Item 17 - Appropriation Adjustments for Bristol Improvement Project Phase 4

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Bristol Street Corridor Specific Plan March 2018 The Bristol Corridor Redevelopment Plan was approved, in 1989, as a mechanism for alleviating existing problems through a process of development, rehabilitation, and revitalization. While it did not provide a detailed plan for how this would be accomplished, it created a framework within which specific projects and improvements can begin to take place. The general direction established for the development of the Bristol Corridor area was first set forth in the former Redevelopment Plan goals and objectives, which can be summarized as follows: • Reduce and prevent blight conditions; • Widen and improve Bristol Street; • Promote new and continuing private sector investment; • Establish a higher quality urban design character; • Retain and expand as many existing businesses as possible; • Provide for increased revenues to the City; • Preserve the existing employment base and create new job opportunities; • Replan, redesign, and redevelop areas which are stagnant or underutilized; • Eliminate or ameliorate environmental deficiencies; • Expand the community's supply of housing, including low - and moderate -income units; • Reduce City costs for providing services to the area; and • Protect existing neighborhoods and housing from adverse impacts associated with new development. Page 16 Intersection of Bristol Street and Santa Ana Boulevard looking south, before street widening, November 2010. Bristol Street Widening Project As can be seen in the prior list of development goals and objectives, the only specific project proposed by the former redevelopment plan was the widening of Bristol Street. The widening of the roadway to accommodate existing and projected traffic levels represented the keystone to the whole development process, without which the successful revitalization of the corridor would be highly unlikely. For this reason the City of Santa Ana undertook a study, in 1989, to determine the most appropriate means of expanding the capacity of the Bristol Street Corridor to accommodate both existing and projected traffic levels. At that time, Bristol Street was a four -lane, undivided arterial between Warner Avenue and Memory Lane. To the north and south of this section, the roadway was already six lanes. This narrower section of the roadway was responsible for much of the capacity limitations d� r 1 Intersection of Bristol Street and Fifth Street looking north, before street widening. November 2010. An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was prepared in conjunction with the Bristol Street Widening study to evaluate the potential impacts associated with such a project. Four possible alternatives were evaluated in the Draft EIS and public hearings held on the environmental document. Based on the findings of the EIS and the public comment on the project, the City Council selected a preferred alternative which incorporated a combination of the characteristics of each of the preliminary alternatives. The preferred alternative was formulated with careful consideration given to the social, environmental, and fiscal costs of the final solution. Given the narrow existing right -of -