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8.A. - Page 40 <br /> Section 1: Purpose and Authority of Initial Study <br /> Section 1: Purpose and Authority of In Study <br /> 1.1 - PURPOSE AND AUTHORITY <br /> The purpose of this Initial Study is to identify and assess the significance of the environmental impacts that <br /> could result from any potential future physical change in the environment due to the adoption and <br /> implementation of the City of Redwood City General Plan 2015 -2023 Housing Element. <br /> This Initial Study has been prepared in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) <br /> Statutes and Guidelines and the City of Redwood City's local rules and regulations. The proposed project <br /> requires discretionary approval from the City of Redwood City and review by the California Department of <br /> Housing and Community Development (HCD). As the project initiator and because of the legislative <br /> approvals involved, the City is the Lead Agency with respect to this Initial Study pursuant to §15367 of the <br /> CEQA Guidelines. Specifically, this project requires City approval of a General Plan Amendment to adopt <br /> the proposed Housing Element. No other governmental agencies have discretionary permitting authority <br /> with respect to approval of the proposed project, and there are no Trustee Agencies, as defined in §21070 <br /> of the CEQA Statutes. <br /> Pursuant to §15074 of the CEQA Guidelines, prior to approving this project, the City is obligated to consider <br /> the findings of this Initial Study and to either adopt a Negative Declaration (ND), a Mitigated Negative <br /> Declaration (MND), or to determine that an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) is required. The findings of <br /> this Initial Study support adoption of a ND, as discussed in Section 4. This means that the long -term plan <br /> for the development of new housing and improvements to existing housing conditions pursuant to proposed <br /> Housing Element policies and programs will be less than significant. <br /> The environmental determination that is ultimately adopted or certified by the City is part of the discretionary <br /> review process with respect to evaluating the merits and disadvantages of the proposed Housing Element. <br /> The findings and determination of impact significance presented herein neither presuppose nor mandate <br /> any actions by the City concerning future decisions on the proposed Housing Element. <br /> 1.2 - CONTENTS <br /> This report has been prepared to comply with Section 15063 of the State CEQA Guidelines, which sets <br /> forth in the required contents of an Initial Study. These include: <br /> • A description of the project, including the location of the project (Section 2) <br /> • Identification of the environmental setting (Section 2.11) <br /> • Identification of environmental effects by use of a checklist, matrix, or other methods, provided that <br /> entries on the checklist or other form are briefly explained to indicate that there is some evidence to <br /> support the entries (Section 3) <br /> • Examination of whether the project is compatible with existing zoning, plans, and other applicable <br /> land use controls (Sections 2.6 and 2.7) <br /> • The name(s) of the person(s) who prepared or participated in the preparation of the Initial Study <br /> (Section 5.1) <br /> 1.3 - TIERING <br /> Section 15152 of the CEQA Guidelines describes "tiering" as a streamlining tool as follows: <br /> (a) "Tiering" refers to using the analysis of general matters contained in a broader EIR (such as one <br /> prepared for a general plan or policy statement) with later EIRs and negative declarations on narrower <br /> Redwood City Housing Element Initial Study 1 <br />