Santiago Creek Commission approves revised strategic plan, sends it to City Council with staff edits

The Santiago Creek Commission voted unanimously, 7–0, on Jan. 28 to approve a revised Santiago Creek strategic plan and forward it to the City Council with staff-directed edits. The commission asked staff to add document dates and links, refine vocabulary, insert an executive summary, and clarify that any on-the-ground habitat-restoration work must be preceded by scientific studies and biological assessments.

City planning staffer Jack told the commission the revision incorporates months of commission direction and public comments, adds parcel-ownership and regional maps, and emphasizes three cross-cutting priorities: habitat restoration, trail branding and public safety. "We tried to capture as much of that," Jack said during the presentation, noting maps that range from the Santa Ana River watershed down to the Santiago Creek corridor within the City of Orange.

Public commenters urged sharper ecological guidance and careful pre-restoration study.…