2014-069 - Final Environmental Impact Report No. 2014-01

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HARBOR BLVD. MIXED USE TRANSIT CORRIDOR PLAN FINAL FIR CITY OF SANTA ANA 5. Environmental Analysis CULTURAL RESOURCES vertebrate fossils in older Quaternary sediments. Grading or shallow excavations at lesser depths in the younger Quaternary alluvial sediments onsite are unlikely to uncover significant fossil vertebrate remains. Therefore, future development accommodated by the Harbor Boulevard Mixed Use Transit Corridor Plan that requires grading six feet below ground surface could potentially unearth previously unrecorded paleontological resources and result in a significant impact. Tribal Consultation In accordance with SB 18, the City of Santa Ana sent a written request to NAHC on June 13, 2013, requesting a list of tribes to consult that could be affected by implementation of the Harbor Boulevard Mixed Use Transit Corridor Plan. NAHC responded on June 19 with a Native American Tribal Consultation list of eight representatives from six tribes with traditional lands or cultural places associated with the project area that should be consulted during the project review process. The City sent invitation letters to representatives of these six tribes on June 27 formally inviting them to consult with the City during the project review process. The intent of the consultation was to provide an opportunity for interested tribes to work together with the City during the project planning process to identify and protect tribal cultural resources. To date, none of the tribes have submitted formal requests for consultation. 5.3.4 Cumulative Impacts Implementation of the proposed project in conjunction with other planned projects in the City of Santa Ana, in accordance with the City's General Plan (see Section 4.4, Assump ions Regarding Cumulative lVacts), could result in cumulative impacts to cultural resources. Development or redevelopment activities in other areas of the City in accordance with the City's General Plan could unearth unknown significant cultural resources. The potential for impacts to cultural resources from other cumulative projects is unknown, but likely similar to those of the proposed project. Destruction of significant cultural resources from one or more of the cumulative projects could constitute a significant cumulative impact. However, similar to the proposed project, other development projects would be required to undergo additional discretionary review and would be subject to the same resource protection requirements and CEQA review as the proposed project. For example, other development projects would require some degree of ground disturbing monitoring, which would minimize the potential to disturb significant cultural resources. If cultural resources were found, they would be addressed through the necessary testing, archiving, and recovery prior to development of the site. Neither the proposed project nor other cumulative development are expected to result in significant impacts to cultural resources provided that site - specific surveys and test and evaluation excavations are conducted, as necessary, to determine whether the resources are unique cultural resources, and appropriate mitigation is implemented, including, but not limited to, compliance with existing requirements. Additionally, the proposed project has incorporated mitigation that would reduce the potential for the project to contribute to cumulative impacts to cultural resources. Therefore, the proposed project's contribution to cumulative impacts to cultural resources would be less than significant and less than cumulatively considerable. October 2014 Page 5.3 -9