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

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CHAPTER 2 PROJECT SUMMARY 2.1 DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT PROPOSED FOR APPROVAL The Village Santa Ana Specific Plan Project would provide for redevelopment of the approximately 17.2-acre site located on the northeast corner of West Sunflower Avenue and Bear Street, transected by South Plaza Drive. The project site comprises seven parcels (Assessor's Parcel Numbers 412-451-01 through -04 and 412-131-10, -20, -21 ((Project Site)). The Project Site is currently occupied by the South Coast Plaza Village commercial center on both sides of South Plaza Drive which consists of approximately 164,049 square feet of retail shops and restaurants, offices, and the Regency Theatres cinema building. The City's GPU Land Use Element designates the project site as District Center -High (DC-5) within the South Bristol Street Focus Area (SBSFA). Development in the DC-5 designation is intended to provide urban retail, residential, mixed -use, and employment centers. The Project Site is currently zoned as Specific Development Plan No. 48 (SD-48) which was adopted in 1989 and was last amended in 1997. The Project would redevelop the site with mixed -use commercial and residential, residential only, and commercial only buildings. A central commercial area would include a variety of commercial uses, such as restaurants, a market, and retail uses, with additional commercial uses extending through the ground floor of adjacent residential buildings. Stand-alone residential and mixed -use buildings would provide housing opportunities for residents in the City's SBSFA. In total, The Project would include up to 1,583 residential units (encompassing approximately 1,850,000 square feet of building space), 80,000 square feet of retail space, 300,000 square feet of office space, and approximately 7.5 acres of publicly accessible open space and common areas. The Specific Plan includes a maximum height of 25 stories with a minimum of 1 story for commercial/office only buildings and no minimum height for residential or mixed -use buildings. Parking would be provided in tower and podium buildings and underground building levels with up to four levels below grade. At full buildout, the Project is anticipated to provide a combined 13.8 acres of public and private outdoor and recreation space including approximately 7.5 acres of publicly accessible open space and common areas and 6.3 acres of private outdoor and amenity spaces. Public open spaces at the Project would consist of active spaces, outdoor seating, garden paseos, a fitness loop, and a recreational lawn. Private open space amenities include outdoor balconies and patios, pools and spas, outdoor kitchens, and communal gathering spaces. The proposed Project would also include roadway and streetscape modifications and improvements along Sunflower Avenue, Bear Street, and South Plaza Drive in addition to new access points throughout the project site and a bicycle network which includes a new Class IV cycle track along Sunflower Avenue, and a new Class I bike path along Bear Street. Construction of the proposed Project is anticipated to begin January 2026 and could take up to 20 years to complete. Construction of the proposed Project would be implemented in a series of five phases to reflect anticipated market conditions and to ensure that access, public facilities, and infrastructure connections are appropriately installed to serve the Project. Demolition of the entire Project Site would occur during the first phase of the construction period. Subsequently, the construction period for each phase would generally include excavation, grading, trenching, pile driving, installation of utilities, building construction, architectural coating, paving activities, City of Santa Ana The Village Santa Ana Specific Plan Project August 2025 CEQA Findings of Fact and Statement of Overriding Considerations 2-1