Item 28 - Public Hearing - ZOA No. 20204-01 South Coast Technology Center

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South Coast Technology Center Project CEQA Exemption 15183 Management, any developments with more than 250 employees would be required to prepare a Transportation Demand Management (TDM) plan. The proposed Project would result in approximately 425 employees and would be required to prepare a TDM plan to reduce demand on the circulation system by promoting alternative modes of transportation, reducing or limiting the number of vehicle trips, and implementing other strategies to reduce the demand on the circulation system. The TDM plan for the proposed Project would be required to comply with standards and regulations listed within the SAMC. Thus, the proposed Project would not conflict with any program, plan, ordinance, or policy addressing the circulation system and impacts would be less than significant. VMT ASSESSMENT According to the City of Santa Ana Traffic Impact Study Guidelines (City Traffic Guidelines), a project can be presumed to have a less -than -significant VMT impact if the project satisfies one of the following screening criteria: 42 • Projects which serve the local community and have the potential to reduce VMT, such as neighborhood K-12 schools and local -serving retail less than 50,000 sq. ft. (Charter schools are excluded from this criteria). • Projects that generate less than 110 net daily trips. • Projects located within Transit Priority Areas (TPAs); refer to City Traffic Guidelines Appendix A, Santa Ana Transit Priority Areas. • Projects located in a low-VMT generating Traffic Analysis Zone (TAZ). City Traffic Guidelines Appendix B, VMT/SP in Santa Ana as Compared to Orange County Average, shows VMT per service population in Santa Ana as compared to the County average. Low-VMT TAZs per Santa Ana's threshold of significance are any TAZs generating VMT 15 percent below the County average. The Project proposes to demolish three buildings and a parking structure to construct three new industrial buildings for office, manufacturing, and/or warehouse use. According to the Attachment K, Trip Generation Assessment, the trip generation potential for the existing land use totals 1,930 daily trips, with 271 trips (238 inbound, 33 outbound) during the AM peak hour and 256 trips (44 inbound, 212 outbound) during the PM peak hour. The proposed Project would generate approximately 1,544 gross daily trips with 222 gross trips (169 inbound, 53 outbound) during the AM peak hour and 242 gross trips (76 inbound, 166 outbound) during the PM peak hour. Thus, the proposed Project would generate 386 fewer gross daily trips, 49 fewer gross AM peak hour trips and 14 fewer gross PM peak hour trips than existing uses. Therefore, the proposed Project would meet the screening criteria for projects that generate less than 110 net daily trips. Additionally, according to the Attachment L, Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) Screening Assessment for the Proposed South Coast Technology Center (VMT Assessment),43 prepared by Linscott, Law & Greenspan, Engineers (LLG) dated February 29, 2024, the Project Site is located within a TPA, which is defined as a 0.5-mile radius around an existing or planned major transit stop (e.g., Metrolink Station, Streetcar Station, etc.) or an existing stop along a high -quality transit corridor. 42 City of Santa Ana, City of Santa Ana Traffic Impact Study Guidelines, September 2019. 43 The VMT Assessment was conducted for a project with three industrial buildings totaling 325,044 square feet. However, since the completion of the analysis, the total building square footage has been reduced to 313,244 square feet. Therefore, the VMT assessment is conservative. July 2024 Page 92