2007-026 - Approving the Final Environmental Impact

Home Browse Search

CHAPTER 1 Introduction This document presents the Findings of Fact and Statement of Overriding Considerations that must be adopted by the City of Santa Ana (City) pnrsuant to the requirements of Sections 15091 and 15093, respectively, of the CalifOrnia Environmental Quality Act Guidelines (CEQA Guidelines) prior to the approval of the Metro East Mixed Use Overlay Zone (proposed project). This document is organized as follows: Chapter 1 Introduction to the Findings of Fact and Statement of Overriding Considerations. Chapter 2 Presents the CEQA Findings of the Environmental Impact Report (EIR), including the identified significant impacts. Chaprer 3 Presents the alternatives to the proposed project and evaluates them in relation to the findings contained in Section 15091 (a) (3) of the CEQA Guidelines. The City must consider and make frndings regarding alternatives when a project would involve environmental impacts that cannot be reduced to a less-than-significant level., or cannot be substantially reduced, by proposed mitigation measnres. Chapter 4 Presents a Statement of Overriding Considerations that is required in accordance with Section 15093 of the CEQA Guidelines for significant impacts of the proposed project that cannot be mitigated to a !ess-than-sigmficant level. As stated in the EIR, the Metro East Mixed Use Overlay Zone is a land use plan that guides the physical development within the boundaries of the Overlay Zone. It is not an implementation plan, and adoption of the Overlay Zone does not constitute a commitment to any specific project, construction schedule, or funding priority. Rather, it provides for an alternative to existing office and commercial zoning designations in an area that may result in mixed-use/residential development if property owners wish to exercise the provisions of the Overlay Zone. Each development proposal undertaken dnring the planning horizon of the Overlay Zone must be approved individually by the City of Santa Ana Planning Department, the City Planning Commission, and the City Council, in compliance with CEQA. Therefore, the Metro East Mixed Use Overlay Zone EIR is a program-level environmental assessment that evaluates the effects of implementation of the entire Overlay Zone. The environmental assessment for the Overlay Zone is provided in this volume (Volume I) of the Metro East Mixed Use Overlay Zone ErR. As previously described, preparation of the Overlay Zone converged with a project-specific proposal, First and Cabrillo Towers, to provide a mixed use development on the northwest comer of First Street and Cabrillo Park Drive. The proposed First and Cabrillo Towers development is described in detail, including the project-specific environmental analysis, in Volume II of the Metro East Mixed Use Overlay Zone EIR. With respect to other individual development projects that may be proposed dnring the Overlay Zone planning horizon, Section 15168(c) of the CEQA Guidelines states that subsequent activities should be examined in light of the Program EIR to determine whether additional environmental docwnentation must be prepared. If a later activity would have effects that were not examined in the Program EIR, Metro East Mixed Use Overlay Zone EIR Findings of Fact/Statement of Overriding ConMag~{I'J~~ ~~g::~:o~~~ 1-1