Reso PC17-07 0032 PC Reso Approving CEQA - 860 Charter St

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LSA ASSOCIATES, INC. SEPTEMBER 2016 ROCKETSHIP REDWOOD CITY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PROJECT INITIAL STUDY/ MITIGATED NEGATIVE DECLARATION P:\RWC1401B Rocketship School\PRODUCTS\IS-MND\Public\Rocketship Public Review 09-29-16.docx (09/29/16) PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFT 101 waiting area would enable student loading/unloading operations to continue even while vehicles that have previously unloaded wait to for a sufficient gap in traffic to exit the site. During peak drop-off/pick-up periods, Rocketship staff would monitor the inbound and outbound driveways, and on-site loading area to ensure that vehicles do not turn left into and out of the school and obey safe loading practices. Therefore, any vehicle queues that may develop outside of the project site would be limited to eastbound Charter Street. School drop-off and pick-up operations and resulting queues were observed at Rocketship Mateo Sheedy Elementary on November 27, 2012, and Rocketship Si Se Puede Academy on December 4, 2012. The length of vehicle queues at the project site was estimated based on Hexagon’s observations at these existing Rocketship schools. The estimates take into account the projected enrollment (480 students) and the length of the student loading zone (202 feet total). It is estimated that 450 feet of queuing space would be needed for drop-off operations and 400 feet of queue storage would be needed for pick-up operations. Including the loading zone and queue storage space on site, available queue storage space would total 460 feet. Thus, during the peak period before and after school, drop- off and pick-up queues are anticipated to be contained within the project site and would not extend on to Charter Street. Therefore, this impact would be less than significant. In the event that queues do occasionally extend onto Charter Street, school staff would direct vehicles to circulate around the block until there is space available to queue on site. If excess queues occur on site on a continual basis, the project sponsor would work with City and County staff to identify possible changes in drop-off and/or pick-up procedures. These procedures would further ensure that drop-off and pick-operations would not create safety hazards on surrounding public roadways. In addition, the TDM Program (see Appendix F), which is proposed by the project sponsor and required by C/CAG (see Section XVI.b), would be expected to reduce the vehicle trips and parking demand generated by the proposed project; thereby reducing the length of queue storage needed for drop-off and pick-up operations. With a successful implementation of the proposed carpooling and off-site parking programs, vehicle queues would be further reduced, further ensuring that this impact would be less than significant. e) Result in inadequate emergency access? (Less-Than-Significant Impact) The Traffic Study includes a site analysis for access and circulation for emergency vehicles and trucks. The analysis concluded that SU-30 trucks, representing medium-size emergency vehicles and delivery trucks would be able to access, circulate, and exit both the western parking lot and the main loading area without encroaching upon opposing lanes; WB-40 trucks, representing the large fire trucks and semi-trailer trucks, would be able to access both the western parking lot and the main loading area, but they would encroach onto the opposing lane. However, the number of large fire trucks and semi-trailer trucks needing to access the site is expected to be minimal, and this encroach- ment would not be expected to adversely affect traffic conditions. Should this occur, school staff would be positioned to stop traffic on the site to allow safe access of these large vehicles. Because the western parking lot is a dead-end at the southern end, all large vehicles entering the lot would be required to back out of the driveway; however, this existing condition provides for adequate turning distance for regular vehicles. As the current access at the rear of the building is existing and is not being extended or constricted, the proposed project would not result in inadequate emergency access and this impact would be less than significant. ATTY/RESO.0032/PC RESO APPROVING CEQA - 860 CHARTER ST. EXHIBIT A REV: 06-15-17 PR Page 109 of 124