2019-047 - Adopting Mitigated Negative Declaration Environmental Review No. 2018-75

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air. On March 23, 2017 the California Air Resources Board (CARB) approved the 2016 AQMP. The primary goal of the AQMP is to meet clean air standards and protect public health, including ensuring benefits to environmental justice and disadvantaged communities. The approved Plan has been forwarded to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for review. If approved by EPA, the plan becomes federally enforceable. The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines requires a discussion of any inconsistencies between a proposed project and applicable general plans, specific plans and regional plans (CEQA Guidelines Section 15125(d)). The regional plan that applies to the project includes the SCAQMD Air Quality Management Plan (AQMP). A discussion of the projects consistency with the Santa Ana General Plan is provided in Section XI of this document. This section discusses any potential inconsistencies of the project with the AQMP. The project must comply with and meet all applicable rules and regulations of the AQMP. The SCAQMD CEQA Handbook states that "New or amended General Plan Elements (including land use zoning and density amendments), Specific Plans, and significant projects must be analyzed for consistency with the AQMP". Strict consistency with all aspects of the plan is usually not required. A project should be considered to be consistent with the AQMP if it furthers one or more policies and does not obstruct other policies. The SCAQMD CEQA Handbook identifies two key indicators of consistency: (1) Whether the project will result in an increase in the frequency or severity of existing air quality violations or cause or contribute to new violations, or delay timely attainment of air quality standards or the interim emission reductions specified in the AQMP. (2) Whether the project will exceed the assumptions in the AQMP in 2016 or increments based on the year of project buildout and phase. Both criteria are evaluated below. CRITERIA 1 — INCREASE IN THE FREQUENCY OR SEVERITY OF VIOLATIONS Based on the air quality modeling analysis contained in the air quality report that was prepared for the project (see Appendix A) the short-term construction impacts would not have any significant air emission impacts based on the SCAQMD regional and local thresholds of significance. The air quality report also found that long-term operational air emission impacts would not result in any significant impacts based on the SCAQMD local and regional thresholds of significance. Therefore, the project would not contribute to the exceedance of any air pollutant concentration standards and is consistent with the AQMP for Criteria 1. CRITERIA 2 — EXCEED ASSUMPTIONS IN THE AQMP Consistency with the AQMP assumptions is determined by performing an analysis of the project with the assumptions in the AQMP. The emphasis of this criterion is to ensure that the analyses conducted for the project are based on the same forecasts as the AQMP. The 2016-2040 Regional Transportation/Sustainable Communities Strategy prepared by the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) (2016) includes chapters on: the challenges in a changing region; creating a plan for our future; and the road to greater mobility and sustainable growth. These chapters currently respond directly to federal and state requirements placed on SCAG. Local governments are required to use these as the basis of their plans for purposes of consistency with applicable regional plans under Legacy Sunflower Apartments Page 33 Mitigated Negative Declaration — March 14, 2019