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0 SpNT° q"qn Santa Ana UnIl a School District <br />? Facilities & Gavernmental Relations Alan Rasmussen, Ed.D. <br />F�sC1100���5 Orin L. Williams, Assistant Superintendent Richard Tatter <br />Interim Co -Superintendents of Schools <br />October 25, 2019 <br />VIA E-MAIL AND U.S. MAIL <br />Kristine Ridge <br />City Manager, City of Santa Ana <br />20 Civic Center Plaza <br />P.D. Box 1988, M31 <br />Santa Ana, CA 92701 <br />Re: Zoning Ordinance Amendment No. 2019-01/Traffic Impact Report Transmittal <br />Dear Ms. Ridge, <br />am writing on behalf of the Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD) to inform you of our continued <br />interest in Zoning Ordinance Amendment No. 2019-01("Amendment"), which would allow schools as a <br />permitted use in the Specific Development No. 82 Zoning District. As you may recall, the Amendment was <br />most recently an agenda item at the May 7, 2019, City Council meeting. <br />At that meeting, representatives from SAUSD addressed the City Council during the public hearing to <br />express the District's opposition to approval of an amendment that would allow by right a significant <br />school expansion (the Vista Heritage Charter School expansion) without first conducting proper <br />environmental analysis to address expansion impacts, such as traffic, circulation and safety impacts. <br />Since that Meeting, SAUSD staff commissioned the IBI Group to prepare a traffic impact report to <br />determine the traffic, circulation and safety impacts associated with the proposed Vista Heritage Charter <br />School expansion and its impact on SAUSD's nearby Romero -Cruz Academy. The Vista Heritage Charter <br />Schools Traffic lmpactAnalysts Report ("Report") Is enclosed for your review. <br />As you will find in the Report, the school expansion would trigger significant impacts at study area <br />intersections. The proposed expansion would also trigger both project -level and cumulative level vehicle <br />miles traveled (VMT) impacts per the City of Santa Ana Draft CEQA Assessment—VMT Guidelines. From <br />a safety and circulation standpoint, there is inadequate site distances for vehicles exiting the project site <br />via the S' Street driveways or Fairview Street, and on -site queuing would lead to additional impacts to <br />accessibility to on -site parking stalls and internal circulation between adjacent businesses within the site. <br />Given these significant impacts, SAUSD staff is asking that the City conduct environmental analysis of the <br />expansion project through the California Environmental Quality Act process before reconsidering the <br />Amendment in the future. Additionally, SAUSD staff is requesting to receive public notification of all <br />1601 East Chestnut Avenue, Santa Ana, CA 92701-6322 (714) 558-5501 <br />BOARD OF EDUCATION <br />Valerie Amezcua, President • Rigo Rodriguez, Ph.D., Vice President <br />Alfonso Alvarez, Ed.D., Clerk • John Palacio, Member <br />