AgdaPkt 2016-04-25 Closed and Joint SA PFA

Browse Search

7.B. - Page 2 On September 3, 2013, staff introduced the project to the Planning Commission as an informational item, and no action was taken at that meeting. In accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines, the City prepared an Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration (IS/MND) to evaluate the project's potential environmental effects. On October 15, 2013, staff presented the project and the IS/MND to the Planning Commission. The Planning Commission adopted Resolution No. 13-24 recommending that City Council adopt the IS/MND, adopt the Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Plan (MMRP), and approve the project design. Though both the Undercrossing Project and the Bair Island Road Storm Drain Pump Station Project (Pump Station Project) were evaluated under the same CEQA analysis in the IS/MND, the City moved forward with the Pump Station Project independent of the Undercrossing Project under a CEQA exemption. ANALYSIS An existing undeveloped narrow foot trail crosses under U.S. Highway 101 at Redwood Creek. Pedestrians currently use this trail on foot, in spite of the insufficient headroom, access and lack of lighting. Photos are attached of the existing site conditions (Attachment 7). The project's improvements would provide a way to meet the connectivity objectives of the City's General Plan, Downtown Precise Plan, Peninsula Park Precise Plan, and the North Main Street Precise Plan. Parts of the Undercrossing Project would be physically located next to Redwood Creek, a channel that discharges a portion of the City's stormwater runoff into the Bay. The portion of Redwood Creek next to the Undercrossing is located within the 100-year floodplain. Due to the small amount of impervious area installed on the path, the project would not significantly impact the existing 100-year water surface elevation of Redwood Creek in the vicinity of the project. The Undercrossing Project will be designed to prevent flooding in periods of high flow. Although the path elevation itself will be located below the local base flood elevation of 10 ft. (all elevations are on the NAVD88 datum), the creek side wall will maintain a constant elevation of 10 ft. to help prevent flooding. However, due to the existing U.S. Highway 101 bridge elevation, portions of the path will drain into the path's low point located underneath the overpass. Those areas are designed to drain into the adjacent creek by passing into a 24" PVC storm drain pipe located underneath the pathway, but during normal tide events those drains will be closed by flap gates to prevent tidal inundation of the pathway. In rare cases, if flap gates operate improperly, or if the storm drain pipe storage is compromised by sediment or other debris, the path could flood and be unusable until the blockage is cleared and high tides have receded. In those cases, access gates would be closed on either end of the path to indicate that the path is temporarily closed to the public.