2 - COMBINED PUBLIC COMMENTS_2525 N MAIN STREET

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2525 North Main Street January 14, 2019 Page 7 30 percent reduction in density (Alternative 2); and build out of the site under the existing Professional zoning district development standards, which could result in an approximately 390,000 square foot two and three‐story office building (Alternative 3). The Draft EIR determined that the proposed project would require mitigation related to aesthetics, air quality, biological resources, hazardous materials, construction noise and vibration, interior noise, and tribal resources. Impacts related to aesthetics would remain significant and unavoidable after mitigation. On August 7, 2018, the Draft EIR was circulated for review and comment to public, City Council, Planning Commission, local, regional and state agencies, and interested parties for a 45‐day public comment review period. In addition, a Planning Commission public hearing was held on August 27, 2018 where staff presented the EIR process and environmental information to the Planning Commission and pubic and received public comments on the DEIR. To allow for additional time for public review and comment, and at the request of the North Santa Ana Preservation Alliance, the City extended the DEIR public comment period by an additional two weeks. At the close of the review and comment period on October 4, 2018, a total of 44 comment letters were received on the Draft EIR. The City has evaluated the comments received from persons and agencies on the Draft EIR and completed detailed Response to Comments, revisions to the Draft EIR including clarifications and/or corrections to typographical errors, and a Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (MMRP). The response to comments, MMRP and Final EIR were published on November 15, 2018 for public review. The Draft EIR, responses to comments document, revisions to the Draft EIR, and the MMRP constitute the Final EIR for the project (Exhibit 1). The EIR identified one significant and unavoidable impact associated with this project, which pertains to aesthetics. Based on the City's visual criteria related to scale, height and setbacks, it was determined that the project would result in a substantial change in views from existing conditions and would result in a significant and unavoidable impact to the aesthetics. As a result of this impact that cannot be mitigated to a less than significant level, adoption of a Statement of Overriding Considerations is required prior to approving the project. A Statement of Overriding Considerations is the process through which decision makers balance the economic, legal, social, and technological or other benefits of the proposed project against its unavoidable environmental impacts. Commented [DH12]: The 390,000 square foot building that is referenced is a theoretical building size and not one that can actually be built in Santa Ana. The building would be two‐thirds that size (roughly 257,000 square feet). Commented [DH13]: I’m having a real hard time finding what mitigation is taking place. Even so, this remains a significant and unavoidable impact to Park Santiago. Commented [DH14]: Some of the detailed comments are incorrect. A list will be provided to the City staff. Commented [DH15]: and would result in a significant and unavoidable impact to the aesthetics. Mitigation measures for aesthetics are not even addressed.