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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAppendix A_NOP and CommentsAppendix A Notice of Preparation and Comments 
 1  NOTICE OF PREPARATION OF AN EIR FOR THE PROPOSED 751 GATEWAY BOULEVARD PROJECT To: Agencies, Organizations, and Interested Parties From: City of South San Francisco, Economic and Community Development Department Subject: Notice of Preparation (NOP) of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) in Compliance with Title 14, Sections 15082(a), 15103, and 15375 of the California Code of Regulations (CCR). The City of South San Francisco (City) is the Lead Agency under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) for the proposed project identified below. The City will prepare an EIR for the proposed project identified below: Project Title: 751 Gateway Boulevard Project. The project location and a summary of the project description are included below and on the following page. Current Environmental Review: To ensure that the proposed project is fully analyzed under CEQA, an EIR will be prepared in compliance with Title 14, Section 15161 of the CCR. An Initial Study has not been prepared. The EIR will address all environmental topic areas. Agency/Public Comments: The City requests your comments regarding the scope and content of the environmental review to be conducted for the proposed project. Due to the time limits mandated by State law, your response must be sent at the earliest possible date but not later than 30 days after receipt of this notice. The City will accept written comments on this NOP between January 21, 2020 and February 20, 2020. Please send your comments by email to [email protected] or by mail to: City of South San Francisco, Department of Economic and Community Development, 315 Maple Street, South San Francisco, CA 94080, Attention: Adena Friedman, Senior Planner. Scoping Meeting: The Lead Agency will conduct a scoping meeting on January 30, 2020, beginning at 3:00 PM, in the Annex Conference Room, 315 Maple Avenue, South San Francisco, California, at which agencies, organizations, and the public will have an opportunity to submit verbal comment. Please note that verbal comments are limited to three minutes per speaker. EIR Process: Following the close of the NOP comment period, a Draft EIR will be prepared that will consider all environmental topic areas in Appendix G of the CEQA Guidelines and take into consideration NOP comments. In accordance with Title 14, Section 15105(a) of the CCR, the Draft EIR will be released for public review and comment for the required 45-day review period. Following the close of the 45-day public review period, the City will prepare a Final EIR that will include responses to all substantive comments received on the Draft EIR. The Draft EIR and Final EIR will be considered by the Planning Commission in making the decision to certify the EIR and to approve or deny the project. Project Location & Existing Conditions: The project site is part of the City’s “Gateway Specific Plan” planning area, which is bounded by Oyster Point Boulevard to the north, Eccles Avenue to the east, East Grand Avenue to the south, and the Caltrain right-of-way to the west. The 7.4-acre project site (Assessor’s Parcel Numbers 015-024-290 and 015-024-360) consists of a 6-story, approximately 176,000-square foot office building at 701 Gateway Boulevard and a surface parking lot containing approximately 564 parking spaces. The project site is located in the Gateway Campus and is bounded by a commercial and office building (901 Gateway Boulevard) and a surface parking lot to the north, Gateway Boulevard to the east, a surface parking lot to the south, and commercial and office buildings to the west (Figure 1). The proposed project would be constructed on the site of an existing surface parking lot. 2  Project Description: The proposed project would maintain the existing zoning designation of Zone IV under the Gateway Specific Plan District. The existing zoning allows for development at a floor area ratio (FAR) of 1.25 or maximum of 400,578 square feet within the project site. The existing building at 701 Gateway Boulevard includes a total square footage of approximately 176,000 square feet. Based on the zoning, there are 227,082 square feet of unrealized FAR associated with the 701 Gateway Boulevard portion of the project site. The proposed project would use a portion of the unrealized FAR associated with 701 Gateway Boulevard, and the proposed FAR for the site, including the proposed building at 751 Gateway Boulevard, would be 1.20. The proposed project would construct a new 148-foot-tall, 7- story building with approximately 208,800 square feet of lab and office uses on the existing surface parking lot. The existing office building at 701 Gateway Boulevard would be retained. The ground floor of the proposed building would include a “through lobby” with access from the north and south; the lobby would include an amenity space. An entry plaza and landscaped visitor lot would be constructed north of the proposed building. An entrance and screened service yard would be constructed south of the proposed building. The proposed project would improve pedestrian connections between the nearby Gateway Campus buildings at 701, 901, 951 and 801 Gateway Boulevard by creating a pedestrian hub. The proposed project would also include surface parking lots with a total of 418 parking spaces (including 46 parking spaces in a lot north of the proposed building) that would be used by other buildings within the Gateway Campus. Construction of the proposed project would begin in 2020 and occur over approximately 18 months, with anticipated completion in 2021. It is anticipated that the first stage of construction would consist of demolition activities, utility work, and other site preparation. Probable Environmental Impacts: Each of the following CEQA environmental issue areas will be addressed in the EIR: Aesthetics, Agriculture and Forestry Resources, Air Quality, Biological Resources, Cultural Resources, Energy Resources, Geology and Soils, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Hazards and Hazardous Materials, Hydrology and Water Quality, Land Use and Planning, Mineral Resources, Noise and Vibration, Population and Housing, Public Services, Recreation, Tribal Cultural Resources, Utilities and Service Systems, Transportation and Traffic, and Wildfire. There is reasonable potential that the project may result in environmental effects related to regional Air Quality, Noise, and Transportation and Traffic; thus, it is anticipated that these topics will be discussed in detail in the EIR. Date: January 14, 2020 Adena Friedman, Senior Planner Telephone: (650) 877-8535 Email: [email protected]