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South Coast <br />Air Quality Management District <br />21865 Copley Drive, Diamond Bar, CA 91765-4182 <br />a , (909) 396 -2000 • www.agmd.gov <br />E- mailed: June 1, 2010 <br />Ms. Lucy Linnaus <br />Senior Planner <br />City of Santa Ana <br />Planning and Building Agency <br />Santa Ana, CA 92702 <br />Letter AQMD <br />June 1, 2010 <br />Review of the Draft Environmental Impact Report (Draft EIR) <br />for the City of Santa Ana Transit Zoning Code <br />The South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) appreciates the opportunity <br />to comment on the above - mentioned document. Although the public comment period for <br />the Draft Environmental Impact Report (Draft EIR) closed on March 19, 2010 AQMD <br />staff was not notified about this project until April 20, 2010. While the comment period <br />has closed, the Final Environmental Impact Report (Final EIR) has not yet been <br />published by the lead agency. The following comments are intended to provide guidance <br />to the lead agency and should be incorporated into the Final EIR as appropriate. <br />Additionally, pursuant to CEQA Guidelines § 15086 AQMD staff requests that the lead <br />agency please ensure that the AQMD is included in the distribution list for all future <br />projects subject to CEQA. <br />AQMD staff recognizes the regional air quality benefits of the proposed project (Transit <br />Zoning Code) given that it will increase residential densities near future employment and <br />transportation centers. However, AQMD staff is concerned that the project provides a <br />mixed use overlay zone that could potentially encourage more people to live in close <br />proximity to sources of air pollution such as industrial uses and Interstate 5. Therefore, <br />AQMD staff requests that the lead agency review and implement mitigation measures <br />consistent with the advisory recommendations and respective source categories from the <br />California Air Resources Board's Air Quality and Land Use Handbook: A Community <br />Perspective (CARB Handbook). Further, AQMD staff recommends that the lead agency <br />require additional construction mitigation measures to minimize the project's potential air <br />quality impacts. <br />Pursuant to Public Resources Code Section 21092.5, please provide the AQMD with <br />written responses to all comments contained herein prior to the adoption of the Final EIR. <br />Further, staff is available to work with the lead agency to address these issues and any <br />AQMD -1 <br />AQMD -2 <br />AQMD -3 <br />