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Grand Avenue Widening Project Environmental Impact Report Section 1.0 whether the potential impacts of proposed uses were addressed in the Land Use Element EIR or will require additional, separate environmental review prior to approval of the proposed uses by the City. It is anticipated that the widening of Grand Avenue under Alternative 2 will be constructed in phases, based on available funding. For example, as funding becomes available, the intersections could be improved, followed later by the widening of Grand Avenue on the segments between the intersections. Therefore, the construction period for the widening under Alternative 2 would not occur in one continuous time period. Construction activities could occur intennittently over a period of severalyears before construction of the entire widening project is complete. Alternative 2 also includes the mitigation measures identified in this EIR. Mitigation measure N-2, described later in Section 3.6 (Noise) indicates that Alternative 2 will require noise barriers adjacent to several properties on the project segment of Grand Avenue, to reduce project related noise to below the City of Santa Ana noise standards. The noise barriers at these properties are included as part of Alternative 2. The MMP described in detail later in Section 8.0 is incorporated in the description of Alternative 2. The City has identified Alternative 2 as the preferred alternative for the proposed widening of Grand Avenue. Alternative 2 meets all five of the defined project objectives and the majority of the significant adverse environmental impacts under this Alternative can be mitigated to below a level of significance. 1.1.4 PROPERTY ACQUISITION Both Alternatives 1 and 2 will involve acquisition of privately owned property to provide adequate right of way for the road widening and setbacks from the new curb of Grand Avenue consistent with City requirements. This process will involve precise surveys of the area to be acquired, property appraisals, negotiation with each of the property owner(s) on compensation, and finally City Council approval of the acquisition agreements. There may be instances where only a part of the property would be necessary to accommodate the road widening. In these instances it is possible that an existing building could be physically retrofitted to accommodate the setback from the new property line. The issue of full or partial acquisition will be negotiated with each property owner pursuant to the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970 as implemented by the City of Santa Ana. Much of this process is described in a question and answer format in the City of Santa Ana Handbook on Acquisition which is included as Appendix I in this EIR. This issue of properties that will be affected under both alternatives is further discussed in Section 3.2 (Land Use). 1.1.5 ALTERNATIVES Section 15126(d) of the CEQA Guidelines requires EIRs to consider a reasonable range of alternatives to the project or the location of a project which would feasibly attain most of the project objectives but which would avoid or substantially lessen any of the significant adverse impacts of the project. This Section of the CEQA Guidelines specifically requires that a No Project Alternative be assessed in the EIR. F: IPROJ-ENMGrand eirWew Text - GranMection 1.0-new.doc Page 1-13