2014-006 - Santa Ana General Plan Housing Element and Public Safety Element Updates

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HOUSING RESOURCES Environmental and Infrastructure Analysis The transit corridors have not had detailed environmental analysis of water and sewer capacity. Thus, the latest information comes from the City's 2010 Urban Water Management Plan, 2003 Sewer Master Plan, and City Engineering staff. The following conclusions are cited from these sources. • The 2010 Urban Water Management Plan states that available and projected water supplies can continue to meet the City's imported water needs until the year 2035. The plan did not identify deficient service areas or water lines along the corridors that would preclude the development of these corridors, although the plan anticipates continued commercial development. • For each corridor area, most of the larger trunk sewers appear to have adequate capacity to serve potential residential development. However, due to the large overall number of apartments proposed in some areas, the increase in sewer flows could be significant when compared to existing commercial uses. Sewer studies should be performed for each location to determine the impacts on existing trunk sewers before a project is approved. • For the Fifth Street corridor, the existing 12 -inch sewer in Fifth Street is shown to be near capacity in the City's Sewer Master Plan model. This specific sewer should be studied to determine if upsizing is required. • For the First Street corridor, the existing sewer mains in First Street and McClay Street are old and may require replacement. These sewer mains need to be studied to determine the impact of proposed developments. • Other smaller local sewers in each area may also require replacement or upsizing due to capacity deficiencies and/or conditions. These lines should also be studied prior to approval of any projects. The presence of environmental constraints for Fifth and First Streets parcels are unknown at this time. Along Fifth Street, which contains a number of industrial parcels, the potential for environmental contamination is more likely. The transportation infrastructure supports residential development along these corridors. Sites along Fifth Street are adjacent to the Pacific Electric right -of -way, which is envisioned as a multimodal transportation opportunity. As required by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the redesignation of sites along First Street and Fifth Street will require the preparation of environmental documentation that clarifies the impact of residential/mixed uses to infrastructure, the existence of any environmental constraints, and programs to mitigate impacts as required. Capacity Analysis In conformity with Section 65583.2 (c) (3) (b) of the California Government Code, the identified sites are zoned to allow at least 30 units per acre and are therefore considered to have the capacity to accommodate lower income housing. Programs 20 and 21 of the Framework describe the City's plan to create a new general plan CITY OF SANTA ANA GENERAL PLAN HOUSING ELEMENT C -25