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HomeMy WebLinkAbout103-87RESOLUTION 103-87 A RESOLUTION OF THE TOWN COUNCIL OF THE TOWN OF DANVILLE CERTIFYING THE GENERAL PLAN FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT AND ADOPTING CEQA FINDINGS FOR GENERAL PLAN ADOPTION WHEREAS, The Town of Danville has initiated a process for preparation and adoption of a General Plan pursuant to government code section 65300; and WHEREAS, the Town of Danville Development Services Department, acting as lead agency, determined that significant effects on the environment could potentially result from the adoption of the Plan and that an Environmental Impact Report would be necessary pursuant to CEQA section 15064; and WHEREAS, a Notice of Preparation was distributed, along with a description of the scope of the Plan, and a preliminary analysis of potential significant impacts; and WHEREAS, said notice was distributed for agency comment on January 6, 1987 with a request that responses be received by the Town no later than 45 days from the date of agency receipt of the notice; and WHEREAS, those agencies that responded to the Notice of Preparation, and others, were consulted in preparing the Draft Environmental Impact Report pursuant to CEQA guidelines sections 15080 and 15083; and WHEREAS, the Draft Environmental Impact Report has been completed, the appropriate notice prepared, and the document circulated for comment regarding its adequacy pursuant to CEQA 15085; and WHEREAS, The Planning Commission held two public hearings for the purpose of considering oral testimony concerning the adequacy of the draft Environmental Impact Report on January 26, 1987 and February 11, 1987 as suggested by CEQA guidelines section 15087 (G); and WHEREAS, the review period for the Draft Environmental Impact Report expired on February 19, 1987 during which period written comments were submitted regarding the adequacy of the document; and WHEREAS, written and oral comments have been reviewed, evaluated and written responses prepared representing good faith, reasoned analysis supported by factual information; and 1 WHEREAS, such comments and responses, and the draft Environmental Impact Report, constitute the Final Environmental Impact Report for the General Plan; and WHEREAS, the following potentially significant environmental effects were evaluated in the Initial Study and identified in the Draft EIR: 1. Land Use 2. Traffic and Circulation 3. Parks and Recreation 4. Civic Facilities and Functions 5. Library 6. Wastewater Treatment and Disposal 7. Water 8. Police 9. Fire 10. Schools 11. Natural Resources WHEREAS, the Draft EIR evaluated the following impact categories and indicated ways in which potential impacts could be mitigated: 1) Land Use - Potential impacts discussed in the Draft EIR mainly focused upon land use compatibility issues. These problems have been reduced or eliminated by adopting the mitigation measures recommended in the Draft EIR, or deleting the recommended land use change. 2) Traffic and Circulation - The Danville 2005 General Plan will accommodate additional residential and commercial growth that will, in turn, generate additional traffic. Total additional daily vehicle trips generated by existing and future development would be 130,000 daily. The land use changes recommended by the Planning Commission would add approximately 5.2 percent to this future total. With the exception of the regional problems (cumulative impacts on 1-680 and other major highways) mentioned above, Danville will be able to accommodate projected increases in locally generated traffic if programmed and planned road improvements are completed. 3) Parks and Recreation - Development of additional housing under the Draft Plan and an increased residential population would intensify use of existing public park and recreation facilities and would contribute to the existing deficiencies in the Town's recommended park and recreation standards. 2 4) 5) 6) The increased demand for parks and recreation services will be met by additional planned parks. The new development, along with other planned development will contribute to a park land dedication fund. The fund, in combination with land dedications and other revenue sources will finance a series of park and recreation improvements documented in the Draft General Plan section related to Parks, Recreation, and Open Space. Parkland service standards throughout the community will improve as a result of the Plan. Civic Facilities and Functions - The population growth generated by the land use changes proposed by the Draft Plan would contribute to demands for civic facilities. While the Draft Plan recognizes Danville residents' existing needs for such facilities and anticipates future civic facility needs, cumulative population growth directly attributable to the Draft Plan proposed land use changes would increase these demands slightly. This demand will be offset through the development of new facilities on the Charlotte Wood School Site upon redevelopment of that property and implementation of policies contained in the General Plan. Library - Potential short-term impacts on the Danville Branch Library may occur due to over burdening a facility which already is used beyond its capacity, if population increases occur prior to the replacement of this facility. These impacts could persist until completion of the new San Ramon and Danville Libraries, and, since it is unlikely that housing construction would be delayed solely in response to library facilities, these impacts may not be mitigated. However, since both the Danville and San Ramon Libraries are scheduled for construction over the next 4 to 5 years, the existing overcrowding condition should be eliminated. Wastewater Treatment and Disposal - Potential short-term impacts on the Central Contra Costa Sanitary District's existing San Ramon Valley trunk sewer may occur during wet weather, if housing development and sewer connections occur prior to the planned completion of the new parallel trunk sewer which could accommodate wet weather flows. These impacts could be mitigated by phasing residential building permits in coordination with sewer construction. The cost of additional collection and/or treatment facilities required will be financed by user charges and fees. 7) Water - Development of additional housing units permitted by the Draft Plan reclassifications would involve two principal issues: water supply and water delivery. The additional housing could generate a demand for one to three mgd based on conservative consumption rates of 1,000 gallons per unit on an average day and 3,000 gallons per units on a maximum day. District water entitlements would be adequate to accommodate increased demands of this magnitude. 8) Police - The Danville Police Department already patrols established neighborhoods of the Town where some of the new development permitted by the Draft Plan's 20 land use changes would occur. As newly developing areas build out, however, the Department will have to extend and expand its police protection services. The future population accommodated by the Draft Plan would result in a corresponding increase in calls for services, but this expected increase can be accommodated by the service expansion correctly planned by the Danville police department. 9) Fire - The District has plans to increase its resources, consistent with anticipated growth, including hiring additional personnel at the planned rate of ten people per year for the next five years. In addition, Station 5 was built specifically to provide fire protection to the newly developing unincorporated area within the District's service area. Because the District is planning for future growth, the incremental increase of housing units and people in its service area directly attributable to the Draft Plan would not be expected to result in significant adverse impacts on the ability of the SRVFPD to provide fire protection and emergency medical services and to maintain the quality of those services. 10) Schools - The District expects an enrollment of 15,000 students in the 1986-1987 school year with an increase to 18,000 students in the next five to seven years. The 600 additional students which could be generated as a result of Draft Plan permitted development would account for three to four percent of existing and expected enrollments. Since buildout of the land use change areas would occur during the 18-year planning period, not all at once, and because the changes are located throughout the Town, not concentrated in %he a%%endance a~ea of on~ or two mchools. it is not expected that new development allowed by the Draft Plan's land use changes would affect the SRVFPD adversely. 4 o These impacts could be mitigated by collecting developer impact fees to finance construction of new schools. 11) Natural Resources - Potential reduction in the number and diversity of plant and animal species may result from conversion of natural habitat to developed use. The significance of these impacts could be reduced partially by mitigation measures but could not be eliminated entirely, thus contributing incrementally to cumulative impacts of urbanization throughout the Town and region. Potential short and long-term erosion, sedimentation, and water quality impacts may result from removal of vegetation and grading for home construction, provision of access, installation of utilities, and landslide repair. These individual impacts could be mitigated to insignificant levels but still would contribute incrementally to cumulative impacts throughout the Town and region. WHEREAS, the Draft General Plan contained numerous policies and implementation measure that protect environmental values and mitigate potential impacts of future development; and, following review of the Draft EIR and consideration of written and oral comments and technical responses to these comments, changes and additions to the Draft General Plan were made by the City Council that incorporated additional environmental protection policies and mitigation measures into the policy framework of the General Plan, including the following: 1) Land Use - Several of the Land use changes originally considered have been deleted or modified in order to reduce potential land use compatibility impacts. The more significant land use changes are contained within designated Special Concern areas which require project specific analysis of all impacts at the time of application for rezoning in order to assure proper impact mitigation. Several policies have also been included in the General Plan which addresses the need for land use compatibility between existing and future development resulting from the recommended land use changes. 2) Traffic and Circulation - A new policy (11.03) has been added which, along with an associated implementation measure, establishes mid-range of level of service "D" as a minimum level of service for intersections and roadway segments in Danville, and establishes a traffic impact a~e~m~n~ and m~nitoring p~oc~- Policie~ in the General Plan call for balancing new development with adequake services and acceptable levels of service. 5 3) Natural Resources - Potential impacts on natural resources have been further mitigated by addition of policies intended to preserve and enhance stream channels and riparian corridors, and reduce orcontrol grading and earth movement in scenic and sensitive areas. WHEREAS, the Final EIR identifies traffic and circulation impacts as the only impacts not being mitigated to an insignificant level within the General Plan, mitigation measures recommended by the Draft EIR, or by policies which may be proposed by other agencies affecting the San Ramon Valley Area. WHEREAS, CEQA guideline section 15091 requires that findings be adopted which indicate that changes or alterations have been required in or incorporated into the project which avoid or substantially lessen the significant environmental effects, or in the alternative that, in accordance with CEQA section 15093, if identified significant impacts are not at least substantially mitigated, the benefits of a proposed project shall be determined to outweigh the resulting unavoidable adverse environmental effects. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Town Council hereby certifies that the Final EIR, including the draft EIR and Response to Comments attached hereto as Exhibit A, has been completed in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act of 1970, as amended; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Town Council of the Town of Danville finds that significant impacts identified in the Final EIR for the General Plan have either been mitigated in the General Plan or that adequate measures have been developed to mitigate impacts as indicated herein. The Town Council acknowledges however, the occurrence of significant effects which are not substantially mitigated in the area of traffic, and hereby adopts the following statement of overriding considerations: Traffic In the area of traffic, the Town Council has reviewed evidence that a limited number of intersections are projected to exceed the acceptable level of service for peak period traffic established by the General Plan. Evidence in the record indicates that the specific changes necessary to maintain the specified level of service would not in all cases be practical. nor desirable from a safety or aesthetic perspective. The resulting width and complexity of those intersections that may exceed the acceptable level of service would be undesirable, if the standard were to be maintained in these areas. In addition, the potential impacts on regional traffic conditions, (particularly on 1-680) are overriden by the relatively small contribution of the land use changes recommended by the General Plan (resulting in less than a 1 percent increase in volumes on 1-680) and need for balanced and economically sound growth in Danville. PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED this 5th day of October 1987 by the following vote. AYES: Lane, May, Offenhartz, Schlendorf NOES: None ABSENT: Kennett Mayor ATTEST: ajcp10 7