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HomeMy WebLinkAbout194-89 RESOLUTION NO. 194-89 ADOPTING THE MITIGATED NEGATIVE DECLARATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL SIGNIFICANCE AND THE FINAL MASTER PLAN FOR HAP MAGEE RANCH PARK WHEREAS, David L. Gates & Associates, Landscape Architects, were retained by the Town of Danville to develop a Master Plan for Hap Magee Ranch Park; and WHEREAS, the park design process has included several community workshops during which the public had the opportunity to provide recommendations; and WHEREAS, Darwin Myers Associates was hired to study the environmental impacts of the park based upon the Final Master Plan and prepared a Mitigated Negative Declaration of environmental significance; and WHEREAS, on September 12, 1989, the Parks & Leisure Services Commission recommended that Town Council adopt the Mitigated Negative Declaration of Environmental Significance and the Final Master Plan for the Hap Magee Ranch Park; and WHEREAS, on September 18, 1989 the Town Council adopted a Mitigated Negative Declaration and Final Master Plan which included signalization of the Camille Avenue/Danville Boulevard intersection as a mitigation measure; and WHEREAS, new information from Contra Costa County states that a signal at the aforementioned intersection is unnecessary and the potential impact may be mitigated through other means; and WHEREAS, the Mitigated Negative Declaration of Environmental Significance and the Final Master Plan must be adopted by Town Council before the preparation of construction drawings and specifications may begin; and WHEREAS, construction drawings and specifications must be completed on the project before development may begin: NOW THEREFORE, the Town Council of the Town of Danville hereby resolves as follows: THAT, approval is granted for a Mitigated Negative Declaration of Environmental Significance for Hap Magee Ranch Park; and THAT, approval is granted for the Final Master Plan for Hap Magee Ranch Park; and THAT, approval is granted for staff to negotiate a contract with David L. Gates and Associates for preparation of construction 2 EXECUTIVE SU~RY Requested Action. Request for approval of a Master Plan for a 16.3 acre park, to be known as Hap Magee Ranch Park. This site is located immediately west of the 1-680/La Gonda Way undercrossing. The southern portion of the site is in the Town of Danville, while the north portion is in the unincorporated Alamo area. Applicant. The applicant and lead agency is the Town of Danville. The project is a cooperative effort between the Town of Danville, Contra Costa County (County Service Area R-7a), and the East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD). Proposed Project. The project is designed to provide a multi-use site that can accommodate classes, community activities (e.g. scouts), historical displays, casual family picnics and large formal gatherings (e.g. weddings), along with hikers and equestrians. Three ranch style homes on the site will be retained. The project includes a pedestrian/equestrian bridge across San Ramon Creek that will provide a vital link in the EBRPS's Las Trampas to Mt. Diablo Trail. Initial Study Recommendations. Negative Declaration. General Findings. The project represents implementation of the Town's General Plan. Adverse Impacts and Mitigation Measures. The following is a brief summary of the impacts that have been identified and potential mitigation measures. 1. Land Use Impacts: a) Project compiles with both the goals and policies of the Danville 2005 General Plan and the San Ramon Valley Area General Plan. The draft Contra Costa County General Plan (1989) designates the site "PR" (Parks and Recreation). b) The project will require approvals from the Town of Danville, County Service Area R-7a, County Flood Control District, California Department of Fish and Game, and Central Contra Costa Sanitary District. c) Although the project will not generate significant vehicular traffic volumes, it is expected to have both short- and long-term impacts on the owners of properties that adjoin the Camille Lane portion of the park property. Specifically, bridge construction will result in various construction activities. With completion of the bridge, trail users will, for the first time, be entering a secluded neighborhood that backs up to San Ramon Creek. Concerns include noise, litter, loss of privacy and traffic safety. Mitigation: a) No general plan impacts have been identified, so no mitigation is required. b) The bridge design will be subject to review and approval of all permit granting agencies. A well designed bridge which does not constrict the channel, or create long-term disturbance to the wildlife value of the channel would not create significant impacts. c) Recommended measures include 1) fencing and planting; 2) traffic engineering analysis of sight distance at the Camille Lane/Danville Boulevard intersection, and trimming vegetation back as deemed necessary; 3) relocation of the wrought iron gate from the park property to the private lot of the gate owners; 4) installation of traffic control signs; 5) installation of bollards west of bridge abutment; 6) maintenance of the 22-foot wide strip by the Town of Danville; 7) notification of adjacent property owners of construction schedules and other construction details; 8) limit construction activity on Camille Lane and bridge to M-F, 8:00 a to 5:00p; 9) dust suppression measures; 10) no parking of construction work vehicles on Camille Lane; and 11) any construction related damage to the paved portion of Camille Lane to be repaired by EBRPD. 2. Geology, Seismicity and Grading Impacts: a) The creek banks present an erosion problem. b) Although there are no mapped slides on the site, the Cal Trans slide may affect the adjacent area to the north. c) There is evidence of petroleum products, metals and methylene chloride contamination within the fill area. Mitigation: a) Soil borings are needed for bridge abutments and intermediate supports, and climbing on creekbanks should be discouraged. b) Prior to acquisition of right-of-way for an Alamo access to the park or processing application on the land locked Darcel, geotechnical studies are needed to evaluate landslide hazards. c) Contaminated soils should be buried under 8 to 12 inches of topsoil. 3. Traffic, Circulation and Parking Impacts: a) Weekend parking demand may exceed the capacity of proposed parking areas. b) The design of the parking area adjacent to the freeway would result in the hoods of vehicles projecting into the horse trail with the potential for equestrian/vehicle conflicts. c) The sole vehicular access to the park is to be LaGonda Way. It is a narrow, rural road that lacks shoulders north of E1 Portal Road. Emergency access to the park is very desirable for reasons of public safety. d) There is a cumulative growth in traffic on streets throughout the Danville area. The project will have a minor (but not significant) impact on the street system adjoining the park. e) There is a potential for vehicle/pedestrian conflicts at the Camille Lane/Danville Boulevard intersection. Mitigation: a) Since park improvements will be constructed in stages, it is recommended that staff investigate the costs of reinforced turf, investigate potential sites for overflow parking, and monitor parking (especially weekend demand.) If parking becomes a problem, interim measures could be put in place (e.g. restrict the size of formal gatherings, designate informal parking area) until an overflow lot is constructed. b) Rearrange parking in the freeway lot, as shown on Figure 18B. c) Improve park access by upgrading LaGonda Way to the status of a standard public road and/or provide secondary or emergency access. d) No mitigation is required for cumulative traffic because the park-related trips are expected to be very low during the daily peak hours traffic periods. e) A crosswalk and aDDroDriate signage should be provided at the Camille Avenue/Danville Boulevard intersection to protect pedestrians bicyclists and equestrians crossing Danville Boulevard.' lInstallation of any safety measures at this intersection is under the jurisdiction of Contra Costa County. 4. Drainage and Water Quality a) The drop structure, which is 10 feet high, represents and attractive nuisance in a park setting. b) Development of the Del Chase property could increase runoff across the park property. Currently culverts under 1-680 discharge concentrated runoff at the toe of the freeway fill embankment, along the east side of the park property. From this point, runoff sheet flows across the park property to San Ramon Creek. c) The bridge could be undermined by bank erosion, unless the design takes into account the long-term effects of erosion. Bridge construction could damage the existing sanitary sewer pipe, impede the flow of runoff carried by the creek, and cause disturbance to vegetation in the creek. d) Increased use of the site represented by the park makes continued reliance on septic systems unacceptable. Mitigation: a) Preclude access to the drop structure by fencing, or other methods acceptable to the Flood Control District. b) Runoff from the 25-acre watershed east of the site should be carried to San Ramon Creek in a closed conduit and discharged in a non-erosive manner. c) No fill should be placed in the creek channel; soil borings are needed to determine foundation conditions at abutments and intermediate supports; plans for the bridge should be submitted to the Flood Control District and California Department of Fish and Game for their approval. (The Flood Control District will be able to determine from the plans if Corps of Engineers approval is needed.) If the sewer line is damaged or needs to be relocated, these costs should be the responsibility of EBRPD. If loss of trees is unavoidable, they should be replaced at a rate of 3 to 1. d) All the buildings on the site should be connected to a sanitary sewer. 1Telephone conversation of October 4, 1989 between Randal Tsuda and Leroy Vukat. 5. Biologic Resources Impacts: a) Several large oaks may pose a hazard to park activities due to their age and size, since they have a potential for dropping limbs. Modifications to the creek would be minimal, consisting primarily of the proposed construction of a bridge. b) The increased frequency of human activity may affect use of the site by wildlife. Mitigation: a) Recommended measures include preserving existing vegetation; retailing existing drainage patterns around oaks; supplementing creekbank planting to soften views of rip-rap; revegetating disturbed areas of the site with native oaks, buckeyes, bunch grasses and wildflowers; working with CalTrans to initiate reforestation of the freeway fill embankment; irrigate and native plantings during initial establishment only; and create an education program for park visitors. Modifications to the creek channel are subject to CDFG approval. The condition of individual trees of significant size in the vicinity of existing and proposed improvements is recommended. b) Access to the riparian corridor should be controlled with signing. 6. Archaeology Impacts: a) Although there are no known archaeologic materials on the site, there is some potential that buried artifacts would be uncovered by future earthwork. b) If artifacts are uncovered, work within 100 feet of the find should be stopped until it can be evaluated by a qualified archaeologist. The Town should be notified of the find, and the archaeologist should transmit his findings and recommendations to the Town. 7. Noise Impacts: a) The site and nearby residents are impacted by noise levels that are higher than are normally acceptable for a sensitive receptor. CalTrans is proposing to build a 12-foot high sound barrier wall that will reduce noise levels to an acceptable range. The uses proposed for the park are such that generated noise levels will not result in significant impacts. b) Because CalTrans is constructing the sound barrier wall, no mitigation is necessary. hapmagee drawings and specifications for the project. APPROVED by the Town Council for the Town of Danville at a regular meeting on November 9, 1989, by the following vote: AYES: GREENBERG, JAGGER, LANE, RITCHEY, SCHLENDORF NOES: NONE ABSTAIN: NONE ABSENT: NONE ~~ MAYOR ATTEST: APPROVED AS TO FORM: artm14 3