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SPR No. 2020-03/ VAR No. 2020-06/AA No. 2020-04 — 4th and Mortimer Mixed -Use Development October 12, 2020 Page 5 Proiect and Site Backaround The Transit Zoning Code (TZC) was adopted in July 2010 and provides a framework for mixed -use, residential, commercial, and limited industrial activities in a large section of central Santa Ana loosely bound by Flower Street, the Santa Ana (1-5) Freeway, Civic Center Drive, Grand Avenue, and First Street. The plan area contains six subzones that allow various types and ranges of intensity, as well as two industrial overlay districts where industrial uses in place at the time of the code's adoption are allowed to continue. The Downtown subzone in which the project is proposed (Site A) and the Urban Center (proposed subzone for Site B) allow a variety of mixed -use developments that are intended to contribute to creating a dynamic, transit -oriented area for residents, business owners, and visitors, and to lessen the need for automobile dependence. Amendments to the TZC in July 2019 modernized certain sections of the code and furthered the goals and vision of the plan area. Site A (409 East Fourth Street) is currently improved with a single -story commercial building approximately 14,000 square feet in size, operating as a grocery store (Northgate Gonzalez Market). The store was constructed between 1995. and 1996. In 1906, Site A was occupied by uses such as single-family dwellings, a religious institution, and a telegraph office. Between 1949 and 1963, the site was occupied by uses such as agricultural and auto storage, manufacturing (e.g., mattress production and neon signs), motorcycle repairs, and upholstering and printing. Site B (509-515 East Fourth Street) is improved with a vacant single -story, commercial building built in 1921 and approximately 11,000 square feet in size, spanning two parcels and which last operated as Munoz Auto Repair & Tire Service. By 1949, many of the single-family dwellings had been demolished on the site and replaced with larger industrial and or commercial buildings. Aside from the period between 1932 and1939 when the site was a partially used as a grain/feed supply, Site B primarily functioned in an auto -related capacity from 1923 to 1972. La Opinion Daily Newspaper/La Opinion Periodical, a Spanish -language newspaper, appears to have been associated with the property for a short period in the early 1980s. In August 2018, the applicant submitted the proposed mixed -use development, which was one of the first major mixed -use developments proposed in Downtown Santa Ana since the TZC was adopted in 2010. Since submitting the application, the applicant has met with nearby neighborhood associations, business leaders, and other interested parties. A full list of neighborhood outreach efforts and details on the Sunshine Ordinance community meeting is provided in Table 3 of this report. Analysis of the Issues Section 41-2005 of the SAMC requires developments proposing over four stories in height to apply for a Site Plan Review (SPR) with the Planning Commission. As the buildings in the proposed development contain five and seven stories, approval of a SPR application is required by the Planning Commission. Furthermore, pursuant to SAMC Section 41-638, the Planning Commission is authorized to review and approve variances from the provisions of the Municipal Code when it appears that findings in compliance with section 41-638 (a)(2) of the SAMC have been established. Since the project requires approval of a variance for an increase in the allowable building size and 75C-340