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Chapter 3 Findings Regarding Project Alternatives <br />Findings on Mitigation Measures Proposed to Reduce Impacts to Public Services <br />¦ Proposed Mitigation Measure. Require the application of parkland in-lieu fees in conjunction <br />with development of the project. (See Final EIR Chapter 3 (Responses to Comments), Letter from <br />City of Tustin (TUS), comment TUS-2.) <br />Finding. The Agency finds that specific economic, legal, social, technological, or other <br />considerations make this mitigation measure infeasible. <br />Rationale. Development under the Transit Zoning Code project and Developer Project is <br />required to comply with mitigation measure MM4.10-5, which requires payment into the Park <br />Acquisition and Development Fund pursuant to Santa Ana Municipal Code Chapter 35, Article IV. <br />Over and above the requirement for new development to pay into the Park Acquisition and <br />Development Fund, the Redevelopment Agency is pursuing the acquisition and construction of a <br />range of potential open space amenities within the Transit Zoning Code area, which could include <br />a public park, new community center and a tot lot. Finally, the standards for private open space <br />contained within the Transit Zoning Code are designed to ensure that new development provide <br />open space and outdoor amenities on-site as part of the project design. Consequently, the impact <br />of the project on park facilities is less than significant and no further mitigation is needed. <br />Findings on Mitigation Measures Proposed in Comments Received Since the Planning <br />Commission Hearing on May 27, 2010 <br />¦ Proposed Mitigation Measure. Adaptive reuse of any of the viable Lacy Neighborhood <br />resources. (Letter from Susan Brandt-Hawley, dated June 4, 2010.) <br />Finding. The Agency finds that specific economic, legal, social, technological, or other <br />considerations make this mitigation measure infeasible. <br />Rationale. The concept of "adaptive reuse" generally refers to the process of converting a <br />structure traditionally occupied by one use, such as a house used for residential purposes, to <br />another use, such as house converted to an office. All Agency-owned parcels within the Lacy <br />Neighborhood were purchased using 20% Set-Aside Redevelopment Agency funding. This <br />funding source is restricted in its use and may only be used to support projects which result in the <br />production of affordable housing as defined by State law. (Health and Safety Code ? 33334.2 ). <br />Were the Agency to use these funds for any purposes not relating to increasing, improving, and <br />preserving the community's supply of low- and moderate-income housing available at affordable <br />housing cost, the Redevelopment Agency would be required to make a finding that there is no <br />longer a need in the community to provide such housing. The Agency has not made and cannot <br />make such a finding in light of the demonstrated need for such housing. On the contrary, the <br />City's recently adopted and certified Housing Element details the need for affordable housing the <br />community at all levels of affordability. The scenarios analyzed in Alternatives 4, 5 and 6 all were <br />based on the restriction of this funding source to provide for affordable housing and, as such, <br />provided for continued use of the identified structures for residential purposes, specifically for <br />affordable housing. Adaptive reuse alternatives are found to be legally infeasible due to this <br />funding restriction. Adaptive reuse would result in nonresidential development, which is also <br />contrary to both the City and Agency's policy interest in promoting affordable housing in this <br />merged Project Area. (California Native Plant Society v. City of Santa Cru.Z (2009) 177 Cal.App.4th 957; <br />City of Del Mar v. City of San Diego (1982) 133 Cal.App.3d 401.) Please also refer to the Findings on <br />Mitigation Measures Proposed to Reduce Impacts to Cultural Resources in the Findings of Fact <br />and Statement of Overriding Considerations for a further discussion. <br />Transit Zoning Code (SD 84) EIR Findings of Fact/Statement of Overriding Considerations 3-21