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CAJA Environmental Services, LLG <br />9410 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Suite 101 <br />Chatsworth, CA 91311 <br />Phone 310-469-6700 Fax 310-806-9801 <br />both from existing hotels, and from potential new hotels, an STR ban could result in significant impacts to <br />utilities and services systems. The Addendum fails to address any of these potential impacts, concluding <br />without supporting evidence that the Proposed Ordinance would "only affect existing structures" and <br />therefore, there would be no change in utilities and service systems impacts beyond those identified in the <br />GP PEIR. (Staff Report, Exhibit 3, p. 48.) This is inadequate. <br />The Analysis in the Addendum Fails to Address Potentially Significant Impacts <br />The Addendum's analysis of impacts to utilities and service systems from the STR ban is insufficient, <br />finding that the STR ban would only affect existing structures, and that the ban "would not require <br />development of any kind" so there would be no increase in demands to utilities and service systems. (Staff <br />Report, Exhibit 3, p. 48.) The analysis in the Addendum lacks any consideration of the reasonably <br />foreseeable impacts to utilities and service systems resulting from operation of existing and new hotels. <br />Operation of Existing Hotels - Water <br />By increasing visitor demand for existing hotels, an STR ban has potential to result in increased demand <br />for water, electricity, and natural gas, and the increased generation of wastewater and solid waste, which <br />could result in the need for the construction or expansion of water or wastewater treatment facilities, <br />landfills, storm water drainage facilities, electric power facilities, natural gas facilities, or <br />telecommunications facilities. <br />STR guests use the typical amount of water used in a residential home, which is substantially less water <br />than hotel guests.52 According to the 2018 Cleantech analysis, by staying in Airbnb listings rather than <br />hotels in 2017, Airbnb guests in Europe reduced water usage equal to 13,000 Olympic -sized swimming <br />pools. Because an STR ban will eliminate all STRs in the City, it is reasonably foreseeable that the number <br />of guests staying in higher water use facilities like hotels will increase resulting in a greater demand for <br />water. <br />Water efficiency is a key issue for state policymakers that the City should not discount. California's potable <br />and higher quality, potentially potable irrigation water supplies have been substantially reduced by state <br />and local surface groundwater regulatory constraints and during multiple year droughts notwithstanding <br />the most recent two years of higher -than -normal precipitation. Almost all urban areas of the state do not <br />have sufficient water supplies to meet current and projected future demands over time, and eliminating <br />lower -demand STR uses from the City 's overnight accommodations market will place an even greater <br />strain on the City 's water supply. In addition, the Conservation Element of the City's General Plan provides <br />that the City should "collaborate with Orange County Water District and Metropolitan Water District to <br />ensure reliable, adequate, and high -quality sources of water supply at a reasonable cost."53 Due to the <br />52 Airbnb, How the Airbnb Community Supports Environmentally -Friendly Travel Worldwide (Apr. 2018), <br />https://news.airbnb.com/how-the-airbnb-community-supports-environmentally-friendly-travel-worldwide; Midgett et <br />al., The Sharing Economy and Sustainability: A Case for Airbnb, 13 SMALL BUSINESS INST. J. 21 pp. 61-63 (2017). <br />53 Santa Ana General Plan, Conservation Element, CN 12. <br />34 <br />