Santa Ana study session probes plan to remove industrial overlay in SD‑84; businesses and residents clash over amortization and health risks

City of Santa Ana planning staff on Feb. 10 presented draft amendments to the SD‑84 Transit Zoning Code that would remove the M1 and M2 industrial overlay zones, add operating standards for existing nonconforming industrial uses and create a new amortization process to phase out specified high‑impact businesses, staff and public commenters said.

The presentation by Principal Planner Margarita Macedonio outlined four draft components — a map change removing the industrial overlays, nonconforming‑use operating standards, updates to permitted uses, and the amortization tool — and explained that the ordinance is intended to address long‑running land‑use conflicts and repeated calls for service from neighborhoods adjacent to industrial sites. “The goal of the proposed regulations is to protect the health and safety and welfare of the existing and future residents of the transit zoning code,” Macedonio told the commission.

Why it matters: The SD‑84 area includes the Logan and Lacey neighborhoods and parts of downtown and civic center near transit. Staff said roughly 30 industrial businesses remain inside the overlay and that the moratorium adopted by the city council in April 2024 and extended in May 2024 expires April 15, 2025. Residents and community groups say some industrial activities near homes and schools create persistent noise, idling truck traffic, dust and other pollution; business owners say the changes would force…