Item 22 - Public Hearing Regarding Bristol Project

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Related Bristol Specific Plan Entitlements & Development Agreement (3600 S. Bristol St.) and Staff Resolution Modifying Parking Districts in the Surrounding Area September 17, 2024 Page 13 Within the South Bristol Street Focus Area, the SP area is designated District Center - High (DC-5). The District Center designation includes the major activity areas of the City of Santa Ana, designed to serve as anchors to the City's commercial corridors and to accommodate major development activity. Table LU-8 of the General Plan identifies the DC-5 area as allowing a maximum Floor Area Ratio of 5.0, or 125 dwelling units per acre and a maximum building height of 25 stories. The General Plan's District Center designation would allow up to 8,733,780 square feet of mixed uses, inclusive of residential uses, based on the maximum FAR of 5.0 over the 41.13-acre project site. As proposed, the Specific Plan will result in an FAR of 2.7, which is within the maximums permissible by the General Plan. Site Information and History The SP area is located within the larger South Coast Metro area of Orange County, one of the most intensive and urban mixed use areas of Orange County. The South Coast Metro area includes retail, Class "A" office, high and mid -rise residential, hotels, restaurants, and a state of the art performing arts center. The area is largely centered around South Coast Plaza in the adjacent City of Costa Mesa. This metro area is located at the confluence of the regional freeway systems and major arterials, providing access to Orange County, Los Angeles, San Diego, and the Inland Empire. John Wayne Airport, a commercial airport serving the Orange County area, is located less than 1.5 miles from the SP area. The existing shopping center contains six parcels based on recorded Parcel Maps from the late 1970s. The present shopping center includes approximately 465,063 square feet of retail uses and the associated surface parking required to serve those uses. Existing uses include general retail, financial, food service, fitness, grocery, and medical -related uses. The site includes three (3) multi -story buildings and 11 one-story buildings with single and multiple tenants. All parking is currently provided in 2,381 surface parking spaces in areas located throughout the project site. In prior years, the Planning Commission approved Variance Nos. 2000-02 and 2011-08, allowing for 12.8 and 12.0-percent reductions in onsite parking, respectively. The variances were approved to facilitate construction of a health club (currently operating as LA Fitness) and a new retail/restaurant building at the southeast corner of the project site. The existing commercial development on site known as the Bristol Center has undergone several renovations since its construction. In the early 1900s, the site was used for farming of sugar beets and lima beans. Following construction of South Coast Plaza in the late 1960s, additional commercial, multiple -family residential, hospitality, and community uses followed in the South Coast Metro area. The Project site was developed into a shopping center in the 1970s and it has remained in commercial use since that time. All commercial leases on the project site are set to expire in 2025.