoration or preservation of historical assets).
Staff seeks SCC directions on any changes to the draft Plan. Additionally, in recognizing strategic plans are living documents, staff requests the SCC consider prioritizing the projects listed under each segment. This may help refine and focus projects to those most feasible given the City’s current financial constraints.
Once the SCC has approved the draft Plan, staff will schedule for the Plan to be considered by the Orange City Council at a future meeting.
7. ATTACHMENTS
• Draft Santiago Creek Strategic Plan.
• Reference Sheet for Segment 1
• Reference Sheet for Segment 2
• Reference Sheet for Segment 3