2022-030 - Comprehensive Update to the Santa Ana General Plan

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WHEREAS, the goals, policies, and implementation items associated with environmental justice have been selectively placed within the majority of the updated General Plan Update; and WHEREAS, the project as currently proposed entails, among other things, (1) the revision to the State mandated Elements of the General Plan; (2) the inclusion of optional Elements to the General Plan; and (3) approval of General Plan Amendment (GPA) No. 2020-06, which would result in a comprehensive update to the existing General Plan; and WHEREAS, the General Plan is a community -wide vision document that is intended to address and respond to community needs, with staff conducting outreach with community members about the process to as wide an audience as possible; and WHEREAS, over the past six years, an extensive public outreach campaign to engage the public was conducted to supplement the feedback, input and direction for the comprehensive update to the General Plan. Early public outreach efforts included hosting over 60 community meetings and workshops; hosting individual community workshops within each of the five Focus Areas with over 300 residents, business leaders, and community stakeholders participating in the workshops; distributing an online community survey with over 650 respondents to collect input on the content of the General Plan; the mailing of approximately 44,000 informational flyers to property owners and tenants; presentations at neighborhood Communication Linkages (Com-Link) meetings; outreach meetings with Environmental Justice groups (Madison Park Neighborhood Association, Logan Neighborhood Association, Artesia-Pilar Neighborhood Association); and attendance at approximately 100 CARES events within environmental justice communities to discuss the General Plan Update with residents; and WHEREAS, on November 9, 2020, the Planning Commission conducted a duly noticed public hearing to consider the Draft Program Environmental Impact Report ("Draft PEIR") that was prepared for the General Plan Update (State Clearinghouse No. 2020029087), at which the Planning Commission voted not to certify the Draft PEIR and continue work on the General Plan Update to a future date to allow additional time for outreach to Santa Ana's environmental justice (EJ) communities and in view of the COVID-19 pandemic; and WHEREAS, in 2021, a Recirculated Draft Program Environmental Impact Report ("Recirculated Draft PEIR") was prepared as a supplemental analysis to the original Draft PEIR to reflect updates to the General Plan Update and based on an intensive, extended community outreach program conducted by the City between January and May 2021; and . WHEREAS, in collaboration with neighborhood and community serving organizations, the City reached out through direct mailers, yard signs, and social media to promote awareness of the General Plan Update, and participation in an EJ survey and 10 EJ virtual community forums. In August 2021, an in -person Open House was Resolution No. 2022-030 Page 2 of 6