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 1. Executive Summary 1.2.2 Type and Purpose of This EIR This EIR has been prepared as a Program EIR in accordance with CEQA, the State CEQA Guidelines, and the City's Rules for the Implementation of CEQA. In accordance with Section 15121(a) of the State CEQA Guidelines (California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Division 6, Chapter 3): An EIR is an informational document which mill inform public agency decision - makers and the pubhcgenerallA of the significant envimnmental effects of a project, identify possible mays to mzmmz�e the significant effects, and describe reasonable alternatives to the project As provided in Section 15168 of the State CEQA Guidelines, a Program EIR may be prepared on a series of actions that may be characterized as one large project that are related either 1) geographically; 2) as logical parts of a chain of contemplated events; 3) in connection with issuance of rules, regulations, plans, or other general criteria to govern the conduct of a continuing program; or 4) as individual activities carried out under the same authorizing statutory or regulatory authority and have generally similar environmental effects that can be mitigated in similar ways. The CEQA Guidelines (Section 15168[b]) encourages the use of Program EIRs, citing five advantages: 1. Provide an occasion for a more exhaustive consideration of effects and alternatives than would be practical in an EIR or an individual action. 2. Ensure consideration of cumulative impacts that might be slighted in a case -by -case analysis. 3. Avoid duplicative reconsideration of basic policy considerations 4. Allow the Lead Agency to consider broad policy alternatives and programwide mitigation measures at an early time when the agency has greater flexibility to deal with basic problems or cumulative impacts 5. Allow reduction in paperwork Although the legally required contents of a Program EIR are the same as those of a Project EIR, Program EIRs are typically more conceptual and may contain a more general discussion of impacts, alternatives, and mitigation measures than a Project EIR. Once a Program EIR has been prepared, subsequent activities within the program must be evaluated to determine whether an additional CEQA document needs to be prepared. However, if the Program EIR addresses the program's effects as specifically and comprehensively as possible, many subsequent activities could be found to be within the Program EIR scope and additional environmental documents may not be required (Guidelines Section 15168[c]). When a Program EIR is relied on for a subsequent activity, the lead agency must incorporate feasible mitigation measures and alternatives developed in the Program EIR into the subsequent activities (Guidelines Section 15168[c][1]). If a later activity would have effects that were not examined in the Program EIR, a new Initial Study would need to be prepared leading to either an EIR or a Negative Declaration. In this case, the Program EIR still serves a valuable purpose as the first tier environmental analysis. Page 14 PlaceWorks