2019-050 -Adopting Local CEQA Guidelines

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Local Guidelines for Implementing the California Environmental Quality Act (2019) TYPES OF EIRS City should use a written checklist or similar device to document the evaluation of the site and the proposed activity to determine whether the environmental effects of the operation were within the scope of the Program EIR. If a later activity would have effects that were not examined in the Program EIR, a new Initial Study would need to be prepared leading to an EIR, Negative Declaration, or Mitigated Negative Declaration. That later analysis may tier from the Program EIR as provided in State CEQA Guidelines Section 15152. If the City finds that no Subsequent EIR would be required, the City can approve the activity as being within the scope of the project covered by the Program EIR, and no new environmental document is required. (See Local Guidelines Section 8.04.) Whether a later activity is within the scope of a Program EIR is a factual question that the Lead Agency determines based on substantial evidence in the record. Factors that the Lead Agency may consider in making that determination include, but are not limited to, consistency of the later activity with the type of allowable land use, overall planned density and building intensity, geographic area analyzed for environmental impacts, and covered infrastructure, as described in the Program EIR. 8.10 U SE OF AN EIR FROM AN E ARLIER P ROJECT. A single EIR may be used to describe more than one project when the projects involve substantially identical environmental impacts. Any environmental impacts peculiar to one of the projects must be separately set forth and explained. 8.11 M ASTER EIR. A Master EIR is an EIR which may be prepared for: (a) A general plan (including elements and amendments); (b) A specific plan; (c) A project consisting of smaller individual projects to be phased; (d) A regulation to be implemented by subsequent projects; (e) A project to be carried out pursuant to a development agreement; (f) A project pursuant to or furthering a redevelopment plan; (g) A state highway or mass transit project subject to multiple reviews or approvals; or (h) A regional transportation plan or congestion management plan. A Master EIR must do both of the following: (a) Describe and present sufficient information about anticipated subsequent projects within its scope, including their size, location, intensity, and scheduling; and (b) Preliminarily describe potential impacts of anticipated subsequent projects for which insufficient information is available to support a full impact assessment. The City and Responsible Agencies identified in the Master EIR may use the Master EIR to limit environmental review of subsequent projects. However, the Lead Agency for the subsequent project must prepare an Initial Study to determine whether the subsequent project and its significant environmental effects were included in the Master EIR. If the Lead Agency for the subsequent project finds that the subsequent project will have no additional significant 2019 City of Santa Ana Local Guidelines 8-6 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP