AgdaPkt 2017-05-22 Joint SA PFA - Laserfiche WebLink

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Page 20 of 27 The City followed these sets of provisions. In addition to an Environmental Assessment being conducted, the City prepared a written checklist (i.e., the Initial Study) to evaluate the site-specific Project in light of the DTPP EIR. The City analyzed whether the Project would create new significant impacts or substantial increases in the severity of previously identified significant impacts, or whether a new mitigation measure or alternative would substantially reduce significant effects. No such impacts were identified. Nor is any new mitigation measure or alternative required to substantially reduce any significant impact. Thus, an additional EIR is not required. Further, because the Project is consistent with the DTPP for which an EIR was prepared, and there are no significant impacts peculiar to this Project or the subject site, or any other circumstances that require an EIR, no further environmental review is/was required. Accordingly, the City’s environmental review process complies with CEQA, pursuant to sections 15168, 15162, 15163 and 15183 of the CEQA Guidelines. ii. The Project Will Not Create Traffic Impacts that Require a New or Supplemental EIR Appellant’s Contentions: The City cannot rely on the DTPP EIR as it relates to traffic because it is outdated and prepared before the consolidation of County Court services in the downtown; and, because only a portion of the approved projects have been completed to-date. (See Appeal pp. 6-7) City’s Response: As explained in detail below, further environmental review regarding traffic is not required, including because the potential traffic impacts of the 612 Jefferson Avenue Project are within the previously analyzed impacts of the DTPP, and there are no new significant impacts or substantial increases in the severity of any previously identified impacts. General Plan Traffic Projections The Redwood City General Plan was adopted on October 11, 2010. An Environmental Impact Report (EIR) was prepared for the General Plan that, among other things, considered existing traffic and circulation and modeled potential future traffic generation based on full build-out of the various land use designations throughout the City. For this analysis, the City developed a citywide travel demand model based on the C/CAG regional model, which includes land use and transportation network information for the region. The model forecasted morning and evening peak period traffic for all major roadways with the City. Recent economic growth in the Bay Area has contributed to a rise in traffic volumes on streets throughout the region and in Redwood City. Comparing traffic counts from the last three years with traffic volumes from the General Plan EIR shows that some segments have higher volumes than were projected in the EIR. In each instance where this occurred, the recently collected traffic volumes do not represent a new or more significant impact than was identified in the EIR. Table 3 below illustrates this using 8.A. - Page 20