Item 26 - EIR No. 2020-03 and GPA No.2020-06 Santa Ana General Plan Update

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EIR No. 2020-03 and GPA No.2020-06 Santa Ana General Plan Update February 15, 2022 Page 11 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Draft Programs Environment Impact Report (August 2020) The comprehensive update to the General Plan required extensive environmental review. Pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and after completion of the Initial Study for the project, it was determined that CEQA required the preparation and certification of a Program Environmental Impact Report (PEIR) for this project. The purpose of a PEIR is to identify and disclose the significant effects on the environment of a project, to identify alternatives to the project, and to indicate the way those significant effects can be mitigated or avoided. To determine what potential effects would be caused by the project, the Draft PEIR analyzes issues related to: Aesthetics; Air Quality; Biological Resources; Cultural Resources; Energy; Geology and Soils; Greenhouse Gas Emissions; Hazard and Hazardous Materials; Hydrology and Water Quality; Land Use and Planning; Mineral Resources; Noise; Population and Housing; Public Services; Recreation; Transportation; Tribal Cultural Resources; and Utilities and Service Systems. The Draft PEIR also studies alternatives to the General Plan Update, as well as direct and indirect impacts resulting from construction and operation of the proposed project. The original Draft PEIR (August 2020) for the General Plan Update (GPU) was prepared and distributed for the required 45-day public review between August 3, 2020, and September 16, 2020. However, due to community request for additional time to review the document, the comment period was extended by an additional 20 days to October 6, 2020. At the public hearing on November 9, 2020, the Planning Commission voted to continue the consideration of the GPU and the certification of the Final PEIR (October 2020) to a future date to allow additional time for outreach to Santa Ana's environmental justice (EJ) communities. Recirculated Draft Program Environmental Impact Report (August 2021) In 2021, the City initiated an expanded outreach program focusing on environmental justice and specific community concerns raised in comments received. Pursuant to Draft PEIR comments, the Planning Commission public hearing, and the expanded community outreach program, the City made the decision to prepare a Recirculated Draft PEIR. The Recirculated document concluded that the recreation -related impacts of the proposed GPU would result in a significant impact and defined a new project alternative to reduce these impacts. It also further discussed and evaluated impacts related to environmental justice, including air quality, hazards, and recreation/open space. Consistent with CEQA Guidelines Section 15088.5, the Recirculated Draft PEIR does not need to include all the topical CEQA sections from the original Draft PEIR. Rather, the Recirculated Draft PEIR (August 2021) updates and supplements only the three topical