2020-065 - Adopting Environmental Findings of Fact

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The Warner Redhill Mixed -Use Project CEQA Findings of Fact redevelopment in the Tustin Legacy Specific Plan area or within the IBC. It would not promote an improved jobs/housing balance and would not meet the related SCAG RTP/SCS land use objectives. Finding: The City of Santa Ana finds that the Build Out of the Existing Land Use and Zoning Alternative is infeasible based several economic and social factors. A key consideration for the City is to develop housing to assist the City in meeting its jobs/housing balance, which would not occur under this alternative. In addition, this alternative would not provide a development consistent with the Tustin Legacy Specific Plan and IBC, it would not provide an improvement to VMT, and it would not implement SCAG RTP/SCS policies related to providing additional housing near employment centers. Thus, the Build Out of the Existing Land Use and Zoning Alternative would not achieve the Project objectives to the same extent as the proposed Project. The Build Out of the Existing Land Use and Zoning Alternative is rejected on that basis. Environmentally Superior Alternative Section 15126.6(e)(2) of the CEQA Guidelines indicates that an analysis of alternatives to a proposed project shall identify an environmentally superior alternative among the alternatives evaluated in an EIR. The CEQA Guidelines also state that should it be determined that the No Project Alternative is the environmentally superior alternative, the EIR shall identify another environmentally superior alternative among the remaining alternatives. The Build Out of the Existing Land Use and Zoning Alternative would reduce the Project's significant and unavoidable operational air quality and transportation/traffic impacts to a less than significant level, would implement the existing General Plan land use and zoning designations for the Project site, and would not require a General Plan amendment or zoning change. However, this alternative would continue to require mitigation related to contaminated soils onsite and tribal cultural resources; and would continue to result in significant and unavoidable impacts related to GHG emissions. Therefore, although the volume of impacts would be less by the Build Out of the Existing Land Use and Zoning Alternative in comparison to the proposed Project, the Build Out of the Existing Land Use and Zoning Alternative would not eliminate all of the significant and unavoidable impacts of the proposed Project or eliminate the need for mitigation. In addition, it would not implement the SCAG policies to the same degree as the proposed Project, because this alternative would not locate new housing near existing jobs and reduce the jobs - housing ratio or the corresponding reduction in vehicle miles traveled. In addition, the Build Out of the Existing Land Use and Zoning Alternative would not meet many of the Project objectives. The site would not be redeveloped with new housing near existing employment centers, to meet the regions demand for housing or be developed consistent with the redevelopment in the Tustin Legacy Specific Plan area or within the IBC. It would not promote an improved jobs/housing balance and would not meet the related SCAG RTP/SCS land use objectives. CEQA does not require the City of Santa Ana to choose the environmentally superior alternative. Instead, CEQA requires the City to consider environmentally superior alternatives, weigh those considerations against the environmental impacts of the proposed Project, and make findings that the benefits of those considerations outweigh the harm. Based on the considerations described City of Santa Ana 63 May 2020