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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPC Meeting 12-02-10 (Reso 2699-2010) CEQA - 1309 MissionRESOLUTION NO. 2699-2010 PLANNING COMMISSION, CITY OF SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO STATE OF CALIFORNIA A RESOLUTION MAKING FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDING THAT THE CITY COUNCIL ADOPT THE ADDENDUM TO THE 2000 SUPPLEMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT FOR THE 2000 EL CAMINO CORRIDOR REDEVELOPMENT PLAN AMENDMENT WHEREAS, Metron, PTP (Owner) and Stuart Welte, AIA (Applicant) have proposed construction of a four-story mixed-use residential and commercial development, consisting of 20 residential condominiums above approximately 5,200 square feet of ground-floor commercial space and 35 on-site and six on-street parking spaces (“Project”) on an approximately 17,582 square foot (0.41 acre) site, which is currently vacant, located at the northwest corner of McLellan Drive and Mission Road (“Project Site”) in the City of South San Francisco (“City”); and, WHEREAS, Applicant seeks approval of Zoning Amendments, Use Permit, Design Review, Tentative Subdivision Map, and Affordable Housing Agreement for the Project; and, WHEREAS, approval of the Applicant’s proposal is considered a “project” for purposes of the California Environmental Quality Act, Pub. Resources Code, §§ 21000, et seq. (CEQA); and, WHEREAS, the Project Site is located within the City’s El Camino Corridor Redevelopment Area; and, WHEREAS, in 1993 the City Council certified an Environmental Impact Report for the El Camino Corridor Redevelopment Plan (1993 EIR) and in 2000, the City Council certified a Supplemental Environment Impact Report for the 2000 El Camino Corridor Redevelopment Plan Amendment (2000 SEIR), which analyzed the environmental impacts of developing the Project Site with a mix of residential, retail, and office uses; and, WHEREAS, in certifying the 2000 SEIR, the City Council adopted a Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (MMRP), imposing mitigation measures designed to minimize impacts of the Redevelopment Plan Amendment to levels of less-than-significance, and adopted a Statement of Overriding Considerations for those impacts that would remain significant and unavoidable; and, WHEREAS, for the reasons stated in this Resolution, the proposed Project, while slightly different than the development analyzed in the 2000 SEIR, would not result in any of the conditions described in CEQA Guidelines Section 15162, requiring preparation of a subsequent EIR, and therefore, in accordance with CEQA, the City prepared an Addendum to the 2000 SEIR to address the changes and explain why a subsequent EIR is not required; and, WHEREAS, on December 2, 2010, the Planning Commission for the City of South San Francisco held a lawfully noticed public hearing to consider the Addendum to the 2000 SEIR; and, WHEREAS, the Planning Commission has reviewed and carefully considered the information in the Addendum and the Final 2000 SEIR, and makes the findings contained in this Resolution, and recommends that the City Council adopt the Addendum, as an objective and accurate document that reflects the independent judgment and analysis of the City in the discussion of the Project’s environmental impacts. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that based on the entirety of the record before it, which includes without limitation, the California Environmental Quality Act, Public Resources Code §§ 21000, et seq. (“CEQA”) and the CEQA Guidelines, 14 California Code of Regulations § 15000, et seq.; the South San Francisco 1999 General Plan and General Plan Environmental Impact Report, including the 2001 updates to the General Plan and 2001 Supplemental Environmental Impact Report; the El Camino Corridor Redevelopment Plan, and the 1993 Environmental Impact Report, including all attachments and technical reports thereto; the 2000 El Camino Corridor Redevelopment Plan Amendment, and the 2000 Supplemental Environmental Impact Report, including all attachments and technical reports thereto; the Addendum to the 2000 SEIR prepared for the Project; all reports, minutes, and public testimony submitted as part of the Design Review Board meetings held on July 21, 2009 and May 18, 2010; all reports, minutes, and public testimony submitted as part of the Planning Commission’s meeting held on December 2, 2010; and any other evidence (within the meaning of Public Resources Code § 21080(e) and § 21082.2), the Planning Commission of the City of South San Francisco hereby finds as follows: 1. The foregoing recitals are true and correct and made a part of this Resolution. 2. The Addendum for the Project, attached as Exhibit A to this Resolution, the MMRP, attached as Exhibit B, and the Statement of Overriding Considerations, attached as Exhibit C, are each incorporated by reference as part of this Resolution, as if each were set forth fully herein. 3. The documents and other material constituting the record for these proceedings are located at the Planning Division for the City of South San Francisco, 315 Maple Avenue, South San Francisco, CA 94080, and in the custody of Chief Planner, Susy Kalkin. 4. The proposed Project is consistent with the City of South San Francisco General Plan because the land uses, development standards, densities and intensities, buildings and structures proposed are compatible with the goals, policies, and land use designations established in the General Plan (see Gov’t Code, § 65860), and none of the land uses, development standards, densities and intensities, buildings and structures will operate to conflict with or impede achievement of the any of the goals, policies, or land use designations established in the General Plan. 5. In accordance with CEQA, the Planning Commission has considered the Addendum to the 2000 SEIR for the Project, as well as the Final 2000 SEIR, and based on the entirety of the record, as described above, the Planning Commission, exercising its independent judgment and analysis, makes the following findings regarding the environmental analysis of the Project: a. Development of the Project Site with a mix of residential, retail, and office uses was analyzed in the 2000 SEIR; and the proposed Project would be developed with a mix of residential and retail uses that would not exceed the development density or intensity analyzed in the 2000 SEIR. b. Changes to the Project since certification of the 2000 SEIR are not substantial changes that require major revisions to the 2000 SEIR due to the involvement of new significant environmental effects or a substantial increase in the severity of previously identified significant effects because though the Project Site has been downsized, the Project would not exceed the development density or intensity assumptions of the 2000 SEIR. c. Changes to the circumstances under which the Project will be undertaken, since certification of the 2000 SEIR, are not substantial changes that require major revisions to the 2000 SEIR due to the involvement of new significant environmental effects or a substantial increase in the severity of previously identified significant effects because though the Project Site has been downsized, the Project would not exceed the development density or intensity assumptions of the 2000 SEIR. d. There is no new information of substantial importance that demonstrates the Project will have any significant effects not discussed in the 2000 SEIR, that significant effects discussed in the 2000 SEIR will be substantially more severe than shown in the 2000 SEIR, that mitigation measures or alternatives previously found not to be feasible would in fact be feasible and would substantially reduce any significant effects of the project, or that mitigation measures or alternatives that are considerably different from those analyzed in the 2000 SEIR would substantially reduce any significant effects of the Project. e. Mitigation measures adopted as part of the MMRP for the 2000 SEIR would also operate to avoid or minimize impacts of the proposed Project to levels of less-than- significance; accordingly, the MMRP, attached as Exhibit B, should be re-adopted for the proposed Project. f. The 2000 SEIR identified certain significant and unavoidable impacts of the Redevelopment Plan Amendment, for which the City Council adopted a Statement of Overriding Considerations in accordance with CEQA. To the extent any of those significant and unavoidable impacts would apply to the proposed Project, the City Council makes the findings described in Exhibit C and adopts the Statement of Overriding Considerations attached as Exhibit C. g. For the reasons stated in this Resolution, and in accordance with CEQA, the Addendum is sufficient to approve the Project, and a subsequent EIR is not required. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Planning Commission of the City of South San Francisco hereby makes the findings contained in this Resolution, and recommends that the City Council (i) adopt the Addendum attached as Exhibit A; (ii) adopt the MMRP attached as Exhibit B; and (iii) adopt the Statement of Overriding Considerations attached as Exhibit C. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this Resolution shall become effective immediately upon its passage and adoption. * * * * * * * I hereby certify that the foregoing resolution was adopted by the Planning Commission of the City of South San Francisco at the regular meeting held on the 2nd day of December, 2010 by the following vote: AYES: Commissioner Giusti, Commissioner Gupta, Commissioner Ochsenhirt, Commissioner Zemke and Chairperson Prouty NOES: None ABSTAIN: Vice Chairperson Bernardo ABSENT: Commissioner Moore ATTEST: Commission Secretary Susy Kalkin Exhibit A Addendum to 2000 SEIR Exhibit B MMRP Exhibit C Statement of Overriding Considerations STATEMENT OF OVERRIDING CONSIDERATIONS 1. General. Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15093, in development of a mixed-use project for the 1309 Mission property, as described in more detail below, pursuant to an Addendum to the 2000 Supplemental Environmental Impact Report for the 2000 El Camino Corridor Redevelopment Plan Amendment (“2000” SEIR), the City Council of the City of South San Francisco adopts this Statement of Overriding Considerations for those impacts identified as significant and unavoidable in the 2000 SEIR. (Resolution No. _______.) The City Council has carefully considered each impact in reaching its decision to approve the Project (as defined below). The proposed development consists of construction of a four-story mixed-use residential and commercial development, consisting of 20 residential condominiums above approximately 5,200 square feet of ground-floor commercial space and 35 on-site and six on-street parking spaces (“Project”) on an approximately 17,582 square foot (0.41 acre) site, which is currently vacant, located at the northwest corner of McLellan Drive and Mission Road (“Project Site”). Approval of the Project requires approval of Zoning Amendments, Use Permit, Design Review, Tentative Subdivision Map, and an Affordable Housing Agreement for the Project. Development of the Project Site was analyzed in the 2000 SEIR. Because the proposed Project included only minor changes to the development analyzed in the 2000 SEIR, none of which would require preparation of a subsequent EIR, an Addendum was prepared for the proposed Project, analyzing the changes and explaining why a subsequent EIR was not required under CEQA. The 2000 SEIR identified significant and unavoidable impacts of the 2000 El Camino Corridor Redevelopment Plan Amendment; therefore, prior to certifying the 2000 SEIR, the City Council adopted a Statement of Overriding Considerations, in accordance with CEQA. (Resolution No. 64-2000.) To the extent that any of those significant and unavoidable impacts continue to apply to the proposed Project, the City Council hereby adopts specific overriding considerations for the impacts listed below that are identified in the 2000 SEIR as significant and unavoidable. The City Council believes, as it did at the time it certified the 2000 SEIR, that all of the unavoidable environmental effects identified in the 2000 SEIR will be substantially lessened by mitigation measures and policies adopted with the Plan Amendment. Even with these policies, however, the City Council recognized and continued to recognize that the implementation carries with it unavoidable adverse environmental effects as identified in the EIR. The City Council specifically finds that to the extent the identified adverse or potentially adverse impacts have not been mitigated to acceptable levels, there are specific economic, social, environmental, land use, and other considerations that support approval of the Amendment. 2. Unavoidable Significant Adverse Impacts. The following significant and unavoidable environmental impacts have been identified in the 2000 SEIR: IMPACTS TO TRANSPORTATION AND CIRCULATION: Under the Amended Redevelopment Plan significant level of service impacts would occur in the AM peak hour at Avalon Drive / I-280 Southbound Onramp, Evergreen Avenue/Hillside Boulevard intersection, and Chestnut Avenue/Commercial Avenue; and in the PM peak hour at Hickey Boulevard/Junipero Serra Boulevard, El Camino Real/Westborough Boulevard/Chestnut Avenue, Evergreen Avenue/Hillside Boulevard intersection, and Chestnut Avenue/Commercial Avenue. IMPACTS ON TRAFFIC SAFETY: The Plan Amendment would result in some pedestrian safety impacts as well as safety impacts related to excessive speeds along Evergreen Drive and the provision of driveways along Mission Road Oak Avenue and El Camino Real. CONSTRUCTION NOISE IMPACTS: The Amendment would result in short-term impacts related to construction noise. No new or increased impacts other than those studied in the 1993 EIR would occur under the Redevelopment Plan Amendment. NOISE IMPACTS: On-site noise levels along El Camino Real in the vicinity of proposed residential uses could exceed 65 dB(A) CNEL; this would be a significant impact. The impact was addressed by the 1993 EIR and no new or increased impacts would result from the Plan Amendment. Single-event aircraft flyovers could result in excessive noise levels at new residential uses within the Project Area. The impact would be significant but has been addressed by the 1993 EIR and no new or increased impacts would occur. Cumulative traffic would result in on-site noise impacts to future residential uses along El Camino Real. This cumulative impact would be significant but has been addressed by the 1993 EIR and no new or increased impacts would occur. IMPACTS ON REGIONAL AIR QUALITY: The proposed Redevelopment Plan Amendment would contribute toward an increase in VMT that is greater than the increase in population and would not be consistent with the 1997 Clean Air Plan. The Plan Amendment would potentially result in additional emissions. FURTHER IMPACTS ON AIR QUALITY: Fugitive dust generated by construction and demolition activities under the proposed Redevelopment Plan Amendment could result in health and nuisance-type impacts in the immediate vicinity of individual construction sites. IMPACTS ON CULTURAL RESOURCES: Updated studies have indicated that archaeological resources could be present on the California Water Service Company and Chestnut Creek sites. There is a proposed senior housing project and a fire station planned for those sites that may impact these resources. 3. Overriding Considerations. The City Council now balances the unavoidable impacts that apply to the proposed Project, against its benefits, and hereby determines that such unavoidable impacts are outweighed by the benefits of the Project, for the reasons set forth below. The following specific economic, legal, social, technological, land use, and other considerations support approval of the Project: A. The Project will further implement the City’s vision of El Camino Real as an urban, pedestrian-friendly, transit-oriented corridor for residents to live, work, shop, and play, consistent with the City's support of the Grand Boulevard Initiative which encourages compact mixed-use development and high-quality urban design along El Camino Real. B. The Project will make use of a currently vacant and underutilized parcel. C. The Project will provide additional affordable housing for the community. D. The Project will generate additional tax dollars for the City.