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<br />Certify Environmental Impact Report No. 95-03 <br />October 17, 2005 <br />Page 4 <br /> <br />held in the City of Irvine on February 25, 2004, and a public hearing was <br />held in the City of Santa Ana on March 8, 2004. During the public review <br />period, the City received comments from one state agency, one regional <br />agency, one utility, and five businesses. The majority of the comments <br />related to establishing future parking sites within the project area <br />using remnant parcels, concerns regarding project impacts on traffic <br />circulation at or near their businesses, and construction related issues <br />such as dust, noise and access to businesses. <br />Additionally, the DEIR/EA identified potentially contaminated properties <br />within the project area. Therefore the FHWA requested that a Phase II <br />Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) for hazardous waste be conducted as <br />part of the environmental review process. The Phase II analysis <br />consisted of taking soil samples from each of the identified partial and <br />full acquisition properties. The Phase II analysis delayed the <br />completion of the environmental phase of the proj ect for approximately <br />one year. <br /> <br />Written responses to those comments were provided in the Responses to <br />Comments (RTC) Report. The RTC Report documents all written and oral <br />comments received during the public review period and contains the City's <br />response to those comments (Exhibit 2). Additionally, comments received <br />from the public and from the public agencies did not require any new <br />analysis, or result in major changes in the FEIR/EA. <br /> <br />Further, the FEIR/EA identified ten environmental categories that may <br />result in significant or potentially significant environmental impacts. <br />All of these significant impacts can be avoided through the adoption of <br />feasible mitigation measures. The attached findings and facts (Exhibit 3) <br />summarizes the evidence relied upon by the City in making these findings. <br />This evidence is drawn from the Notice of Preparation, the FEIR/EA, the <br />comments and responses to comments on the DEIR/EA, and other evidence <br />presented to the City, including all other information in the <br />administrative record. Additionally, a Mitigation Monitoring and <br />Reporting Program has been prepared for this project and is found in <br />Appendix L of the FEIR/EA. <br /> <br />After the FEIR/EA is certified, staff will proceed with the final design <br />of the proj ect. The design phase is being funded by the Orange County <br />Transportation Authority's (aCTA) Regional Interchange Program with a 50 <br />percent local match from the cities of Santa Ana and Irvine. During the <br />design phase, staff will aggressively seek all available federal, state <br />and local funding for the right-of-way acquisition and construction of the <br />project. In addition, staff is working to have the project listed for <br />inclusion of the Measure M reauthorization. This project is also included <br />in the aCTA Draft Long Range Transportation Plan Candidate List. <br /> <br />55C-4 <br />