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City of Santa Ana rI a 2001 East First Street Project CEQA Peer Review management and coordination of the peer review Comment Matrix to be provided to the City. Additionally,we have identified Rincon in-house technical staff to review the technical components of Class 32 CE and supporting technical documents. This will provide for coordinated review of the documents, and a timely turn-around of work products. Resumes are available upon request. Project Understanding The project site is located at 2001 East First Street in the City of Santa Ana. Currently,the 1.4-acre project site is developed with a two-story office building with associated parking and landscaping.The project involves demolition of the office building, followed by construction of 36 residential units, including 14 row townhome units and 22 interlocked townhome units. The proposed project would retain the current land use designation of District Center - Medium High (DC-3),as well as the current zoning of Arterial Commercial(C-5)with a Metro East Mixed Use(MEMU) Overlay(OZ1).The project Applicant is requesting approval of a Tentative Tract Map,Site Plan Review, along with a density bonus and parking variance for implementation of the project. Rincon understands that the project Applicant has teamed with EPD Solutions, Inc. (EPD) for preparation of an exemption checklist that demonstrates the project qualifies for a Class 32 CE for infill development and confirms eligibility for a CEQA exemption pursuantto CEQA Guidelines Sections 15332 and 15300.2.As a third-party reviewer for the City, Rincon will provide thorough peer reviews of the environmental analyses to verify compliance with CEQA requirements. Environmental Approach Rincon's peer review of the Class 32 CE and technical documents will focus on methodology and assumptions employed as part of the environmental review, adherence to regulatory standards as appropriate, and consistency with the City's General Plan and Municipal Code.The peer review will be performed in accordance with the most current tenants of CEQA and recent CEQA case law, and the professional standard of practice of care in our industry.The review will be conducted with an eye for legal defensibility, exposure of the City to liability due to any errors and/or omissions,conclusions well supported by facts, observation, analysis or explanation, and for soundness and sufficiency in supporting analyses in the Class 32 CE.The peer review will also focus on ensuring that the analysis does not include any statements that may be perceived as biased on the part of the project applicant, FCS, or City, and that there is internal consistency between the various sections within the Class 32 CE and supporting technical analyses. Our approach is further described in our scope of work below. Task 1 Project Initiation and Management Rincon will attend a kick-off call with the City of Santa Ana to formally discuss the City's objectives and project schedule. Immediately after the call, Rincon will mobilize our team to start the peer review process.As part of project initiation,we will review all project description information and plans in an effort to gain a complete understanding of the project.This will include also items like the site plan and technical documents. This task also includes coordination with the City regarding status of deliverables,as well as internal coordination and oversight of Rincon's peer review team.Furthermore, this task includes two coordination meetings(virtual)with two Rincon staff,the Applicant/Consultant team, and the City to address any questions that may arise regarding our peer review comments. Over the years of our experience with peer reviews,we've found that making ourselves readily available for meetings like this help to avoid confusion and assist in facilitating a timely schedule. 2