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10. Growth Inducing Impacts Anaheim General Plan/Zoning Code Update EIR City of Anaheim • Page 10-1 10.1 INTRODUCTION Section 15126 of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines requires that an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) discuss the ways in which a proposed project could directly or indirectly foster economic or population growth, or the construction of additional housing. Direct growth inducing impacts are generally associated with the provision of urban services and the extension of infrastructure to an undeveloped area. The extension of services and facilities to an individual site can reduce development constraints for other nearby areas and can serve to induce further development in the vicinity. Indirect or secondary growth inducing impacts consist of growth induced in the region by the additional demands for housing, employment, and goods and services associated with population increase caused by, or attracted to, new development. Growth-inducing impacts fall into two general categories, direct and indirect. Direct growth-inducing impacts are generally associated with the provision of urban services to an undeveloped area. The provision of these services to a site, and the subsequent development, can serve to induce other landowners in the vicinity to convert their property to urban uses. Indirect, or secondary growth-inducing impacts consist of growth induced in the region by the additional demands for housing, goods, and services associated with the population increase caused by, or attracted to, a new project. The purpose of a General Plan is to guide growth and development in a community. Accordingly, the General Plan is premised on a certain amount of growth taking place. Orange County, as well as the entire Southern California region, has experienced dramatic growth the past two decades and this trend is expected to continue into the next century. The focus of the General Plan, then, is to provide a framework in which the growth can be managed and to tailor it to suit the needs of the community and surrounding area. During the past several decades, the SCAG region, including Imperial, Riverside, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura Counties, has been one of the fastest growing regions in the nation. Between 1950 and 1970, the population doubled in size, growing at a rate of 5% per year. Between 1980 and 1990, the region’s population grew by over 25% to 14.6 million. Between 1990 and 2000, the region’s population grew by nearly 15% to 16.5 million. The City of Anaheim is nearing its buildout potential. The projected population for the City at buildout of the Recommended Land Use Alternative is 398,745. The buildout population represents an increase of 82,884 persons, which represents a 20% increase over the 2000 population of 328,014. The Recommended Land Use Alternative also provides for a total of 126,570 dwelling units and 260,335 jobs, making the City jobs-rich. The strategy of identifying additional housing opportunities in the City, particularly along the City’s aging commercial corridors, in the Downtown area, and in The Platinum Triangle, is consistent with SCAG’s strategy to increase housing opportunities in jobs rich areas. The cumulative impacts of this development, along with other proposed developments, will require some improvement and relocation of infrastructure and expansion of community facilities and services. Implementation of the project and the recommended mitigation measures will assist in improving the circulation on the street system surrounding the site, as well as redirect traffic on certain local roadways. The Recommended Land Use Alternative encourages redevelopment and development in specified focus areas. Development of these areas represents infill development potential where the public infrastructure is already in place to serve new development, with the exception of the Mountain Park Specific Plan Area. Economic development within the context of an urban, infill setting would have a beneficial impact. Since the infrastructure is largely in place, secondary growth-inducing effects do not represent a significant environmental impact. ---PAGE BREAK--- 10. Growth Inducing Impacts Page 10-2 • The Planning Center May 2004 In conclusion, the proposed project is a response to growth within the City of Anaheim as well as Orange County. As stated above, the project will not significantly induce growth, but the increases to the area’s employment and housing bases will help accommodate any future growth in the City of Anaheim and neighboring communities. 10.2 IRREVERSIBLE AND IRRETRIEVABLE COMMITMENT OF RESOURCES Implementation of the Recommended Land Use Alternative would allow construction activities that will entail the commitment of non-renewable and/or slowly renewable energy resources, human resources, and natural resources, such as lumber and other forest products, sand and gravel, asphalt, steel, copper, lead, other metals, and water. An increased commitment of social services and maintenance services police, fire and water services) will also be required. The energy and social services commitments will be long-term obligations, since it is nearly impossible to return land to its original conditions once it has been developed. As the community continues to develop, both residential and non-residential development would require further commitment of energy resources in the form of natural gas and electricity generated by coal, hydroelectrical power or nuclear energy. Increased motor vehicular travel in the City would be accompanied by increased consumption of petroleum products. An increased commitment of social services and public maintenance services, e.g., waste disposal and treatment, would also be required. The energy, social services and physical infrastructure maintenance commitments would be long-term obligations, since it is nearly impossible to return the land to its original condition once it has been developed. Since the City of Anaheim is mostly developed, the commitment of undeveloped land that would be developed as a result of the proposed General Plan and Zoning Code Update would be small. In addition, the proposed General Plan and Zoning Code Update includes policies to protect designated open space areas. However, the proposed plan would result in a long-term intensification of development and some alteration to the current environment of Anaheim.