Item 41 - Amendment Application No. 2022-01 and Appeal Nos. 2022-01 and 2022-02

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City of Santa Ana INTRODUCTION 1.1 OVERVIEW OF CEQA GUIDELINES § 15183 Community Plan Exemption Checklist Gary Avenue Business Park Project This exemption analysis evaluates whether the potential environmental impacts of the proposed demolition of three office buildings, which total 103,031 square feet and construction of a new approximately 91,500 square foot light industrial warehousing building that would accommodate two tenants (proposed Project) are addressed in the City of Santa Ana General Plan Update Final Recirculated Program Environmental Impact Report (GPU EIR), pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines (CEQA Guidelines) Section 15183 (Exemption Checklist). As set forth in California Public Resources Code (PRC) Section 21083.3 and State CEQA Guidelines Section 15183, projects that are "consistent with the development density established by the existing zoning, community plan or general plan policies for which an EIR was certified shall not require additional environmental review, except as might be necessary to examine whether there are project -specific significant effects which are peculiar to the project or its site" (State CEQA Guidelines Section 15183(a) and PRC Section 21083.3(b)). The State CEQA Guidelines further state that "[i]f an impact is not peculiar to the parcel or to the project, has been addressed as a significant effect in the prior EIR, or can be substantially mitigated by the imposition of uniformly applied development policies or standards [... ] then an additional EIR need not be prepared for the project solely on the basis of that impact" (State CEQA Guidelines Section 15183(c))." 1.2 GENERAL PLAN UPDATE The City of Santa Ana (City) General Plan Update (GPU) was adopted, and the GPU EIR certified, in April 2022 (State Clearinghouse Number 2020029087); the GPU went into effect on May 26, 2022. The GPU provides long-term policy direction to guide the physical development, quality of life, economic health, and sustainability of the Santa Ana community through 2045, and provides a comprehensive land use, housing, circulation and infrastructure, public service, resource conservation and public safety policies for the entire City. The updated General Plan Land Use Element guides growth and development (e.g., infill development, redevelopment, use and revitalization/restoration) within the plan area by designating land uses. Any decision by the City affecting land use and development must be consistent with the GPU. Any action, program, or project is considered consistent with the GPU if, considering all its aspects, it will further the objectives and policies of the GPU or not obstruct their attainment. The GPU EIR evaluates the potential environmental effects associated with implementation of the GPU and addresses appropriate and feasible mitigation measures that would minimize or eliminate these impacts. A project is consistent with the GPU if the development density does not exceed what was contemplated and analyzed for the parcel(s) in the certified GPU EIR and complies with the associated standards applicable to that development density (State CEQA Guidelines Section 15183(i)(2)). Development density standards can include the number of dwelling units per acre, the number of people in a given area, floor area ratio (FAR), and other measures of building intensity, building height, size limitations, and use restrictions. 1.3 APPLICABILITY OF STATE CEQA GUIDELINES SECTION 15183 As set forth in State CEQA Guidelines Section 15183(d), the exemption applies to projects which meet the following conditions: