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result in even greater community benefits). The Federal -Aid <br />Highway Program Manual., Volume 7, Chapter 7, Section 3 (FHPM <br />7.7.3) has established design noise•ievels for different activity <br />categories. Residences, schools, and recreation areas are in <br />activity Category 8 which specifies an exterior design noise <br />level of 67 dBA (Leq). Most commercial areas are in activity <br />Category C with a corresponding design noise level of 72 dBA <br />(Leq). The design noise levels for all activity categories <br />appear in Table 4 -2 and are to be applied to: <br />- those undeveloped lands for which development is planned, <br />designed and programmed on the date of public knowledge of <br />the highway or other federally funded construction project; <br />- those activities and land uses in existence on the date of <br />public knowledge of the project; and <br />- those areas which have regular human use and in which a <br />lowered noise level would be of benefit. <br />The FHW A noise abatement criteria establish an exterior noise <br />level for residential uses of 67 Leq. An interior level of 52 <br />Leq applies where: (1) no exterior activity area is identified <br />or (2) the exterior activities are either remote from the highway <br />or shielded in some manner so that they will not be significantly <br />affected by the noise (but the interior activities will). <br />The criteria apply to private yard areas and assume that typical <br />wood frame homes provide a 10 dB (outdoor to indoor) noise reduc- <br />tion with windows open and a 20 dB reduction with windows closed. <br />Under federal noise standards, traffic noise impacts occur when <br />the predicted noise levels approach or exceed the noise abatement <br />criteria, or when the predicted traffic noise levels substantial- <br />ly exceed the existing noise levels. <br />City Standards: The City of Santa Ana General. Plan Noise Ele- <br />ment, includes a series of goals, implementation policies, and <br />implementation programs related to land use compatibility with <br />noise. Table 4 -3 lists the "desirable maximum" and "acceptable <br />maximum" noise levels for various land uses, as noted in the <br />General Plan. As shown in Table 4--3, the desirable maximum noise <br />level for residential uses ranges from 55 to 65 CNEL depending <br />upon density, and the maximum acceptable noise level ranges from <br />65 to 70 CNEL. Commercial and office uses have a desirable <br />maximum noise level of 65 CNEL and a maximum acceptable noise <br />level. of 75 CNEL. Industrial land uses have the same maximum <br />acceptable noise level as commercial uses (75 CNEL) but a higher <br />desirable maximum noise level (70 CNEL). <br />In addition to the noise compatibility guidelines specified in <br />the Noise Element, the City has adopted a Noise Control Ordinance <br />(August 21, 1978) which specifies maximum noise levels which can <br />be generated at the property line of residences, churches, <br />4 -4 <br />