2025-043 - Overruling the Orange County Airport Land Use Commission's

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B. The ALUC also adopted a separate Airport Environs Land Use Plan for Heliports (Heliports AELUP) on June 19, 2008. C. The ALUC is required to use the California Airport Land Use Planning Handbook ("Handbook") that was updated by the California Department of Transportation, Division of Aeronautics (Caltrans) in 2011. Neither the JWA AELUP nor the Heliports AELUP have been updated to incorporate the Handbook's guidance. Likewise, the JWA AELUP has not been updated with information about the operation and environmental effects of JWA as reflected in its most recent Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR), certified by the Orange County Board of Supervisors on June 25, 2019 for the General Aviation Improvement Program (GAI P). D. The City of Santa Ana is required to provide findings supporting the overrule of the Orange County ALUC determination as required in PUC Section 21676(b). Based on the following Findings of Fact and the associated substantial evidence in the public record, the proposed action by the City on the Project at 1561 W. Sunflower Avenue and related zoning change (amendment application) are consistent with the purposes of the State Aeronautics Act as stated in PUC Section 21670. E. The proposed Project provides for the orderly development of JWA, and its surrounding area and promotes the overall goals and objectives of the State noise standards by avoiding new noise and safety problems, and protecting the public health, safety and welfare through the adoption of land use measures that minimize the public's exposure to excessive noise and safety hazards to the extent that this area is not already devoted to incompatible uses. This Project would not add any new residential or commercial noise impacts to the JWA 65 dBA Community Noise Equivalent Level (CNEL) noise area. F. As the Project proposes a zone change and adoption of a Specific Plan, and pursuant to PUC Section 21676, the City of Santa Ana referred the proposed Project to the ALUC for review. G. The ALUC has adopted FAR Part 77 as the criteria for determining height restrictions in Orange County. FAR Part 77 requires notification to FAA for any project that would be more than 200 feet in height above ground level or within the imaginary surface of a 100:1 slope extending outward for 20,000 feet from the nearest runway. Here, the Project site is located within the 206-foot-high imaginary surface area for JWA, and the proposed mixed-use buildings that are a part of the Project would be a maximum of 25 stories high, with the tallest point on the buildings being 315 feet above the existing ground level. Thus, FAA notification is required. H. On June 19, 2025, the City of Santa Ana presented the Project to the ALUC for a determination of consistency with the JWA AELUP. 1. The ALUC staff report for that hearing recommended that the ALUC find the proposed Project consistent with AELUP issues of aircraft noise, flight tracks and safety, and heliports. The staff report noted that with regard to AELUP issues of Resolution No. 2025-043 Page 7 of 20