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CEQA STATEMENT OF OVERRIDING CONSIDERATIONS <br />WARNER AVENUE IMPROVEMENTS AND WIDENING <br />FROM MAIN STREET TO GRAND AVENUE <br />FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT <br />STATE CLEARINGIiOUSE NO. 2012101004 <br />Exhibit B <br />I. INTRODUCTION <br />The City of Santa Ana (City) is the lead agency under the California Environmental Quality Act <br />(CEQA) and is responsible for preparation, review, and certification of the Final Environmental <br />Impact Report (Final EIR) for the Warner Avenue hprovements and Widening from Main Street <br />to Grand Avenue. As the lead agency, the City is also responsible for determining the potential <br />environmental impacts of the proposed action, which of those impacts are significant, and <br />therefore require mitigation measures to avoid or minimize those impacts. CEQA then requires <br />the lead agency to balance the benefits of the proposed action against its significant unavoidable <br />adverse environmental impacts before determining whether or not to approve the proposed <br />project. In making this determination, the City complies with the Section 15093 of the CEQA <br />Guidelines, which provides: <br />(a) CEQA requires the decision - malting agency to balance, as applicable, the <br />economic, legal, social, technological, or other benefits of a proposed <br />project against its unavoidable environmental risks when determining <br />whether to approve the project. If the specific economic, legal, social, <br />technological, or other benefits of a proposed project outweigh the <br />unavoidable adverse environmental effects, the adverse environmental <br />effects may be considered "acceptable." <br />(b) When the lead agency approves a project which will result in the <br />occurrence of significant effects which are identified in the Final FIR but <br />are not avoided or substantially lessened, the agency shall state in writing <br />the specific reasons to support its action based on the Final EIR and/or <br />other information in the record. The statement of overriding <br />considerations shall be supported by substantial evidence in the record. <br />(c) If an agency makes a statement of overriding considerations, the <br />statement should be included in the record of the project approval and <br />should be mentioned in the notice of determination. This statement does <br />not substitute for, and shall be in addition to, findings required pursuant <br />to Section 15091. <br />In addition, Public Resources Code, Section 21081(b), requires that where a public agency finds <br />that specific economic, legal, social, technological, or other considerations, including <br />considerations for the provision of employment opportunities for highly trained workers, make <br />infeasible the mitigation measures or alternatives identified in an EIR and thereby leave <br />significant unavoidable effects, the public agency must also 'find that overriding economic, legal, <br />CEQA Statement of Overriding Considerations - 1 - <br />Warner Avenue Improvements & Widening from Main Street to Grand Avenue Aug 2015 <br />75B -30 <br />