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9 FINDINGS REGARDING PROJECT ALTERNATIVES <br />Attainment of Project Objectives: The No Project/No Build Alternative not meet any of the <br />project objectives listed in Section 2.3, Project Objectives. The No Project/No Build Alternative <br />would continue the operation of the existing South Coast Plaza Village and maintain the existing <br />seven commercial buildings and surface parking. The No Project/No Build Alternative would not <br />implement the mixed -use development, containing integrated residential and commercial uses, <br />which contributes to the creation of a vibrant urban core by enhancing community amenities, <br />recreational, and open space areas and providing alternative transportation and mobility options <br />in the GPU South Bristol Street Focus Area. The Project site would remain a conventional auto - <br />oriented shopping plaza with large surface parking areas. (Draft Supplemental EIR, <br />pp. 6-13 — 6-14.) <br />Findings: The City Council rejects Alternative 1: No Project/No Build Alternative, on the following <br />grounds, each of which individually provides sufficient justification for rejection of this alternative: <br />(1) the alternative fails to meet any of the basic Project objectives; (2) the alternative would result <br />in increased impacts relating to land use and planning; and (3) the alternative is infeasible. <br />9.2.2 Alternative 2: Reduced Project Alternative <br />The Reduced Project Alternative would reduce the commercial square footage, change the <br />residential mix to reduce the number of residents, and remove the office uses from the mixed use <br />development to minimize operational impacts to volatile organic compounds associated with area <br />sources and construction -related impacts related to ground disturbance. Alternative 2 would <br />reduce the total commercial square footage to 50,000 square feet, provide 1,433 multi -family <br />residential units and 150 senior (age restricted) living units, and provide 7.5 acres of publicly <br />accessible parks/recreation facilities and open space. To support the Reduced Project <br />Alternative's mix of uses, the total number of parking stalls would be reduced to 2,296 stalls. <br />Further, the total amount of bicycle stalls would be reduced to 138 stalls. Maximum excavation <br />depths would reach 14 feet below ground surface (bgs) for one level of subterranean parking <br />under this alternative. (Draft Supplemental EIR, p. 6-14.) <br />Environmental Effects: The Reduced Project Alternative would result in a reduced magnitude <br />of construction -related impacts to air quality, GHG emissions, and noise. However, as with the <br />Project, impacts would still be less than significant or less than significant with mitigation, which <br />would be similar to those of the Project due to the similar types of construction activities. <br />During operation, the Reduced Project Alternative would be expected to result in reduced <br />emissions of criteria pollutants and GHGs, energy consumption, vehicle miles traveled, overall <br />population, and demand for public services, parks, and utility services. The overall reduction in <br />volume of these factors would occur primarily due to the reduced commercial square footage <br />elimination of office uses, and the replacement of some standard residential units with senior <br />living residences. The Reduced Project Alternative would provide 7.5 acres of publicly accessible <br />parks/recreation facilities and open space, resulting in a slightly higher recreation -to -resident ratio <br />of 2.1 acres per 1,000 residents than the Project. However, significant and unavoidable impacts <br />to recreation would remain. Although the volume of impacts would be reduced by the Reduced <br />Project Alternative in comparison to the Project, the Reduced Project Alternative would not <br />eliminate the significant and unavoidable recreation impacts or the less than significant impacts <br />of the Project. (Draft Supplemental EIR, pp. 6-14 — 6-20.) <br />Attainment of Project Objectives: The Reduced Project Alternative would meet the project <br />objectives, but not to the same extent as the Project. The Reduced Project Alternative would still <br />transform the conventional auto -oriented shopping plaza with large surface parking areas to a <br />City of Santa Ana The Village Santa Ana Specific Plan Project <br />August 2025 CEQA Findings of Fact and Statement of Overriding Considerations <br />9-5 <br />