2017-046 - Approving Addendum Nos. 1 and 2

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Santa Ana/Garden Grove Fixed Guideway Project Addendum • Consideration of underground fiber optic lines from SARTC to the OCTA Garden Grove Bus Annex north of the PE ROW, about 1500 feet west of Harbor Blvd. Operational Improvements: Two changes to the Project's operations are proposed as part of the modifications: • Increasing the maximum speed within the PE ROW from 35 miles per hour (mph) to 45 mph. The increased speed reduces travel time, providing operational cost and ridership benefits, and, • Implementation of traffic signal priority at all traffic signals along the route except for Main Street, Broadway, and Bristol Street. 4. ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS OF DESIGN MODIFICATIONS To evaluate whether the proposed design modifications would result in a new significant impact, increase in the seventy of an impact, or require new mitigation measures, OCTA undertook environmental review and where needed, conducted a technical analysis of each Project feature update. The following technical reports were prepared as part of this analysis and are included as attachments to this Addendum: • Visual Impact Assessment (VIA) Supplement (HDR, 2016) (Appendix A) • Cultural Resources Update Technical Memorandum (HDR, 2016) (Appendix B) • Traffic Study Addendum v2 (IBI Group, 2016) (Appendix C) • Supplemental Noise and Vibration Technical Analysis (HDR, 2016) (Appendix D) The technical analysis was coordinated with the 30% design work that was progressing on the Project. In some cases, specific design modifications were refined based upon analysis undertaken in the 30% design work. The CEQA Guidelines require that a brief explanation be provided to support the findings that no subsequent EIR or Negative Declaration is needed for further discretionary approval. A summary of findings from the re-evaluation of each of the environmental issue areas that were analyzed in the Project EIR are described below. Effects Determined Not Adverse The Project EIR identified the following environmental resource areas that would not be impacted by the proposed Project: coastal zones, wetlands and navigable waterways, ecologically sensitive areas, and endangered and/or threatened plant and animal species. The proposed design modifications would not significantly impact these resources as these resources are not present within, or in proximity to, the limits of disturbance associated with implementation of the design modifications. No additional impacts would occur to these environmental resources and the conclusions that the project would not result in a significant impact to these resources as identified in the EIR remain accurate. Land Use and Zoning The potential land use and zoning impacts (including agricultural and forestry resources) associated with the construction and operation of the Project were evaluated in the EIR. Since the certification of the EIR, there have been no changes to the land use or zoning environment, and the fundamental characteristics of the Project as evaluated in the EIR have not changed. The EIR concluded that impacts related to land use and zoning and agricultural and forestry resources were determined to be less than significant. No mitigation measures were required. The proposed design modifications would not change the fundamental characteristics of the Project. The proposed Project design modifications would not expand or increase the development footprint in such a manner as to create a 5 I age 1170726.1