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MAYOR <br />Miguel A. Pulido <br />MAYOR PRO TEM <br />Vincent F. Sarmiento <br />COUNCILMEMBERS <br />Angelica Amezcua <br />P. David Benavides <br />Michele Martinez <br />Roman Reyna <br />Sal Tinajero <br />September 1, 2015 <br />Santa Ana Active Streets <br />Re: Warner Improvements <br />To Whom It May Concern: <br />CITY OF SANTA ANA <br />20 Civic Center Plaza • P.O. Box 1988 <br />Santa Ana, California 92702 <br />714-647-6900 <br />wYvw.santa-ana ora <br />CITY MANAGER <br />David Cavazos <br />CITY ATTORNEY <br />Sonia R. Carvalho <br />CLERK OF THE COUNCIL <br />Maria D, Huizar <br />Transmitted via email <br />Thank you for your interest in the Warner Avenue Improvements Project. We are in receipt of your <br />correspondence dated August 27, 2015, and we hope this letter appropriately and fully responds to <br />your inquiry. <br />Your letter highlights two areas of concern: <br />Analyzing Transportation Impacts: Vehicle Miles Traveled <br />Complete Streets in Santa Ana and Alternative Street Design Options <br />1. The first concern regarding the method of analyzing transportation impacts with Vehicle Miles <br />Traveled (VMT) instead of Level of Service (LOS). The City is very aware of Senate Bill 743 (SB <br />743) and continues to track any proposed changes to the California Environmental Quality Act <br />(CEQA) guidelines; including VMT-related metrics to evaluate project -specific transportation <br />impacts. The timing, however, is not appropriate to apply a VMT analysis to the Warner Avenue <br />Improvements project. The CEQA Guidelines for SB 743 have not been completed by the State's <br />Office of Planning and Research and it is not anticipated that they will be adopted until sometime <br />in 2016. Moreover, it is anticipated that the Guidelines will defer VMT-related significance <br />thresholds to lead agencies. If VMT was evaluated for transportation impacts of the Warner <br />Avenue project at this time, there would be no yardstick to determine whether the impact was <br />significant and required mitigation. Even if determined to be significant, the mitigation to be <br />provided (per preliminary SB 743 guidelines) would be similar to the multi -modal improvements <br />(sidewalks, bike paths, transit stops) already incorporated into the project. The Environmental <br />Impact Report (EIR) has been completed and evaluates transportation impacts pursuant to the <br />existing CEQA Guidelines and applicable City General Plan policies. <br />2. The second concern regarding Complete Streets implementation in Santa Ana and the Alternative <br />Street <br />Design Options. <br />The City of Santa Ana considered a <br />range of potential <br />improvement <br />alternatives. The preferred alternative, as outlined in the Final EIR, <br />best meets the objectives of the <br />project: <br />SANTA ANA CITY COUNCIL <br />3b <br />Miguel A. Pulled <br />Vincent F. Sarmiento <br />Michele Martinez Angelica Amezcua P. Diimd Benevides Roman Reyna <br />Sal Tinalero <br />Mayor <br />Mayor Pro Tem, Ward 1 <br />Ward Ward Ward <br />Word <br />Word <br />moulidorffisantaana are <br />vsannnientonsarda-ana,d <br />mmamnezdsanla-ana om a (m t -one enddbana,ddasOsanta-ara ora nevnarnosantaana ora <br />sonaieroQsanla-ana ora <br />