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City of Santa Ana– First American Mixed-Use Project [114 and 117 East Fifth Street] – Comments to City Council <br />November 18, 2019 <br />Page 12 of 13 <br />Many of the above-listed Policies were added or updated to reflect input the City <br />received from its residents and businesses, expanding on the City’s commitment to <br />affordable housing and workforce housing via policy HE-2.6, HE-3.7 and HE-3.8 and <br />program 29. Housing Element, p. E-10. <br />The Project is not consistent with the Goals and Policies of the Housing Element <br />related to affordable housing. The Project merely provides 11 units or 5% to <br />affordable housing. <br />Specifically, Policy HE-2.6, consistently with the Housing Opportunity Ordinance <br />(“HOO”), requires rental housing projects to include at least 15% of the units as <br />affordable to lower income households for rentals. The Addendum fails to analyze <br />whether the Project complies with the HOO, in addition to any of the other goals and <br />policies of the Housing Element. <br />B. The Project’s Proposed Amendment to Allow Seven Stories Eviscerates <br />the Application of the 2010 EIR <br />The proposed project has a General Plan designation of District Center-Downtown <br />District, and both parcels are zoned Specific Development No. 84 (SD-84) in TZC – <br />Downtown (DT) Zone. Addendum, p. 2-16. The TZC provides that the maximum <br />building height for Lined Block buildings is five stories. However, one of the <br />Project’s buildings will be seven stories in height, which requires an amendment to the <br />current zoning. Id. <br />However, the allowance of amendment of the current TPZ zoning limits to building <br />height eliminates even the little value the 2010 EIR has in relation to this specific <br />Project. In addition, if additional amendments to other developments within the TPZ <br />are allowed in the present and the future, what was the whole point of setting up the <br />TPZ in the first place? As a result of the proposed amendment of the TPZ to allow <br />the Project’s excessive building height, whatever value the TPZ and its 2010 EIR <br />might have had to the Project are completely gone. <br />C. The Project’s Inconsistency with the General Plan Also Violates CEQA <br />Under the CEQA Guidelines, an environmental impact report (EIR) must discuss "any <br />inconsistencies between the proposed project and applicable general plans, specific <br />plans, and regional plans." 14 Cal Code Regs §15125(d).