Item 28 - Public Hearing - Amendment Application for the Village Santa Ana Specific Plan

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CHAPTER 6 SIGNIFICANT AND UNAVOIDABLE ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS The Final EIR determined that the Project has potentially significant environmental effects that cannot be feasibly mitigated to less -than -significant levels, and such impacts would be significant and unavoidable. These impacts and the corresponding findings are identified below. 6.1 RECREATION Threshold R-1: The Project would increase the use of existing neighborhood and regional parks or other recreational facilities such that substantial physical deterioration of the facility would occur or be accelerated. Findings: The City finds that specific economic, legal, social, technological, or other considerations make infeasible the mitigation measures or project alternatives identified in the Final Supplemental EIR. While changes or alterations have been required in, or incorporated into, including regulatory requirement RR REC-1 below, the Project to address this significant effect on the environment, no feasible mitigation measures exist to reduce impacts to a less -than - significant level. RR REC-1: Residential development associated with the General Plan Update will be required to comply with the provisions of the Municipal Code Chapter 35, Article IV (Residential Development Fee). Residential development is mandated to pay fees, dedicate land in lieu thereof, or a combination of both for the purpose of preserving recreational facilities in the City. However, pursuant to PRC Section 21081(a)(3), as described in the Statement of Overriding Considerations, the City has determined that this impact is acceptable based on specific overriding considerations found in Chapter 8 below. Explanation of the Rationale: The rationale and facts supporting the above finding are fully developed in Section 4.12, Recreation, pages 4.12-10 through 4.12-13 of the Draft Supplemental EIR. The following presents a summary of that rationale: The Project would redevelop an approximately 17.2-acre site with a mix of residential and commercial uses and is conservatively estimated to provide housing for 3,815 individuals. To meet the GPU policy of providing 3 acres of public park or recreational space per 1,000 residents, the Project would need to provide a total of 11.4 acres. The Project would meet a significant portion of this increased need through provision of 7.5 acres of publicly accessible open space and common areas, which equates to providing 2 acres of publicly accessible open space per 1,000 residents. These publicly accessible areas include active spaces, such as walkways and a fitness loop, and passive open spaces, such as pocket parks and gathering areas for outdoor programming. Additionally, the Project would provide 6.3 acres of private outdoor and amenity spaces, including outdoor balconies and patios, pools and spas, communal gathering spaces, etc., totaling a combined 13.8 acres, or approximately 80 percent of the 17.2-acre Project site, of City of Santa Ana The Village Santa Ana Specific Plan Project August 2025 CEQA Findings of Fact and Statement of Overriding Considerations