55C - RESO - FIXED GUIDEWAY PROJECT

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compared to existing conditions and may in fact reduce noise somewhat, and both sites were consistent with adopted land use plans and policies of the City of Santa Ana. It was anticipated that the environmental review process and accompanying public comment would further discern the relative advantages and disadvantages of each of these options and support the selection of the preferred option. There was little public comment or discussion about the 0 &M facility sites during public review of the EA /DEIR. However, size, location and opportunities for future system expansion and connectivity were considerations in the limited discussion of the two sites. Based on the evaluation results and public and agency comment, Site B is identified as the preferred site for the O &M Facility. It is slightly larger and more regularly shaped than Site A, providing operational benefits, the ability to house the full range of O &M maintenance functions, and greater opportunity to accommodate system expansion into Garden Grove or Anaheim in the future. It is estimated to be less expensive than Site A, and the use of the site as an O &M facility would be consistent with its industrial zoning designation and compatible with adjacent and surrounding land uses. 4`h Street Parking Scenario: With implementation of the streetcar on 4`h Street, it is necessary to eliminate the diagonal parking along the south side of 4`h Street because automobiles backing out of parking spaces would conflict with streetcar operations. As described in Section 2.4.2, three Design Options were considered to eliminate the diagonal parking: a) Replace the diagonal parking along the south side of 4m Street between Ross and French Streets with parallel parking; widen the sidewalk along the south side from 12 feet to 20 feet; b) Eliminate the parking along the south side of 4`h Street between Ross and French Streets and widen the sidewalks from 12 feet to 28 feet; and c) Eliminate the parking along both sides of 4`h Street between Ross and French Streets and widen the sidewalks on both sides of the street from 12 feet to 28 feet. During the public review period for the EA /DEIR, there was considerable comment and concern expressed about the impact of the fixed guideway on on- street parking. In particular, business owners along 4th Street were concerned about the impact to their businesses if adjacent on- street parking was eliminated. 4`h Street Parking Scenario A is the preferred option to address the diagonal parking along 4m Street. In Option A, the parking along the south side of 4th Street would be reconfigured to parallel parking spaces along the south side of 4`h Street between Ross and French Street. Option A results in the least loss of on- street parking, with a loss of between 26 and 30 spaces. It provides some traffic operational improvement compared to the diagonal parking, although less than parking removal. It is less expensive than either Option B or Option C LPA Decision Report July 2014 55C -75 5.4 1 Page