2015-051 - Certifying Final Environmental Impact Report

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