TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THRU: Jarad Hildenbrand, City Manager
FROM: Russell Bunim, Community Development Director
1. Subject
title
Public Hearing to consider an amendment to the Circulation and Mobility Element of the City of Orange General Plan and finding of CEQA exemption
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2. Summary
The City is proposing an amendment to the City of Orange General Plan Circulation and Mobility Element to reclassify the roadway designation for Santiago Canyon Road (Villa Park Road) between the shared Orange-Villa Park boundary and Cannon Street, and Fairhaven Avenue between the shared Orange-Santa Ana boundary and Tustin Street (Tustin Avenue) to reflect changing development and traffic patterns.
3. Recommended Action
recommendation
1. Conduct and close the Public Hearing.
2. Adopt Resolution No. 11660. A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Orange approving General Plan Amendment No. 26-0001 amending the City of Orange General Plan Circulation and Mobility Element to conform to the Orange County Transportation Authority’s Countywide Master Plan of Arterial Highways.
3. Find the proposal exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) per State CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3) (Common Sense Exemption).
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4. Fiscal Impact
None.
5. Strategic Plan Goals
Goal 5: Improve Infrastructure, Mobility, and Technology.
6. Discussion and Background
The City of Orange was formally requested by adjacent agencies to update roadway classifications for two streets located along the City’s jurisdictional boundaries:
• Santiago Canyon Road (Villa Park Road) between the shared Orange-Villa Park boundary and Cannon Street; and
• Fairhaven Avenue between the shared Orange-Santa Ana boundary and Tustin Street (Tustin Avenue).
These requests were initiated by the County of Orange and the City of Santa Ana, respectively, following updated traffic studies that evaluated long-term growth trends, traffic volumes, and roadway design objectives.
Both agencies have already adopted the revised roadway classifications within their own General Plans. The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) has also reviewed and conditionally approved the changes as amendments to the Countywide Master Plan of Arterial Highways (MPAH).
To complete the regional planning process and maintain consistency with neighboring jurisdictions and OCTA, the City of Orange must amend its Circulation and Mobility Element to reflect the same roadway lane configuration.
The proposed General Plan amendment is limited in scope and involves the addition of two new roadway classification categories: Asymmetric Major Arterial (Five-Lane Divided) and Secondary Arterial (Two-Lane Divided). These new classifications would then be applied to the City’s Master Plan of Streets and Highways for the specific roadway segments identified above. No other changes to the Circulation and Mobility Element are proposed.
7. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The proposed project is categorically exempt (Common Sense Exemption) from the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) per State CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3) because there is no possibility that the revisions to the roadway designations may have a significant effect on the environment.
8. ATTACHMENTS
• Attachment 1 Resolution No. 11660 (including amended City of Orange General Plan Circulation and Mobility Element)
• Attachment 2 Planning Commission Staff Report of February 2, 2026
• Attachment 3 Proposed City Master Plan of Streets and Highways Amendment Reclassification
• Attachment 4 Amended City of Orange General Plan Circulation and Mobility Element (redline version)
• Attachment 5 Santiago Canyon Road (Villa Park Road) Master Plan of Arterial Highways Amendment Traffic Study
• Attachment 6 County of Orange Board of Supervisors Staff Report of May 6, 2025, for the Santiago Canyon Road (Villa Park Road) reclassification
• Attachment 7 Orange County Transportation Authority Staff Report of September 9, 2024, for the Santiago Canyon Road (Villa Park Road) reclassification Master Plan of Arterial Highways Amendment
• Attachment 8 City of Santa Ana General Plan Update Appendix K Transportation Impact Study for the Fairhaven Avenue reclassification
• Attachment 9 City of Santa Ana Staff Report of April 19, 2022, for the Fairhaven Avenue reclassification
• Attachment 10 Adopted City of Santa Ana General Plan Mobility Element
• Attachment 11 Orange County Transportation Authority Staff Report of November 2, 2020, for the Conditional Amendment of the Fairhaven reclassification in the Countywide Master Plan of Arterial Highways