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CEQA Exemption 15183 — Environmental Documentation
<br />Date:
<br />July 3, 2024
<br />Project:
<br />South Coast Technology Center Project
<br />To:
<br />Heidi Jacinto, City of Santa Ana, Planning and Building Agency
<br />CC:
<br />Jeffrey Reese, C.J. Segerstrom & Sons
<br />From:
<br />Pei -Ming Chou, Michael Baker International
<br />Vicky Rosen, Michael Baker International
<br />John Bellas, Michael Baker International
<br />The City of Santa Ana (City) has received a project application for the proposed South Coast
<br />Technology Center Project (Project), located at 3100, 3110, and 3120 Lake Center Drive, Santa
<br />Ana, Orange County, California (Assessor's Parcel Numbers [APN] 414-261-01, 414-272-09,
<br />414-272-10). As documented herein, the proposed Project qualifies for a statutory exemption
<br />pursuant to California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15183 (California
<br />Public Resources Code 21083.3).
<br />1. Project Background
<br />On April 19, 2022, the Santa Ana City Council adopted the Golden City Beyond (General Plan
<br />Update) and certified the Santa Ana General Plan Update Final Recirculated Program
<br />Environmental Impact Report (GPU PEIR), dated October 2021. The General Plan Update
<br />provides long-term policy direction to guide the physical development, quality of life, economic
<br />health, and sustainability of the City through 2045. The General Plan Update consists of the
<br />following 12 elements: Community, Economic Prosperity, Mobility, Public Services, Conservation,
<br />Noise, Open Space, Safety, Land Use, Historic Preservation, Housing, and Urban Design.
<br />According to the GPU PEIR, the full buildout of the General Plan Update (year 2045) would result
<br />in a net increase of 96,855 persons, 36,261 housing units, 5,849,220 square footage of
<br />nonresidential building space, and 11,436 jobs as compared to existing conditions in 2019.
<br />The GPU PEIR is a program EIR pursuant to Section 15168 of the CEQA Guidelines, providing
<br />a level of analysis consistent with the high-level nature of the General Plan Update. The
<br />programmatic environmental document may be used to eliminate or reduce the scope of future
<br />environmental review for individual projects that are consistent with the General Plan Update
<br />pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 21083.3 and other streamlining provisions authorized by
<br />CEQA. Later projects implemented after the General Plan Update are examined with
<br />consideration of the GPU PEIR to determine whether subsequent environmental analysis or
<br />documentation must be prepared. In addition, the CEQA Guidelines currently provide for
<br />streamlining through Section 15183, Projects Consistent with a Community Plan or Zoning.
<br />CEQA Guidelines Section 15183 provides an exemption for projects that are consistent with the
<br />development density established by existing zoning, community plan, or general plan policies for
<br />which an EIR was certified. Specifically, as set forth in CEQA Guidelines Section 15183(d), the
<br />15183 exemption applies to projects which meet the following conditions:
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