2014-060 - Adopting Findings Pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act

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SexlingerFarmhouse and Orchard Residential Development Project CEQA Findings TRF -1: Prior to grading permit issuance, a Traffic Management Plan shall be submitted for review and approval to the City of Santa Ana. Such plan shall consist of prior notices, adequate sign posting, and detours. The TMP shall be reviewed and approved by the City Police and Fire Departments so that construction does not interfere with any emergency response or evacuation plans. (EIR, p. 5 -98.) Implementation of TRF -1 will ensure review, approval, and implementation of a TMP that will take into account emergency access and evacuation plans. As such, impacts are reduced to a level of less than significant, 7.0 Findings Regarding Growth Inducement Pursuant to sections 15126(d) and 15126.2(d) of the State CEQA Guidelines, an EIR must discuss the ways a proposed project could foster economic or population growth or the construction of additional housing, directly or indirectly, in the surrounding environment. This project involves the development of 22 new single family residences and the preservation in place of one additional single family residence. The Project site is located in an area surrounded by developed land, and is served by existing infrastructure and public services, The project's new residences are anticipated to generate less than 106 persons, based on Santa Ana's average household size of between 4 and 5 persons. (EIR, p. 6 -4.) This growth represents less than a 0.1 percent increase of the City's population in 2012 and therefore, impacts are considered less than significant — the project would not foster growth inducing impacts. (EIR, pp. 6 -1 through 64.) In addition, these units are within the population forecasts and housing target assigned to the City by the South Coast Association of Governments. (EIR, p. 5 -61.) 8.0 Findings Regarding Cumulative Environmental Impacts Pursuant to section 15130(a) of the State CEQA Guidelines, cumulative impacts of a project shall be discussed when they are `cumulatively considerable," as defined in section 15065(a)(3) of the State CEQA Guidelines. Cumulatively considerable "means that the incremental effects of an individual project are significant when viewed in connection with the effects of past projects, the effects of other current projects, and the effects of probable future projects." (State CEQA Guidelines, § 15065(a)(3).) The EIR assessed cumulative impacts for each applicable environmental resource area, within the section of the EIR dedicated to that environmental issue. No cumulatively considerable impacts were identified. A. CUMULATIVE AESTHETICS IMPACTS Construction of currently approved and pending projects in the vicinity of the project site would contribute to aesthetics impacts, however the City of Santa Ana is already largely developed. Because the project would be comparable to surrounding, existing, developed areas in terms of scale, character and use, cumulative aesthetics impacts of the project are less than significant. (EIR, p. 5 -5.) B. CUMULATIVE AIR QUALITY IMPACTS The Southern California Association of Governments is responsible for preparing housing construction needs goals for each city. The proposed project is consistent with and helps the City obtain its assigned housing goals. Because regional air quality plans consider these housing goals, it can be assumed that emissions from this project were considered in concert with other cumulative projects. In addition, the 34 "Exhibit A"