Beach and Orangethorpe Mixed-Use Specific Plan Draft Program EIR SECTION 3 ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING AND PROJECT DESCRIPTION 3.1 PROJECT LOCATION The Beach and Orangethorpe Mixed-Use Specific Plan (BOMUSP) project site is located in the City of Buena Park in Orange County, California. The project site is bordered by Melrose Street to the north, Beach Boulevard (State Route [SR]-39) the west, Orangethorpe Avenue to the south, and Brenner Avenue to the east. Regional access to the project site is provided by I-5 to the north and SR-91 to the south. The regional location and local vicinity of the project site are depicted on Exhibits 3.1-1 and 3.1-2, respectively. 3.2 ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING 3.2.1 REGIONAL PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS Southern California Association of Governments The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) is the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for six counties: Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside, Ventura, and Imperial. The region has a population that exceeds 18 million persons in an area of more than 38,000 square miles. SCAG is mandated by the federal government to research and develop plans for transportation, growth management, hazardous waste management, and air quality. As the designated MPO, the federal government has also mandated SCAG to research and draw up plans for transportation, growth management, hazardous waste management, and air quality. SCAG undertakes the following activities: • To maintain a continuous, comprehensive, and coordinated planning process resulting in a Regional Transportation Plan and a Regional Transportation Improvement Program; • To develop integrated land use, housing, employment and transportation programs, measures, and strategies for portions of the South Coast Air Quality Management Plan, as well as serving as co-lead agency for air quality planning for the Central Coast and Southeast Desert air basin districts; • To determine the conformity of projects, plans, and programs to the region’s Air Quality Management Plan, as mandated in the Federal Clean Air Act; • To function as the authorized regional agency for intergovernmental review of programs proposed for federal financial assistance and direct development activities; • To review environmental impact reports for projects that have regional significance for consistency with regional plans; • To function as the authorized areawide waste treatment management planning agency, pursuant to federal water pollution control statutes; • To prepare the Regional Housing Needs Assessment, as mandated under California law; and • To prepare, together with the San Diego Association of Governments and the Santa Barbara County/Cities Area Planning Council, the Southern California Hazardous Waste Management Plan, pursuant to the California Health and Safety Code. R:\PAS\Projects\BuenaPa\J002\Draft EIR_Aug08\3.0_ProjDescrip-080708.doc 3-1 Environmental Setting and Project Description Beach and Orangethorpe Mixed-Use Specific Plan Draft Program EIR SCAG has developed a number of plans to achieve the regional objectives. The most applicable to the proposed project are the Regional Comprehensive Plan and Guide (RCPG), the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) and the Compass Growth Vision Report (CGV). Regional Comprehensive Plan and Guide The SCAG Regional Comprehensive Plan and Guide (RCPG) contains two types of policies: “core” policies that pertain to SCAG’s statutory mandates in the areas of transportation, air quality, housing, hazardous waste and water quality and “ancillary” policies that provide voluntary guidance on a broader range of topics, including open space, energy, and water supply. These policies are used to guide the patterns of growth and development within the SCAG region. Regional Transportation Plan Federal guidelines require that all new regionally significant transportation projects be included in the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) before they can receive federal or State funds or approvals. The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) is the public sector transportation planning body and transit service provider for Orange County. OCTA submits the program of Orange County projects for inclusion in the Regional Transportation Improvement Program (RTIP). SCAG adopted the current RTP, Making the Connections, 2008 Regional Transportation Plan (2008 RTP), on May 8, 2008. The 2008 RTP contains a plan to provide adequate highway, transit, rail, aviation, and goods movement infrastructure to meet the region’s needs in 2035. The 2008 RTP is a $531.5 billion Plan that emphasizes the importance of system management, goods movement, and innovative transportation financing. It strives to provide a regional investment framework to address the region's transportation and related challenges, and looks to strategies that preserve and enhance the existing transportation system and integrate land use into transportation planning. The 2008 RTP is linked to Orange County’s and City of Buena Parks’ transportation plans and models in the form of shared growth and travel projections. The 2008 RTP includes goals and policies applicable to transportation and, in some cases, land use projects. Compass Blueprint Growth Vision Report The Compass Blueprint is a set of planning principles generated through a comprehensive “Growth Vision” process initiated by SCAG in 2000. The 2004 Compass Blueprint Growth Vision Report details the evolution of the draft vision from the study of emerging growth trends to the effects of different growth patterns on transportation systems, land consumption, and other factors. The Compass Blueprint 2% Strategy is a guideline for how and where SCAG can implement the Growth Vision for Southern California’s future. It calls for modest changes to current land use and transportation trends that make up approximately 2 percent of the land area of the region. The project site is located within a Compass 2% Strategy Area where development is intended to balance employment, housing, and services to reduce vehicle trips and emissions, enhance livability, expand prosperity, and increase sustainability. R:\PAS\Projects\BuenaPa\J002\Draft EIR_Aug08\3.0_ProjDescrip-080708.doc 3-2 Environmental Setting and Project Description Lancaster o n Los Padres i d ¨§5 r National a n r Forest e Palmdale B Castaic n a Lake Los Angeles S TS138 TS18 TS14 V r TS126 Sant C v e e a la Ri n ra t u Santa ra Clarita Angeles National 118 Simi Valley TS 210 ¨§ Forest TS170 ut101 Glendale Rancho ut101 TS134 Cucamonga Calabasas TS2 Pasadena ¨§210 TS27 TS110 S710 TS2 T ¨§10 West Hollywood West Covina Santa Monica Ontario TS1 ¨§10 Los Angeles ¨§605 TS187 TS60 110 ¨§710 405 ¨§ Whittier ¨§ TS142 TS72 TS71 ¨§105 Orange Hawthorne Project Location 90 TS Yorba Linda TS91 TS57 R Corona 19 [ TS107 TS iv 213 Buena Park ¨§5 e TS Anaheim r Carson TS241 s id e Palos Verdes Long Beach Westminster TS22 Cleveland Seal Beach Santa Ana TS261 National 55 TS39 TS Forest Huntington Costa Mesa TS241 Beach Irvine Rancho Santa Margarita TS1 TS73 Mission Viejo 74 TS133 TS Laguna Beach San Juan Capistrano D:\Projects\BuenaPa\J002\Ex_RL_072908.mxd Regional Location Exhibit 3.1-1 Beach and Orangethorpe Mixed-Use Specific Plan 105 0 10 Miles ² R:\PAS\Projects\BuenaPa\J002\Graphics\EIR\Ex3.1-1_RL_072908.pd Beach and Orangethorpe Mixed-Use Specific Plan Draft Program EIR This page is intentionally left blank. R:\PAS\Projects\BuenaPa\J002\Draft EIR_Aug08\3.0_ProjDescrip-080708.doc 3-4 Environmental Setting and Project Description S d e r L Stanbro y any l a ok l iff v e r o T e re f a rt B e ea a t r g N H e v i rc e s d F s ra a a a a se B e i Recon F d l r S al d n Royale ito a rnw a ie W R c n a B l o n n l l t a y A n l o i E e r o i t n e n l d s B n m h 39 e e r o H C s re a t a o h h e i r a n b i L t l f we UV n o S L c a r a n g u S S h t o m a a B o k o r e d S o s a O s g a a a i r c T L e k o e e r a c a a p e C ici c n n s r T a a Macaw g i h o e w r b a l l n a b o o e i E n F n r B j g o J t e o ot o o h r ey t l a d t C l l n M c y o r e r A a i i t i v n r n o h ord l u v Hayf t a h n K i l Tricia a d a Fa a W P i D c l r o F C n r v L i A e ew e C a w e v s o s l S d I M e s a i il k Loma Alt e t a londra C A B a Alondra o o a e R L o L l r d Alondra m a a l H g l b a e n c y o d t a a n i r i r M P n s s S o a r f u n G t l e S o D r North a e R re am a e e e b n g i e a i H L l b i c v l r y e e J r t l u b d l i r a a a n n O u t m r r l B o u C t m B o d i e o s ne o e C b i e h H n a m yn ap u o sca D e c a a n G s P Bi y a r e l C P o c d M r r n t h n o e e w F B r n t o S M e l r a a A t e e n G n u e Sa B d o R E w b Chevron ru a r e a n n j r C e l y e A o o a n r H e B z u C o r z d n a g d t N K B h a e u a h o s o C e n r u s e r W t hit m e P a M e w n m c w e E r a o p S d a d e k i G m F c n t o r m B e e i a S H re o g e r a o r d s u Trieste t s i a r i n h t T t l t n w y o s e l t umb l n H e e o r e r n w k e l e l d r dal B p e t o A y s e e r e s D a Athen d l o e F l u e C r a l i l N o R n r i r r e B r o a o s d a s n i H t d C o y d F w e d n W C o o o e d r g Geneva Desman h x e i o m l t o o l Sandbar e i e o g a e D a a b m w k od F d B Lar wo e s s D g a C ad d e b D sman c n k l e y u e s n stuc b C o r a avi r ar C i e Tr k e g m e l n e n r e l c K r r l 5 l e T o y e o y u J d u u n r k s i o la R a v R v B t r s § E i ¦¨ o t g e ve Ha a Franklin H l s i lls k n r v i h o s s n l P e n d i k l a e P e acific n B n K c e Vestav r i ia Fox r am c bo o ro oj o ugh Stratford r y ne i b Don C r W L