Item 30 - EIR No. 2020-03 and GPA No.2020-06 Santa Ana General Plan Update

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Santa Ana General Plan Update CEQA Findings of Fact and Statement Of Overriding Considerations -62- October 2021 population and housing, and recreation would remain significant and unavoidable. Overall, impacts under this alternative would be decreased in comparison to the proposed project. This alternative would attain some of the project’s objectives. It would promote infill development to a lesser extent than the GPU and would protect established neighborhoods (Objective 1), and would also develop opportunities of live-work, artist spaces, and small-scale manufacturing (Objective 7). Given the substantial reduction in housing units, it was also concluded that it would not meet Objectives 2 and 3, to maximize high density residential development and mixed use proximate to potential mass transit use (Objective 2) and to maximize affordable housing and achieve City and regional housing goals (Objective 3). It would, however, achieve Objectives 4 through 6, but to a lesser extent than the proposed GPU. With new opportunities eliminated in three focus areas and the reduced opportunities in the 55 Freeway /Dyer Road and South Bristol focus areas, it would not be as effective in providing affordable housing opportunities and may not be as economically feasible in terms of funding community benefits. It would provide mixed- use opportunities that are bike and pedestrian friendly and provide opportunities for live-work, artist spaces, and small-scale manufacturing. C. ENVIRONMENTALLY SUPERIOR ALTERNATIVE CEQA requires a lead agency to identify the “environmentally superior alternative” and, in cases where the “No Project” Alternative is environmentally superior to the GPU, the environmentally superior development alternative must be identified. One alternative has been identified as “environmentally superior” to the GPU:  The RTP/SCS Consistency Alternative is concluded to be the environmentally superior alternative. The No Project alternative is not environmentally superior to the proposed GPU. Both the Reduced Density and RTP/SCS alternatives reduce environmental impacts in comparison to the GPU, but the RTP/SCS reduces more impacts and eliminates a significant, unavoidable impact of the GPU. This alternative was designed to eliminate the significant population impact of the GPU, but it also reduces potential future development more than any of the other alternatives.