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 Project Description 3.3.1 Project Background and Overview Harbor Boulevard is one of the primary corridors in the City of Santa Ana. The corridor offers a variety of services and businesses for residents and visitors and provides regional connectivity for cars and alternative modes of transportation. A combination of vacant and underutilized land, bus rapid transit (BRT) investments, future fixed guideway facilities, and desirable ficeway and regional access make Harbor Boulevard an ideal candidate for reinvestment and new development opportunities. The City reevaluated zoning designations along transit corridors throughout Santa Ana to expand land use options and establish an urban fabric that takes advantage of these transportation improvements, and Harbor Boulevard provides the ideal location for these improvements. The City of Santa Ana conducted an extensive outreach program over the course of roughly three years: 2010 to 2013. The City's motto, "Creating Community Together," carried through as an overarching theme for each event. Events included an open house, an idea fair with bus tour, attendance at neighborhood meetings, a focus group of property and business owners, a coordinated workshop with the Circulation Element Update, study sessions with the City Council and Planning Commission, and a scoping meeting for the FIR. Significant input was obtained from residents, property owners, local business owners, community organizations, the local police and fire departments, the county transportation authority, and local developers. Feedback was collected through several methods, including individual conversations, group discussion, question and answer sessions, comment cards, and visual preference surveys. Overall, thousands of people in western Santa Ana were contacted and informed about the project to reflect the current makeup of residents around Harbor Boulevard, many materials were distributed in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese, and translators were present at multiple meetings. Hundreds of people participated directly in all three languages at the various meetings and workshops. The proposed Harbor Boulevard Mixed Use Transit Corridor Plan (described throughout as "Harbor Corridor Plan') is built upon the direct input from this public outreach. North Harbor Specific Plan In 1994, the City adopted the North Harbor Specific Plan (NHSP) to create a strong and viable commercial district along Harbor Boulevard supported by well maintained neighborhoods. This plan addressed the Harbor Corridor Plan area, as well as the Willowick Golf Course and adjacent residential neighborhoods (as described in Section 3.1). The NHSP established six goals: • To retain and upgrade the area's commercial character while improving and expanding its role as a significant regional commercial district. • To enhance and support the residential neighborhoods surrounding Harbor Boulevard. • To improve vehicular and pedestrian circulation in and around the Harbor Boulevard area. • To achieve an aesthetic visual consistency throughout the Harbor Boulevard area while improving and upgrading the visual image of the adjacent areas. October 2014 Page 3 -9