75A - PH - AMEND GENERAL PLAN - Laserfiche WebLink

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1. Introduction The City of Santa Ana is proposing an update to the Housing Element of its General Plan. The Housing Element is one of the seven General Plan Elements mandated by the State of California, as articulated in Sections 65580 to 65589.8 of the Government Code. To comply with state law, Santa Ana prepares a housing element every five years or in conjunction with the release of the Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA). The last Housing Element adopted for the City was in October 2009. The Housing Element must contain goals, policies, and programs to facilitate the development, improvement, and preservation of housing. State law prescribes the scope and content of the housing element pursuant to Section 65583 of the California Government Codes. The Element also provides a comprehensive evaluation of programs and regulations related to priority goals, objectives, and program actions that directly address the needs of Santa Ana residents. The Housing Element is only one facet of the City's overall planning program. The California Government Code requires that General Plans contain an integrated, consistent set of goals and policies. The Housing Element is, therefore, affected by development policies contained in other elements of the General Plan. The City of Santa Ana, as Lead Agency for the project, is responsible for preparing environmental documentation in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), as amended, to determine if approval of the discretionary actions requested could have a significant impact on the environment. This Initial Study will provide the City of Santa Ana with information to document potential impacts of the 2014 -2021 Santa Ana Housing Element and Public Safety Element Updates (proposed project). 1.1 PROJECT LOCATION Figure 1, Regional Location, shows the location of the City of Santa Ana in the Orange County region. Santa Ana is in Central Orange County and bordered by the cities of Orange to the north, Garden Grove to the north and west, Fountain Valley to the west and southwest, Costa Mesa to the south, Irvine to the southeast, and Tustin to the east. State Route 22 (SR -22) parallels the City on the north, Interstate 5 (I -5) and State Route 55 (SR -55) run through the northeastern corners of the City, and Interstate 405 (I -405) is just south of the City boundaries. 1.2 ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING 1.2.1 Existing Land Use The City of Santa Ana is a 27.2square -mile area developed with a variety of urban land uses. Based on the 1998 General Plan Land Use Element, 58 percent of the land area is devoted to residential development, 15 percent to commercial uses, 14 percent to industrial, 11 percent to public and institutional uses, and 2 percent December 2013 The Planning Center I DC&E • Page 1 75A -23