Item 21 - Public Hearing - Amendments to the Transit Zoning Code (SD-84) Zoning District and Citywide Zoning Code

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ZOA No. 2024-02 & AA No. 2024-03 (Transit Zoning Code Amendments) May 6, 2025 Page 11 On January 15, 2025, City staff made draft TZC (SD-84) regulations available to the public for review in advance of the scheduled Planning Commission study session on February 10, 2025 and public hearing on February 24, 2025. The amendments address the permitted uses table, nonconforming regulations, amortization, and operational standards, and were designed to prepare for the TZC moratorium's expiration on April 15, 2025. Staff met with business owners and brokers on January 30, 2025, to discuss the draft regulations and met with the Lacy and Logan neighborhoods meeting on February 19, 2025, and again with a focus group of industrial businesses on February 20, 2025. Staff has continued to update the TZC moratorium project vvebpage with additional updates, including the Study Session and Planning Commission Public Hearing Notice, Planning Commission's Study Session PowerPoint presentation, and the draft ordinance and clarifications presented to the Planning Commission. City staff has also prepared two Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) documents to clarify information regarding the moratorium, affected businesses, the proposed zoning amendments, legal concerns, community engagement, and opportunities to participate in the public hearing process. The first FAQ became available prior to the City's project informational meeting on October 22, 2024, and the second FAQ was made available on February 24, 2025, and is included as Exhibit 5 to this staff report. City staff from the Neighborhood Initiatives and Environmental Services (NIES) section of the Planning Division continues to coordinate with City departments, external regulatory agencies, and staff from other federal and state agencies to identify additional resources available to enhance deeper awareness of pollution exposure in disadvantaged communities, long-term health effects, and immediate solutions. The NIES team has held meetings and discussions with staff from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry and CaIEPA Environmental Justice Team to identify opportunities for linking environmental justice (EJ) resources and support to the Logan and Lacy neighborhoods The recent SoCal Gas Company's Climate grant award to the City from the SoCal Gas Company will further assist in obtaining baseline air quality data and education in these communities. Current Code and Proposed Amendments to Text, Figures, and Maps Based upon the City Council's actions and direction enacting the moratorium combined with the research and analysis of the issues herein, staff has prepared the proposed zoning ordinance (ZOA No. 2024-02) and zoning map (AA No. 2024-03) amendments. The proposed amendments would modify the list of land uses and permit types including the deletion of industrial land uses; amend nonconforming regulations including the addition of an amortization/termination of use process; amend and add operational standards for allowed uses and nonconforming uses; delete the Industrial Overlay (I-OZ) zone from text and maps; and delete the M1 (Light Industrial) and M2 (Heavy Industrial) suffixes from certain properties within the TZC boundary as designated on the City of Santa Ana Zoning Map.