Correspondence - #22 - Response to Late Comments

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Response to Letter CCS: Bonnie Hanson, dated September 16, 2024 This comment letter was received after the public review and comment period ended (July 6, 2023, through August 23, 2023). As stated in Section 15088 of the CEQA Guidelines, Lead Agencies are not required to respond to letters received outside of the noticed comment period. However, the following responses have been prepared to provide clarity regarding the environmental concerns that have been raised. Comment CC5.1: This comment states the commenter is concerned about the Project and that the commenter has enjoyed living in Santa Ana. The comment states that the commenter lives in the area and shops at the Project site and that the businesses help the community. Response CC5.1: The comment is introductory in nature and does not raise a specific issue with the adequacy of the Draft Supplemental EIR or raise any other CEQA issue. Therefore, no further response is required or provided. Comment CC5.2: The comment discusses that the commenter went to a meeting regarding the Project at Saddleback High School and had a list of questions. The comments asks what will happen to the businesses in the area now and whether they will be invited to stay and what will happen during construction. The comment asks how long construction will take. The comment asks about added traffic congestion and how the Project will impact South Coast Plaza. The comment asks about the temporary Christmas Tree sales area and the need for increased parking. The comment asks how the increase will affect local power, water supplies, and sewer lines. The comment asks about increased traffic on the 405/Bristol, Bristol/Sunflower, and Bristol/MacArthur intersections. Response CC5.2: The comment does not raise a specific issue with the adequacy of the Draft Supplemental EIR or raise any other CEQA issue. Regarding the existing businesses and construction timing, as described in Chapter 6 of the Specific Plan, construction of Phase 1 is expected to commence in the first quarter of 2026 with completion in the first quarter of 2030. Existing land uses in the Phase 2 and Phase 3 areas would be operational while Phase 1 is under construction. Phase 2 is expected to commence in the second quarter of 2030 with completion in the fourth quarter of 2032. Phase 3 is expected to commence in the first quarter of 2033 with completion in the second quarter of 2036. However, as the Project is a Specific Plan, future businesses that would operate within the Project are unknown. In regard to traffic congestion, the Draft Supplemental EIR Section 5.13 Transportation, details that Senate Bill (SB) 743 changes include the elimination of auto delay, LOS, and similar measures of vehicular capacity or traffic congestion as the basis for determining significant impacts. As part of the 2019 amendments to the State CEQA Guidelines, SB 743 directed that the revised CEQA Guidelines "shall promote the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, the development of multimodal transportation networks, and a diversity of land uses" (Public Resources Code Section 21099[b][1 ]); and that "automobile delay, as described solely by level of service or similar measures of vehicular capacity or traffic congestion, shall not be considered a significant impact on the environment" (Public Resources Code Section 21099[b][2]). As such, pursuant to Public Resources Code Section 21099(b)(2), the Supplemental EIR is not required to analyze impacts related to traffic congestion. Nevertheless, a Traffic Impact Analysis was prepared for the Project and is publicly available on the City's Project website. Regarding parking, as discussed on page 5.16-7 of the Draft SEIR, the Project is located on an infill site within a TPA as defined under Public Resources Code Section 21099; therefore, the Project's parking impacts are not considered significant effects on the environment. Regarding the Project's impact on South Coast Plaza, the Project would not result in any changes to the existing operations at South Coast Plaza. Regarding the electricity demands of the proposed Project, as detailed in Draft Supplemental EIR Section 5.3, Energy, Southern California Edison Company (SCE) has the capacity to continue providing service to the Project site at buildout of the Project. Also, as described on page 5.3-1 1 of the Draft Supplemental EIR, the proposed Project would be required to comply with most current Title 24 Building Energy Efficiency Standards and Section 1 10.10 of the 2022 California Energy Code for solar panels. Further, Mitigation Measure GHG-2 requires the proposed Project to meet CALGreen Tier 2 voluntary energy efficiency standards, which surpass the building code energy efficiency 31