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Vista Charter Public Schools District Office and Outdoor Space Project
<br />CEQA Exemption 15183
<br />Surrounding uses adjacent to the project site include industrial, commercial, institutional, and
<br />residential uses. An existing railroad alignment (currently under construction for electric street
<br />cars) bounds the project site to the north and northeast, Vista Heritage Global Academy and office
<br />uses are located to the south (within the Fairview Business Center), and North Fairview Street
<br />bounds the site to the west and northwest. The Romero -Cruz Academy and Santa Ana River are
<br />located further west across North Fairview Street.
<br />2.3 General Plan Designation and Zoning
<br />According to the General Plan Update Land Use Element Figure LU-1, Land Use Map, the project
<br />site is designated Industrial/Flex-Low (FLEX-1.5).' The Industrial/Flex designation is intended to
<br />provide context -appropriate development in areas with existing industrial uses. This land use
<br />designation allows for clean industrial uses that do not produce significant air pollutants, noise, or
<br />other nuisances typically associated with industrial uses, including office -industrial flex spaces,
<br />small-scale clean manufacturing, research and development and multilevel corporate offices,
<br />commercial retail, artist galleries, craft maker spaces, and live -work units. Adaptive reuse of
<br />buildings to accommodate live -work units is encouraged. Standalone residential is not permitted.
<br />According to the General Plan Update Land Use Element Table LU-3, Density and Intensity
<br />Standards, the FLEX-1.5 designation allows a maximum 1.5 floor -area -ratio (FAR) and/or 30
<br />dwelling per acre, with a maximum building height of three stories.
<br />Based on the City of Santa Ana Zoning Map (Zoning Map), the site is zoned Light Industrial (M1)
<br />and Specific Development No. 82 (SD-82).2 According to Ordinance No. NS-2777, permitted uses
<br />in the SD-82 District are the uses permitted in the M1 zone as specified in Municipal Code Chapter
<br />41, Article III, Division 18, M1 (Light Industrial) and schools by right and churches with a
<br />conditional use permit. Further, it is noted that the operational and development standards for the
<br />permitted and conditionally permitted Light Industrial Uses within the SD-82 zone shall be
<br />consistent with the operational and development standards found in Municipal Code Chapter 41,
<br />Article III, Division 18.
<br />2.4 Project Characteristics
<br />The project proposes to remodel and reoccupy a building formerly occupied by an automotive
<br />repair use as an office building for Vista Charter Public Schools. Specifically, the existing 5,837-
<br />square foot building would be remodeled for use as Vista Charter Public Schools district office;
<br />refer to Exhibit 3, Conceptual Site Plan. The existing open floor plan would be redesigned to
<br />include offices and conference rooms, with the exterior enhanced with new materials and color
<br />palette. The remodeled building would have approximately 5,764 square feet of usable interior
<br />space. Approximately 10 existing administrative staff would relocate from other Vista Charter
<br />educational facilities to the proposed district office; the project would not result in any new jobs.
<br />The project would also redevelop the shared surface parking lot in the southern portion of the site
<br />into an outdoor area consisting of an approximately 2,297-square foot community garden, an
<br />approximately 7,372-square foot play field, and an approximately 4,640-square foot play yard;
<br />refer to Exhibit 3. Outdoor areas would serve administrative staff and existing students of the
<br />adjoining Vista Heritage Global Academy and would not increase existing school capacity. The
<br />community garden, play field, and play yard would not be for public use.
<br />City of Santa Ana, Golden City Beyond, Santa Ana General Plan Land Use Element, Figure LU-1, Land Use Map,
<br />April 2022.
<br />2 City of Santa Ana, City of Santa Ana Zoning Map, March 4, 2021.
<br />Dec i y ouncil 26 — 65 1/16/20 ge 5
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