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

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6 SIGNIFICANT AND UNAVOIDABLE ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS public and private outdoor and recreational space to the residents. This total 13.8 acres is anticipated to meet the potential park and recreation needs of the Project residents; however, the Project residents may also use park and recreational facilities that are in the vicinity of the Project site. Such additional park visits may result in physical deterioration of recreational facilities due to the increased foot traffic and usage of park facilities. Such wear on facilities would be expected to contribute to the need for maintenance activities including, but are not limited to: replacement or fixing of picnic area tables and trash receptacles; painting and equipment maintenance of basketball, tennis, swimming, and other sports facilities; upkeep on playfield, trail, and landscaped areas; and maintenance of restroom and parking areas. Nonetheless, the Project would meet the City's 2022 Parks Master Plan short-range goal of providing 1.5 acres of parkland per 1,000 residents and comply with applicable municipal code requirements and Regulatory Requirement (RR) REC-1 requiring residential development fees for the acquisition, construction, and renovation of park and recreation facilities pursuant to Santa Ana Municipal Code Section 35-108 of Chapter 35, Article 4, and Sections 35-110 and 35-111 of Chapter 35, Article 4. The Project would contribute additional public park and recreation space to the City's available public parkland and recreational spaces at a ratio of 2 acres per 1,000 residents, which is higher than the 1.2 ratio assessed for the GPU buildout, in the GPU PEIR. Moreover, the Project would provide tax revenues to the City, including contributions to the applicable community facilities district, for park maintenance that would help offset the additional deterioration occurring from the Project residents. Taken together, the Project's proposed 13.8 acres of outdoor and recreational space (comprised of 7.5 acres of publicly accessible open space and 6.3 acres of private outdoor and amenity spaces), combined with the payment of applicable fees and tax revenues serve to reduce potential impacts discussed in the GPU PEIR. Regardless, since the Project would not fully meet the GPU policy of providing 3 acres of parkland and recreation facilities per 1,000 residents, it is reasonably foreseeable that the Project would result in the increased use of existing parks and recreational facilities in a manner that results in accelerated substantial physical deterioration of the facilities. Furthermore, the City of Santa Ana is essentially fully built out and there is a lack of available vacant land to develop substantial new parks or expand existing facilities. Therefore, as identified in the GPU PEIR, there would be no feasible mitigation measures that would be able to reduce this significant impact, or the project's contribution thereto, to a less -than -significant level. As such, impacts would be significant and unavoidable, which is consistent with the findings of the GPU PEIR. Threshold R-2: The Project would include recreational facilities or require the construction or expansion of recreational facilities which might have an adverse physical effect on the environment. 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 (listed above), the Project to address this significant effect on the environment, no feasible mitigation measures exist to reduce impacts to a less -than - significant level. 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. City of Santa Ana The Village Santa Ana Specific Plan Project August 2025 CEQA Findings of Fact and Statement of Overriding Considerations I•'