Item 18 - Appeal Application Nos. 2023-02 and 2023-03 for Cabrillo Town Center project

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As mentioned previously, the Overlay Zone area currently consists of a variety of low -scale office and commercial structures, with the exception of limited vacant parcels and a few newer structures in the western portion of the area (e.g., the Xerox Building). Although long-term visual characteristics of the Overlay Zone area would be altered with development under the Overlay Zone, it would visually enhance the area and provide the City with a distinctive entryway identity. Further, the intensification of the Overlay Zone is consistent with the City's intent of the Major Development Area, which calls for high intensity, high -quality projects. Project implementation would also create contiguous landscaped pedestrian areas throughout the area in order to promote active street life. Thus, although views of the Overlay Zone area would be modified, the Overlay Zone would not degrade the existing visual character or quality of the site and its surrounding. Rather, development under the Overlay Zone would contribute to the image of and add to the aesthetic quality of the City of Santa Ana. As such, development under the Overlay Zone would not degrade the existing visual quality of the area or obstruct key existing views and/or vistas in the vicinity. This impact was determined to be less than significant. Visual Character Construction The Certified EIR stated that although construction activities would take place primarily within the Overlay Zone, these visual impacts could affect surrounding land uses to the south and east. Automobiles traveling along Tustin Avenue, Sixth Street, and the 1-5 and SR-55 freeways could have short-term views of the Overlay Zone during construction activities. In addition, motorists and pedestrians in the vicinity of intersections at which roadway improvements would occur would have views of construction associated with project improvements. However, these visual conditions would be temporary visual distractions typically associated with construction activities and commonly encountered in developed areas. In addition, the City's building codes require screening and pedestrian protection for sidewalks during construction activities. Therefore, this short-term impact was determined to be less than significant. Operation The Overlay Zone would facilitate development of a high -quality urban village consisting of residential, office, commercial, service, and entertainment uses within a community of street and sidewalk -facing individual buildings on urban blocks separated by streets, sidewalks, pedestrian paseos, and courtyards. Underutilized areas would be redeveloped with an integrated design intended to foster architectural quality and variety, community connections, landscape buffers, and pedestrian -oriented uses. A variety of massing and forms would be encouraged to introduce variety at the ground plane and skyline of the Overlay Zone area. The overall scale and massing of development would transition from the one- to two-story scale of the existing residential community to the north to a higher intensity adjacent to the 1-5, located west and south of the Overlay Zone. To create a varied skyline and enhance the form of the Overlay Zone area, taller buildings and distinct tower elements that rise from a lower base of three Cabrillo Town Center City of Santa Ana Technical Memorandum August 2023 City Council 18 — 491 10/3/2023