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Concerns About Floor Area Ratio and Density Calculations for The Hotel Site The Downtown area has a 10-story maximum height limit and a permitted 3:1 FAR. Avisual survey of the area revealed no buildings that exceed those limitations and very few that even approach them. The parcel map which created the two lots where the parking structure now stands created two separate development sites separated by a proposed street. One of the purposes of such a division of land is to allow both parcels to be treated separately and conceivably, to be sold to different owners. The City of Santa Ana General Plan Land Use Element, adopted February 2, 1998, states that: "To encourage lot consolidation for optimal site design, the floor area ratio can be calculated on an area wide basis for contiguous parcels which are part of a large, multi -structure project. To qualify for an area wide floor area ratio calculation, a project must be integrated in design and function, and the owner/developer must record deed restrictions limiting the project area to the legally allowed floor area ratio." (Pg. A15) This appears to be the rationale for permitting a combined FAR of the two lots to allow a density calculation and FAR based on the combined lot area of 1.42 acres for the mixed -use portion of the proposed project. By treating the two lots as one and considering the mixed use development and the hotel development as parts of the same development, the General Plan allows a combined FAR of 3:1 or approximately 184,257 sq. ft for all structures on the combined 1.42-acre site. The mixed -use residential structure alone is 197,726 sq. ft., having an FAR of approximately 3.2:1 over both lots, which exceeds the permitted FAR of the two combined lots. Adding in the area of the hotel brings the proposed FAR for the two lots to 4.2:1. But in fact, the two projects do not appear to be related, except by common ownership of the land on which they sit. The two lots are separated by a public street. The proposed mixed -use development is not connected to and does not interact with the proposed hotel. Both are being considered under separate site plan review applications and do not appear to have common design elements, with the exception of the proposed arrangement for off-street parking for both projects on the mixed -use site. The fact that both developments are on separate legal lots means that each lot could be sold to a separate owner, providing additional evidence that they are separate projects. Since the two projects are separate, they should not be entitled to utilize the combined lot area in determining density. The proposed mixed -use development appears to stand on its own, having a unique design and architectural style referred to in the Staff Report as "California Contemporary," described as having three distinct masses. The lower levels include tan masonry brick street walls, similar to existing buildings in downtown Santa Ana. The middle building mass consists of angled perforated metal panels and a brass finish, screening the above