Item 22 - Public Hearing Ordinance Second Reading - General Plan Amendment, Zoo Overflow Parking Rezone

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SANTA ANA REZONE PROJECT INITIAL STUDY/MITIGATED NEGATIVE DECLARATION The City of Santa Ana VMT screening criteria, as described within the City Guidelines, are listed below: • Projects which serve the local community and have the potential to reduce VMT, such as neighborhood K-12 schools and local -serving retail less than 50,000 square feet (Charter schools are excluded from this criteria). • Projects that generate less than 110 net daily trips. • Projects located within Transit Priority Areas (TPAs).75 • Projects located in a low VMT generating TAZ (Transportation Analysis Zone). As noted in Table 5, the proposed project would generate approximately 1,122 daily vehicle trips, which exceeds the City's 110 daily vehicle trip threshold. Additionally, according to the VMT Screening Evaluation, the project site is not located within a TAZ that generates VMT at least 15 percent below the Orange County average. Therefore, the proposed project does not qualify for screening based on location within a low VMT area. However, the proposed project meets the local -serving screening criteria, as it supports the continued use of overflow parking for the adjacent Santa Ana Zoo, a community -serving facility, and includes EV charging infrastructure intended for local residents and Zoo visitors. Additionally, the proposed project meets the Transit Priority Area (TPA) screening criteria, as it is located within a TPA mapped by the City's Guidelines and is served by Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) Routes 64 and 83, which operate at 15-minute headways. Because the proposed project satisfies the local -serving and TPA screening criteria, it is presumed to have a less than significant VMT impact, and no further VMT analysis is required. As such, impacts would be less than significant. c) Substantially increase hazards due to a geometric design feature (e.g., sharp curves or dangerous intersections) or incompatible uses (e.g., farm equipment)? Less than significant impact. The proposed project would not include significant changes to the existing access point on East Main Street and would not include any hazardous design features. The access road servicing the current parking lot would be reconstructed as part of the proposed parking lot improvements and would be constructed to allow adequate circulation within the project site. As such, the proposed circulation improvements would be compatible with the proposed use. Impacts would be less than significant. 75 TPAs are defined as a 0.5-mile radius around an existing or planned major transit stop (e.g., Metrolink Station, Streetcar Station, etc.) or an existing stop along a high -quality transit corridor. 94 FCS Https://adecinnovaticns.sharepoint.com/sites/PubiicationsSite/Shared Documents/Publications/Client(PN-JN)/0327/03270047/ISMND/03270047 Santa Ana Rezone Project ISMND.docx