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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCORRESPONDENCE - 75BSeptember 1, 2015 City Council Meeting Correspondence 75B - Warner Ave. Improvements & Widening Project from Main St. to Grand Ave. Date of Sender/Representative Agency 1a 8/19/2015 Sean P. O'Connor lb 9/1/2015 Ryan Hodge, Assistant City Attorney 2 8/25/2015 Rene Berger 3a 8/27/2015 3b 9/1/2015 I:Ngendme_Exhibgs_Cortespondence O.doo Kris Fortin and Lynnete Guzman Jason Gabriel, PE, Principle Civil Engineer Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP City of Santa Ana/City Attorney's Office - Response to Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP KRB Properties Santa Ana Active Streets (SAAS) Coalition City of Santa Ana/Public Works Agency - Response to SAAS SheppardMullin 2015 P._'G 20 pj 3: 5 CITY CLf August 19, 2015 VIA FEDEX City of Santa Ana 20 Civic Center Plaza, 8th Floor Santa Ana, CA 92702 Attn: Maria D. Huizar. Clerk of the Council Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP 650 Town Center Drive, 4th Floor Costa Mesa, CA 92626-1993 714.513.5100 main 714.513.5130 main fax www.sheppardmullin.com Sean P. O'Connor 714.424.8246 direct soconnor@sheppardmullin.com File Number: 0794-219375 Re: Obiection to Proposed Widening of Warner Avenue Widening from Main Street to Grand Avenue and Planned Acquisition of Certain Real Property Identified as Parcel Nos 016- 031-54 and 016-031-38. Located at 2301 South Main Street Santa Ana CA Dear City Council Members: This firm represents Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. ("Wells Fargo") regarding the City of Santa Ana's ("City') proposed acquisition of a portion of Wells Fargo's property located at 2301 South Main Street in Santa Ana, CA (the "Property") as part of the City's proposed Warner Avenue Widening from Main Street to Grand Avenue (the "Project"). We write concerning the City's consideration of the Final Environmental Impact Report ("FEIR"), which we understand will be reviewed and discussed during a public hearing on September 1, 2015. The purpose of this letter is to provide a formal written objection in lieu of personally appearing at the hearing on behalf of Wells Fargo concerning the proposed Project. Accordingly, while we do not plan to appear at the hearing, we request that this letter be considered by the City and included as part of the formal record of administrative proceedings for this item. Based on our review of the FEIR, it appears the City proposes to widen Warner Avenue between Main Street and Grand Avenue, from its existing four lanes to six lanes. The proposed Project contemplates two separate cross-sections: the majority of the proposed Project area would be a modified 110 -foot right of way ("ROW"), and a small portion would be a 106 -foot ROW. The 110 -foot cross-section consists of six 11 -foot lanes, 5 -foot bike lanes, 14 -foot raised median, and 10 -foot sidewalks (6' for sidewalk and 4 -foot for parkway). In its current form, the proposed Project results in a complete acquisition of Wells Fargo's Property. Wells Fargo believes that the full acquisition of its Property is certainly avoidable. First, there is a project alternative (the 100 ROW alternative) which would result in only a partial take of Wells Fargo's Property. While Wells Fargo would prefer that none of the Subject Property is lost as a result of the proposed Project, a partial take would greatly diminish the impacts to Wells Fargo's ongoing business operations. Additionally, the 100 ROW project CCM: 9/1/2015 756 1a SheppardMullin City of Santa Ana August 19, 2015 Page 2 alternative (as identified in the FEIR but not fully studied) is preferable to the proposed Project because it meets most of the City's stated Project objectives (i.e. alleviating traffic congestion) and cuts the total number of impacted private parcels in half (from 62 to 30). We ask that the City consider the concerns stated herein, and supplement the FEIR to fully study the 100 ROW Project alternative. Second, and even if the City decided not to pursue the 100 ROW alternative, the proposed Project can be re -engineered such that it results in only a partial acquisition of Wells Fargo's Property. For example, we note that the proposed Project will be 106' wide in the segment fronting the Cherry Aerospace Fastening property. However, the proposed Project is currently configured to be 110' wide in the segment fronting the Wells Fargo Property. The re- engineering of the proposed Project segment fronting the Wells Fargo Property from 110' to 106' (or thereabouts) would likely result in only a partial acquisition and allow Wells Fargo to continue on with its business operations on the Property (the branch at the Property is among Wells Fargo's busiest and most profitable in Orange County) and save the City acquisition costs. Accordingly, we ask the City to re-engineer the proposed Project from 110' to a ROW width that results in only a partial take of the Property. Third, and finally, the proposed Project and each of the Project alternatives studied in the FEIR appear aimed solely at avoiding impacts to public facilities to the substantial detriment of private residences and businesses. We ask that the City give consideration to all impacted private property interests by re-engineering the proposed Project in a manner that avoids complete takes where possible. Should you have any question or otherwise wish to discuss the above, please do not hesitate to contact me at your convenience. Very truly ur , � Sean .O'Connor� for SHEPPARD, MULLIN, RICHTER & HAMPTON LLP SMRH:453438812.2 MAYOR Miguel A. Pulido MAYOR PRO TEM Vincent F. Sarmiento COUNCILMEMBERS Angelica Amezcua P. David Benavides Michele Martinez Roman Reyna Sal Tinajero September 1, 2015 CITY OF SANTA ANA OFFICE OF THE CITY ATTORNEY 20 Civic Center Plaza, M•29 • P.O. Box 1988 Santa Ana, California 92702 (714) 647-5201 • Fax (714) 647-6515 wwW.santa-ana.orc Sean P. O'Connor Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP 650 Town Center Drive, 41h Floor Costa Mesa, CA 92626-1993 Fax: (714)513-5130 RE: Warner Avenue Widening Environmental Impact Report Mr. O'Connor: CITY MANAGER David Cavazos CITY ATTORNEY Sonia R. Carvalho CLERK OF THE COUNCIL Maria D. Huizar The City of Santa Ana is in receipt of your correspondence dated August 19, 2015 regarding the Final Environmental Impact Report ("FEIR") for the proposed Warner Avenue Widening project ("Project"). On behalf of your client, Wells Fargo Banks, N.A., you asked that the City consider the following: supplement the FEIR to fully study the 100' right-of-way ("ROW") Project alternative; re-engineer the proposed Project from 110' to a ROW width that results in only a partial take of the Property; and, re-engineer the proposed Project in a manner that avoids complete takes where possible. Please accept the following as the City's response to your comments regarding the Project. Designing the Project to Avoid Complete Takes Where Possible The City considered a range of potential improvement alternatives in order to choose one that best meets the Project's objectives, while minimizing impacts to the community and environment, as outlined in the FEIR and the response to comments. As stated in the FEIR,_ each variation of the conceptual design had to fulfill the following Project objectives: 1b SANTA ANA CITY COUNCIL Miguel A. Pulido Vincent F. Sarmiento Michele Mamnez Angelica Amezcua P David aenaNdes Roman Reyna Sal Tlnajero Maya Mayor Pro Tem, Ward 1 Ward 2 Ward 3 Wind 4 Wend 5 Ward 6 mpplido0santa-and Olp Vsarmumtoli)onladneArn mmar(ne2raieanfa-ana.ordoe..Nd.sAsa,ua, n..o Sslina ErolAisenla-anaor0 Sean P. O'Connor Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP September 1, 2015 Page 2 of 4 1. Design and construct Warner Avenue to be consistent with the City's General Plan Circulation Element and County of Orange Master Plan of Arterial Highways (MPAH) designation as a major arterial. 2. Alleviate traffic congestion and delays within the Warner Avenue project limits. 3. Provide roadway capacity to accommodate existing and future traffic volumes. 4. Increase vehicular safety and reduce accidents by removing left turn hazards. 5. Comply with the Complete Streets Act by providing safe and accessible travel for bicyclist, pedestrians, and wheelchairs through new bike lanes and wider parkway and sidewalks. 6. Minimize property acquisition including public facilities. 7. Improve stormwater drainage and water quality. Alternatives to the project alignment looked to reduce impacts to both commercial and residential properties, while meeting the stated objectives of the Project. In defining the scope of the proposed improvements, the following major design variables were considered: Arterial Street Typical Cross -Section. The City's general plan shows this segment of Warner Avenue as a Major Arterial. According to the City of Santa Ana Standard Plan 1103A, a major arterial has a 120 -foot total ROW width providing a 14 -foot raised median, 10 -foot sidewalks, and 43 -foot curb -to -curb widths in each direction. The 43 -foot paved areas allow for three 12 -foot lanes and a 7 -foot bike lane in each direction. The original City project designs were developed to comply with the standard 120 -foot cross-section, then subsequently revised to 110 -foot to minimize impacts to residential and commercial properties and public facilities. - Roadway Alignments. As with customizing the ROW, the City evaluated several roadway alignment alternatives in an effort to minimize property acquisition, including businesses. Alternatives were developed for various cross-sections with the following alignment options: Maintaining the existing roadway center line to match the existing roadway configurations both west of Main Street and east of Grand Avenue. SANTA ANA CITY COUNCIL Miguel A. Pulido Vincent F. Sarmiento Mchele Msdinez Angelica Amezcua P. BaNd Benevides Roman Reyna Sal Moslem Mayo, Mayor Pm Tam, Ward 1 Ward Ward Ward Wand Ward mouldogilsama-ana Om vmnmomu(&e8,na-8na W0 molmuneN4mmle-dna.org ... ycuaftsanta-ene WO dbmnn.des®santa-ane wo rmynaOseola-am,o Stindero(U15ama- ana ora Sean P. O'Connor Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP September 1, 2015 Page 3 of 4 o Maintain the existing ROW line on the north or south side of the street, which restricts ROW impacts to one side only. The ROW could vary by segment along the corridor depending on the nature of the properties lining the street. The preferred design for Warner Avenue from Main Street to Grand Avenue evolved over several years from the study of numerous alternatives considering optional road cross-sections, including widths of traffic lanes, center median, bike lanes, parkways, and sidewalks, as well as varying alignments. The City assessed many alternatives in an effort to minimize the ROW impacts. During the final design phase, the City will continue to coordinate with residents, business owners, and others prior to final ROW alignments and property acquisition in order to minimize impacts where possible. The 100' ROW Project Alternative In addition to the proposed Project (110' North alignment ROW), several other preliminary conceptual designs were considered to relieve traffic congestion along this portion of Warner Avenue, including the 100' ROW. However, as detailed in sections 4.2.3 and 7.5.2 of the FEIR, the 100' ROW footprint was discarded because it would not have enough width for a bike lane, as required for compliance with the Complete Streets Act of 2008 and the Santa Ana General Plan Circulation Element. Notably, the 100' ROW was the narrowest ROW considered for the Project, and in comparison to the other alternatives, was the only one that would not include bike lanes. A critical Project objective is the provision of bike lanes and compliance with the Complete Streets Act of 2008. Compliance with this Act would ensure that all users of the transportation system are able to travel safely and conveniently on city streets and public ROW's, including bicyclists. The 100' ROW alternative would increase the carrying capacity of the roadways by developing additional traffic lanes, but would not include essential bicycle lanes. Accordingly, the 100' ROW alternative was not evaluated in detail in the FEIR. The lack of bicycle lanes made this an infeasible alternative. A more detailed analysis of this alternative would result in the same conclusions and would not provide decision - makers with meaningful information for their decision about this Project. SANTA ANA CITY COUNCIL Miguel A. Pulldo Mnoant F. Sarmiento Michele Madmde Angelica Amexma P D",d Bena,des Raman Reyna Sal Tnajero Mayor Mayor Pro Tem, Ward 1 Wards Ward Ward Ward5 Ward moNido(a]santa-ana.ora ya@nmR,,IW%@nta ana oaamezcua(dsanta-ana.ora doenayides(dsanta-ana.ora rraynaAsanta-an..., AtinaeroPsanla-an...m Sean P. O'Connor Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP September 1, 2015 Page 4 of 4 The Wells Fargo Bank Property The City is committed to working with all property owners, including Wells Fargo, regarding the impacts to property caused by the Project. Specifically with respect to the Wells Fargo property, Table 4-2 of the FEIR states as follows: "Reconstruction of curb return at southeast corner of Warner and Main per the City's standard radius of 35 feet would affect the northwest corner of the existing Wells Fargo Bank building. This would potentially require the partial demolition and reconstruction of the building to accommodate the curb return or the full acquisition of the parcel and demolition of the building. If the building is modified to accommodate the curb return, a partial take of the existing setback area along the parcel in front of the building and parking lot would be required. This parcel was assumed as a full take for the purpose of this study." Therefore, full acquisition of the Wells Fargo property may not be required and cannot be determined until ROW studies and final design are complete. Accordingly, the City will work with Wells Fargo throughout the final engineering process to optimize use of its property, if feasible. Thank you for your interest in the Warner Avenue Widening Project and your attention to these issues. Should you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the undersigned. Sincerely, SONIA R. CARVALHO City 21 cc: Fred Mousavipour, Executive Director William Galvez, City Engineer Jason Gabriel, Principal Civil Engineer Kenny Nguyen, Senior Civil Engineer SANTA ANA CITY COUNCIL Miguel A. Pulido Vincent F. Sarmiento Michele Martnez Angelica Amezcua P. David Denavide, Roman Reyna Sal Trailed Mayor Mayor Pro Tem, Ward 1 Want 2 Ward 3 Ward 4 Ward 5 Ward 6 moulido(dsanla-anaoro vsamniento(a)santaana.om mndati 0ii.nta-ina.oro aamezcralasanta-aaaora gbiggi,desRion-ta-aria wa rrevna(dsanta one. wa stinaeroAsanta-inaom Mitre -Ramirez, Norma From: krbprop@aol.com Sent: Tuesday, August 25, 2015 11:49 AM To: eComment Subject: Fwd: Warner Street Widening SA Dear City Council, When considering the approval of the Warner Avenue improvements, my input below to Kenny Nguyen is of utmost importance to consider . The Hathaway / Warner intersection is imperative to the truck (tractor trailer) traffic pattern that currently exists. Most of the businesses on Hathaway rely on tractor & trailer and large trucks for delivery & pickup services. Rene Berger, KRB Properties tel. 949 548-0040 cell 714 336-8559 -----Original Message ----- From: krbprop <krbprop@aol.com> To: warner <warner@santa-ana.org> Sent: Mon, Jul 6, 2015 4:17 pm Subject: Street Widening SA Kenny Nguyen, We represent the Owner of two industrial buildings at northwest corner of Warner & Hathaway. It was noted on the proposed widening of Warner Avenue a solid (no breaks) landscaped median strip will eliminate the intersection of Hathaway and Warner. This seems very dysfunctional since we have many tractor trailers coming and going from our distribution building plus I would think the City would want to accommodate the fire station across the street for their fire engines. We suggest you eliminate the solid median for that reason and keep the intersection "as is" of Hathaway & Warner. Let me know your input. Rene Berger, KRB Properties CCM: 9/1/2015 75B 2 Mitre -Ramirez, Norma From: Huizar, Maria Sent: Tuesday, September 01, 2015 3:42 PM Cc: Cavazos, David; Mousavipour, Fred; Carvalho, Sonia R. Subject: CORRESPONDENCE ON AGENDA ITEM 75B (Warner Improvements) Attachments: Letter to Santa Ana Active Streets re Warner Project_2015-09-Ol.pdf; SAAS_Letter_WarnerW Iden ing_08.27.15.pdf Mayor and City Council, Attached is the additional correspondence received on the Warner Improvement Project, for your review and consideration. Regards, Maria From: Gabriel, Jason Sent: Tuesday, September 01, 2015 3:23 PM To: 'info@saascoalition.org' Cc: Hodge, Ryan; Nguyen, Kenny; Mousavipour, Fred; Galvez, William E.; Gabriel, Jason Subject: SAAS coalition Letter re: Warner Widening Project Kris Fortin/Lynnete Guzman, Thank you for your letter dated August 27, 2015 and your interest in the Warner Improvement Project. Please find attached a letter detail responses to your questions. Regards, Jason Gabriel Principal Civil Engineer City of Santa Ana I Public Works Agency O: 714.647.5664 C: 714.640.9646 www.santa-ana.org APlease considerthe Environment before printing this e-mail. CCM: 91112 75B Santa Ana Active Streets Contact: info@saascoalition.org I www.saascoalition.org 1 714-679-3970 August 27, 2015 City Mayor, City Council, City Manager Santa Ana City Council 20 Civic Center Plaza P.O. Box 1988, M31 Santa Ana, CA 92701 council@santa-ana.org SANTA ANA ACTIVE Dear Mayor Pulido; Councilmembers Amezcua, Benavides, Martinez, Reyna, Sarmiento, and Tinajero; and City Manager Cavazos: The City of Santa Ana has demonstrated excellent leadership in promoting Complete Streets policies in efforts to increase the safety of all people. This has been shown with the work being done on the Downtown Santa Ana Complete Streets Plan, Santa Ana Safe Mobility Plan, and the city's support of the U.S. Department of Transportation's "Mayors' Challenge for Safer People, Safer Streets." We are thrilled to work with a city council that shares our values in access to safe active transportation. Yet, we recently learned about the Warner Avenue Widening Project, and this has raised concerns in regards to the safety and health of our community. This letter will address the need for responsible development in favor of creating safer and healthier streets for all users. This letter also includes alternative street design recommendations that are endorsed by SAAS. The Santa Ana Active Streets (SAAS) coalition is comprised of local residents and organizations that work together to cultivate diverse community participation in creating a safe and accessible environment for active transportation in Santa Ana. We envision Santa Ana transformed as a place where families and youth creatively participate in the planning and decision-making process of a connected network of sidewalks, streets, and trails that promote healthy lifestyles. This is a community where biking and walking are embraced as legitimate, everyday modes of transportation in an environment that is clean, safe, and thriving with green streets. "Cultivating diverse community participation in creating a safe and accessible environmentfor active transportation in Santa Ana." 3a Santa Ana Active Streets Contact: info@saascoalition.org I www.saascoalition.org 1 714-679-3970 Analyzing transportation impacts: Vehicle Miles Traveled SANG ANA AVIVE dIDEEH The Warner Ave Widening Project will impact housing, commerce, and transit in Santa Ana for many years. This project, which will affect a roughly one -mile stretch on Warner Avenue between Grand Avenue and Main Street, is proposing to develop on land where up to 37 residential and 8 commercial properties reside. The Draft Environmental Impact Review for the Warner Project reports that Warner Ave has a Level of Service (LOS) at Grade F. The grade shows that Warner Ave is highly congested and needs improvements to alleviate it. SAAS agrees that this corridor is in dire need of traffic and safety improvements, and that congestion relief should be sought. However, SAAS opposes the sole use of Level of Service in the Environmental Impact Review process, Its function does not do enough to encourage the City of Santa Ana to prioritize active transportation modes in this project. The City s remedy to congestion on Warner Ave by adding more automobile lanes places priorities, such as decreasing GHG emission, making crosswalks distances shorter, and giving better public transportation options at the bottom. SAAS opposes the project's focus on alleviating automobile congestion by adding more space for automobiles to travel instead of adding better active transportation options. Level of Service tells cities how congested streets are, but does not do enough to encourage them to think broader in their responsibilities (e.g. climate change impacts, increase of car traffic, offering better public transit options). Since 2013, the State of California has been developing a new approach for analyzing transportation impacts, known as Vehicle Miles Traveled. SAAS proposes that the City reviews and adopts this new criteria when evaluating street congestion. The change from Level Of Service to Vehicle Miles Traveled is simple. Level Of Service prioritizes traffic flow on streets, while Vehicle Miles Traveled prioritizes reducing congestion with a diverse array of transportation types, including active transportation modes. Instead of simply stating the congestion levels of a street or highway, Vehicle Miles Traveled would give guidance on how to make streets safer and healthier. Public comments ended last year for the new CEQA guidelines, and moving forward Vehicle Miles Traveled will be the criteria used for measuring environmental impact. Level of Service, and congestion by association, will not be considered as having an environmental impact. This is a perfect time to incorporate Vehicle Miles Traveled in the Environmental Impact Review process. As the City moves forward in being a safer and healthier community, Vehicle Miles Traveled will help us move forward in that direction as well. "Cultivating diverse community participation in creating a safe and accessible environment for active transportation in Santa Ana." Santa Ana Active Streets Contact: info@saascoaIition.org I www.saascoalition.org 1 714-679-3970 Complete Streets in Santa Ana: SANTA ANA ACTIVE While the proposed sidewalk enhancement and bike lane is a much needed asset to create a comprehensive active transportation network in the City, the plan falls short from fulfilling Complete Streets concepts in our city. Complete Streets are designed to meet the needs and ensure the safety of all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, and motorists. SAAS proposes that the City includes a street design option that keeps Warner Avenue at four lanes, that keeps homes intact, and introduces bicycle infrastructure options such as, but not limited to, a protected bicycle lane, Class II bicycle lane, and a bicycle boulevard. The next section of this letter provides design alternatives. Alternative Street Design Options In order to avoid widening Warner but still make the necessary improvements to create a Complete Street, a Bike/Bus lane can be created exclusively serving public transit users and bicyclists during most of the day when traffic flow is slow. During traffic peak hours the Bike/Bus lane could be opened to motorists, Another way to create a Complete Street and avoid six -lanes would be the implementation of bike sharrows. Widening Warner raises concerns about vehicle speed and pedestrian/bicyclist safety. There are studies indicating the success of road diets along four lane streets, which have shown a reduction of traffic crashes by 29%. Taking away a lane from four lane streets provides space to include bike lanes and widen sidewalks if necessary. SAAS urges that Santa Ana consider road diets for future infrastructure projects aiming to create safe and accessible streets. If the creation of a six lane street were to happen despite safety concerns and existence of alternative options, SAAS supports the installation of a protected bike lane as part of the design to ensure the greatest possible level of safety for bicyclists. As an additional safety measure, a parking lane on the outside could serve as a barrier protecting bicyclists as well as pedestrians. Curb extensions should be implemented in addition to widened sidewalks that meet ADA compliance and ensure pedestrian accessibility. A bus rapid transit (BRT) with its dedicated right of way to avoid traffic is a system that the city should take into consideration. Regardless of the outcome of this letter and proposal, SAAS will continue to stay engaged in the design process of the Warner Avenue project and future infrastructure improvements throughout Santa Ana. This letter includes attached documents of our proposed street designs. "Cultivating diverse community participation in creating a safe and accessible environment for active transportation in Santa Ana." Santa Ana Active Streets Contact: Info@saascoalition.org i www.saascoalition.org 1 714-679-3970 SANTA ANA ACTIVE Again, we would like to thank the City, for being leaders in safe active transportation movement in Santa Ana. We welcome a meeting to further discuss Complete Streets and alternative street designs to ensure the safety of all people. Sincerely, Kris Fortin Lynnete Guzman Policy Advocacy Directors Santa Ana Active Streets 0 "Cultivating diverse community participation in creating a safe and accessible environmentfor active transportation in Santa Ana." N m m N CD C R J G .m CD G .1-i ME No No ON No 00 ■■ on ■ ■ .MIN r I ■■ ME ■ 11 11 00 ON ME No 0 1 L CD m cm C cc `V J ON ■■ ON on • c as c cc CD m CD C.) CD 0 �3 N d C cc J "'O C .cm NOW.. =F --Io MAYOR Miguel A. Pulido MAYOR PRO TEM Vincent F. Sarmiento COUNCILMEMBERS Angelica Amezcua P. David Benavides Michele Martinez Roman Reyna Sal Tinajero September 1, 2015 Santa Ana Active Streets Re: Warner Improvements To Whom It May Concern: CITY OF SANTA ANA 20 Civic Center Plaza • P.O. Box 1988 Santa Ana, California 92702 714-647-6900 wYvw.santa-ana ora CITY MANAGER David Cavazos CITY ATTORNEY Sonia R. Carvalho CLERK OF THE COUNCIL Maria D, Huizar Transmitted via email Thank you for your interest in the Warner Avenue Improvements Project. We are in receipt of your correspondence dated August 27, 2015, and we hope this letter appropriately and fully responds to your inquiry. Your letter highlights two areas of concern: Analyzing Transportation Impacts: Vehicle Miles Traveled Complete Streets in Santa Ana and Alternative Street Design Options 1. The first concern regarding the method of analyzing transportation impacts with Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) instead of Level of Service (LOS). The City is very aware of Senate Bill 743 (SB 743) and continues to track any proposed changes to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) guidelines; including VMT-related metrics to evaluate project -specific transportation impacts. The timing, however, is not appropriate to apply a VMT analysis to the Warner Avenue Improvements project. The CEQA Guidelines for SB 743 have not been completed by the State's Office of Planning and Research and it is not anticipated that they will be adopted until sometime in 2016. Moreover, it is anticipated that the Guidelines will defer VMT-related significance thresholds to lead agencies. If VMT was evaluated for transportation impacts of the Warner Avenue project at this time, there would be no yardstick to determine whether the impact was significant and required mitigation. Even if determined to be significant, the mitigation to be provided (per preliminary SB 743 guidelines) would be similar to the multi -modal improvements (sidewalks, bike paths, transit stops) already incorporated into the project. The Environmental Impact Report (EIR) has been completed and evaluates transportation impacts pursuant to the existing CEQA Guidelines and applicable City General Plan policies. 2. The second concern regarding Complete Streets implementation in Santa Ana and the Alternative Street Design Options. The City of Santa Ana considered a range of potential improvement alternatives. The preferred alternative, as outlined in the Final EIR, best meets the objectives of the project: SANTA ANA CITY COUNCIL 3b Miguel A. Pulled Vincent F. Sarmiento Michele Martinez Angelica Amezcua P. Diimd Benevides Roman Reyna Sal Tinalero Mayor Mayor Pro Tem, Ward 1 Ward Ward Ward Word Word moulidorffisantaana are vsannnientonsarda-ana,d mmamnezdsanla-ana om a (m t -one enddbana,ddasOsanta-ara ora nevnarnosantaana ora sonaieroQsanla-ana ora Santa Ana Active Streets Re: Warner Improvements September 1, 2015 Page 2 • Comply with the Complete Streets Act by providing safe and accessible travel for bicyclists, pedestrians, and wheelchairs through new bike lanes and wider parkway/sidewalks. • Increase roadway safety and reduce accidents by removing left turn hazards. • Design and construct Warner Avenue to be consistent with the City's General Plan Circulation Element and MPAH. • Alleviate traffic congestion and delays within the Warner Avenue project limits. • Provide roadway capacity to accommodate existing and future traffic volumes. • Minimize property acquisition including public facilities • Improve stormwater drainage and water quality. In order to choose an alternative that best meets the project's objectives, while minimizing impacts to the community and environment, the project alignment must consider all roadway users including the needs of pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders and motor vehicle drivers. However, the project must also be consistent with adjacent roadway segments. Conceptual designs such as shared bus/bike lanes should not be implemented on a single mile of roadway, but rather must be implemented as part of network of tied roadways. If you have any questions or need additional information, I may be reached at (714) 647-5664 or via email at igabrielCa�santa-ana.oro. Sincerely, Jason Gabriel, PE Principal Civil Engineer Public Works Agency cc: Fred Mousavipour, Executive Director William Galvez, City Engineer Ryan Hodge, Assistant City Attorney Kenny Nguyen, Senior Civil Engineer SANTA ANA CITY COUNCIL Miguel A. Pulido Vincent F. Sarmiento Michele Martinez Angelica Amezcua P. David Beni Roman Reyna Sal Tmajero Mayor Mayor Pro Tem, Ward 1 Ward 2 Ward 3 Ward 4 moufdoghanla-anaom vsarmieoAsanta-and ora mmartmeziylum -ana.or, aamezouansanla-ana oro dbenavides(Qsanta-mar ora 0 amja-anas Ward6 nt � I 0 1