Planning and Building Agency
www.santa-ana.org/pb
Item # 24
City of Santa Ana
20 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92701
Staff Report
April 21, 2026
TOPIC: 2101 and 2109 East Santa Clara Avenue Zone Change – Second Reading
AGENDA TITLE
Second Reading and Adoption of Ordinance Amendment Application (AA) No. 2026-02 for the Santa Clara Avenue Zone Change (2101 and 2109 East Santa Clara Avenue) First reading April 7, 2026 City Council Meeting and approved by a vote of 7-0. Legal notice published in the OC Reporter on April 10, 2026.
RECOMMENDED ACTION
Conduct a second reading and adopt an ordinance approving Amendment Application No. 2026-02.
ORDINANCE NO. NS-3093 entitled AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA ANA APPROVING AMENDMENT APPLICATION NO. 2026-02 AMENDING THE ZONING FOR THE PROPERTIES LOCATED AT 2101 AND 2109 EAST SANTA CLARA AVENUE (APNS: 396-261-26 AND 396-261-38) FROM GENERAL AGRICULTURAL (A-1) TO ARTERIAL COMMERCIAL (C-5), read by title only and waived further reading.
GOVERNMENT CODE §84308 APPLIES: Yes
DISCUSSION
On April 7, 2026, City Council conducted a first reading of an ordinance, Amendment Application No. 2026-02, to change the zoning district designation of two properties located at 2101 and 2109 East Santa Clara Avenue from General Agricultural (A-1) to Arterial Commercial (C-5). The ordinance was approved unanimously and requires a second reading and adoption to become effective May 21, 2026.
A copy of the ordinance for second reading is attached to this Report as Exhibit 1.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
In accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the CEQA Guidelines, the Project is not subject to additional environmental review pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15162, as it is within the scope of the 2022 City of Santa Ana
AA No. 2026-02 for 2101 and 2109 East Santa Clara Avenue Zone Change – Second Reading
April 21, 2026
5 7
2 0
General Plan Environmental Impact Report (EIR) (SCH No. 2020029087), which was certified in conjunction with adoption of the General Plan Update. Section 15162 prohibits preparation of a subsequent or supplemental EIR unless substantial changes are proposed to the project, substantial changes occur in the circumstances under which the project is undertaken, or new information of substantial importance becomes available that was not known and could not have been known at the time the prior EIR was certified.
The proposed zone change is a City-initiated corrective action that aligns zoning with the GC land use designation adopted through the 2022 General Plan Update and does not authorize any new development, construction, or change in intensity beyond what was previously analyzed in the General Plan EIR. The land use designation and development assumptions associated with the proposed zoning were fully evaluated in the certified General Plan EIR. No substantial changes to the project, no changes in circumstances, and no new information requiring major revisions to the EIR have been identified.
Accordingly, no subsequent or supplemental EIR is required pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15162.
In addition, the proposed zoning amendment is exempt from further environmental review under CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3) (the “Common Sense Exemption”), as it can be determined with certainty that the action will not result in a significant effect on the environment. The zone change is administrative and policy-implementing in nature, serves to maintain consistency between the Zoning Code and the General Plan pursuant to Government Code Section 65860, and does not, by itself, enable or approve physical development. Any future development would be subject to separate discretionary review and project-level CEQA analysis, as applicable. Therefore, the environmental effects of the proposed action have already been adequately analyzed in the 2022 General Plan EIR, and no further environmental review is required. A Notice of Determination and Notice of Exemption, Environmental Review No. 2026-05, will be filed for the project.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact associated with this action.
EXHIBIT(S)
1. Ordinance Approving AA No. 2026-02 for Second Reading
2. April 7, 2026 City Council Meeting Link
3. Certified General Plan Update Environmental Impact Report (hyperlink) Submitted By: Ali Pezeshkpour, AICP, Executive Director of the Planning and Building Agency
Approved By: Alvaro Nuñez, City Manager