Laserfiche WebLink
<br />The Bowery Mixed-Use Project CEQA Findings of Fact <br /> <br />City of Santa Ana 61 <br />May 2020 <br />The Reduced Project Alternative would meet the Project objectives, but not to the same extent as <br />the proposed Project. The site would be redeveloped to provide housing to help meet the region’s <br />demand for housing, would provide a development consistent with other regional redevelopment in <br />the Tustin Legacy Specific Plan and IBC. However, fewer residential units and less commercial space <br />would be provided and a reduced improvement to the jobs-housing balance and VMT would occur. <br />Additionally, the alternative would result in less implementation of SCAG RTP/SCS policies related <br />to providing additional housing near employment centers. Overall, this alternative would meet the <br />objectives of the proposed Project, but not to the same extent as the proposed Project. <br />Finding: The City of Santa Ana finds that the Reduced Project Alternative is infeasible based <br />several economic and social factors. A key consideration for the City is to develop housing to assist <br />the City in meeting its jobs/housing balance, which would be less under this alternative than the <br />proposed Project. Under the Reduced Project Alternative fewer residential units and less commercial <br />space would be provided and a reduced improvement to the jobs-housing balance and VMT would <br />occur. Additionally, the alternative would result in less implementation of SCAG RTP/SCS policies <br />related to providing additional housing near employment centers. In addition, the Reduced Project <br />Alternative would not eliminate all of the significant and unavoidable impacts of the proposed <br />Project or eliminate the need for mitigation. Thus, the Reduced Project Alternative would not achieve <br />the Project objectives to the same extent as the proposed Project, would continue to result in <br />significant and unavoidable impacts, and would continue to require mitigation. The Reduced Project <br />Alternative is rejected on that basis. <br />Alternative 3 – Build Out of the Existing Land Use and Zoning Alternative <br />The Build Out of the Existing Land Use and Zoning Alternative would result in 9,559 fewer daily <br />vehicular trips than the proposed Project. The reduction in vehicular trips from this alternative would <br />reduce the proposed Project’s significant and unavoidable operational air quality emissions and <br />transportation/traffic impacts to a less than significant level. However, significant and unavoidable <br />impacts related to greenhouse gas emissions would continue to occur from implementation of this <br />alternative. Additionally, the mitigation required for hazards and hazardous materials and tribal <br />cultural resources for the proposed Project would continue to be required for the Build Out of the <br />Existing Land Use and Zoning Alternative. <br /> <br />Overall, although the volume of impacts would be less by the Build Out of the Existing Land Use <br />and Zoning Alternative in comparison to the proposed Project, the Build Out of the Existing Land <br />Use and Zoning Alternative would not eliminate all of the significant and unavoidable impacts of <br />the proposed Project or eliminate the need for mitigation. Furthermore, the Build Out of the Existing <br />Land Use and Zoning Alternative would result in a reduced beneficial impact, as it would not provide <br />multi-family units on the Project site; and therefore, would not improve the jobs-housing balance. <br />The Build Out of the Existing Land Use and Zoning Alternative would only meet one Project objective, <br />to redevelop existing land uses that would utilize existing infrastructure, including: water, sewer, <br />arterial roadways, transit, and freeways; and provide non-vehicular (pedestrian and bicycle) <br />circulation. The site would not be redeveloped with new housing near existing employment centers, <br />to meet the regions demand for housing or be developed consistent with the redevelopment in the <br />Tustin Legacy Specific Plan area or within the IBC. It would not promote an improved jobs/housing <br />balance and would not meet the related SCAG RTP/SCS land use objectives. <br />Finding: The City of Santa Ana finds that the Build Out of the Existing Land Use and Zoning <br />Alternative is infeasible based several economic and social factors. A key consideration for the City <br />3-83