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Final EIR No. 2011 -01, VA No. 2012 -04 & VTTM No. 2012 -02
<br />February 10, 2014
<br />Page 13
<br />The project site itself was posted with a notice advertising this public hearing, a notice was
<br />published in the Orange County Register and mailed notices were sent to property owners and
<br />tenants within 500 feet of the project site. In addition, the Neighborhood Association contacts, as
<br />well as all individuals on the City's Permanent Notification List, were notified by mail 10 days prior
<br />to this public hearing. A notice of the Planning Commission public hearing was posted to the City's
<br />website and Facebook page.
<br />On January 17, 2014, the City received correspondence from Jeannie Gillette, President of The
<br />Old Orchard Conservancy, commenting on the additional analysis for the development of the
<br />Sexlinger site, a letter from Deborah Rosenthal outlining a related court case, and a letter from the
<br />Conservancy outlining a preservation alternative for the site (Exhibit 12). Additionally,
<br />correspondence was received from Rutan & Tucker, LLP, a law firm engaged to assist the property
<br />owners with their development applications. Their correspondence included a memorandum in
<br />response to comments received on the proposed development, a shade and shadow study of the
<br />proposed development, an arboricultural evaluation of the orange trees, and a memorandum that
<br />analyzed the potential closure of the south entrance of the project to public access (Exhibit 13). At
<br />the time of this printing, no other contact or correspondence regarding the project had been
<br />received.
<br />CEQA Analvsis
<br />As part of the City's permitting process, the proposed project is required to undergo an environmental
<br />review in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). In accordance with
<br />CEQA, the recommended actions have been reviewed through an environmental impact report, EIR
<br />No. 2011 -01. Sections 15080 through 15097 of the State CEQA Guidelines (Article 7) guide the
<br />process for the preparation of an environmental impact report.
<br />The EIR, as required by CEQA, contains 1) an initial study;. 2) a project description; 3) a description of
<br />the environmental setting, potential environmental impacts, mitigation measures for any significant
<br />effects, and consistency with plans and policies; and 4) names of preparers. The mitigation
<br />measures included in this EIR are designed to reduce or eliminate the potentially significant
<br />environmental impacts described herein. The scope of the EIR evaluates the proposed project's
<br />effects on the following resource topics, aesthetics, air quality, biological resources, cultural
<br />resources, geology and soils, greenhouse gas emissions, hazards and hazardous materials,
<br />hydrology and water quality, land use and planning, noise, population and housing, public services,
<br />recreation, transportation and traffic, and utilities and service systems.
<br />The City prepared a draft EIR and published the Notice of Availability (NOA) in the Orange County
<br />Register as well as posted the NOA at the Orange County Clerk's office on October 30, 2012. The
<br />City circulated the draft EIR for a 45 -day public review between November 1, 2012 and December
<br />17, 2012. The draft EIR was available for public review at the Santa Ana City Hall, the City of
<br />Santa Ana Main Library, and on the City's website.
<br />75B -173
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