Item 28 - Public Hearing - Amendment Application for the Village Santa Ana Specific Plan

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The Village Santa Ana Specific Plan Entitlements and Development Agreement (1561 W. Sunflower Avenue) September 16, 2025 Page 4 Planning Commission Recommendation The Planning Commission held a public hearing for the Project on August 11, 2025. As part of its deliberation, the Planning Commission deliberated the topics summarized in Table 1 for the applicant to address but ultimately voted unanimously (7-0) to recommend that the City Council approve the requested entitlements and development agreement as drafted. Where provided, the Applicant's responses are summarized in the table below. Table 1: Planning Commission Topics for Applicant Consideration Topic Summary Applicant Response Native Lands Formally recognize the Indigenous As applications for specific projects are Acknowledgement peoples of the site's history through an submitted for review, opportunities to onsite marker or designated space. honor the Indigenous peoples with ancestral ties will be explored. Project Interface Frontages facing Bear Street should The proposed specific plan is a higher - with Bear Street include enhanced architecture and level planning document with design pedestrian -oriented elements to create concepts, including architectural and an active and functional building and landscape elements, that will be public realm interface. implemented through individual projects submitted to the City. Hotel Use Consider requiring a conditional use The Public Hearing portion of the Permissibility permit (CUP) for hotels in the specific meeting had closed when this topic was plan area. discussed; the Planning Commission did not vote to reopen the Public Hearing to provide an opportunity for response. The City received 17 public comments on the Project that were submitted online. The majority of the comments were in support of the Project. The City prepared written responses for each comment received prior to the 3:30 p.m. deadline; the responses were uploaded to the record and printed for the public hearing prior to the 5:30 p.m. meeting. Those responses are attached to this report as Exhibit 11. During the public hearing, a total of six individuals provided comments on the Project; four were in support and two were in opposition of the Project. DISCUSSION The Project proposes to redevelop the Project Site with a mixed -use urban village on six parcels. The Project would permit up to 1,583 residential units (encompassing approximately 1,850,000 square feet of building space) with a projected population of 3,659 individuals (at a 95.9 percent occupancy rate), 80,000 square feet of commercial space, 300,000 square feet of office space, and 13.8 acres of public and private outdoor and recreation space (of which 7.5 acres will be publicly accessible open space). These uses would occupy mixed -use, residential, and commercial buildings varying in height from one to 25 stories. The Project's focal point is a central commercial area that would