AgdaPkt 2005-04-25 - Laserfiche WebLink

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/-ð- -4 Attachment 1 Environmental Review Issues The FEIR, project alternatives and recommended mitigation measures for the Project were reviewed and approved by the Planning Commission on January 18, 2005. An initial study had been prepared that indicated the proposed project might have a potentially significant effect on the environment. However, since the only potentially significant effect related to possible impacts to cultural resources and no other types of impacts, a focused EIR was prepared. The City Council has delegated to the Planning Commission the task of holding hearings and certifying EIR's. However, CEQA requires that the City Council, as the legislative body of the decision-making agency, review and make findings on the significant environmental effects identified in EIR's. The Resolution referenced in Recommendation Item 1 of this staff report (the "Findings Resolution") summarizes the impacts identified in the FEIR and makes findings for those impacts that are deemed to have significant effects. Two types of impacts are analyzed and the corresponding mitigation measures and recommendations have been described in the FEIR3: 1. Impacts caused by the demolition of the South Annex , 2. Potential impacts related to the Courthouse building reconstruction and Courthouse Plaza construction phase. \, - The Findings Resolution (Attachment 2 to the staff report) lists each of the environmental topics and impacts described in the FEIR. In some cases the FEIR has determined that the Project will have no environmental impact, and in these cases the Findings Resolution does not discuss them further. In some cases the FEIR has determined that the project will have a potential impact on the environment but with the application of mitigation measures and recommendations, the impact would be reduced to a less-than-significant level. The FEIR also identifies mitigations - relating to the pavilions and other elements that are part of the plaza design that may block views of the Courthouse -- which the Findings Resolution determines are infeasible and undesirable. Even though the height of the pavilions and number of trees has been reduced through the planning process, the impact is not reduced to a less-than-significant level because the pavilions and trees still block the side views towards the Courthouse. The City has considered several designs, including Alternative #2 from the FEIR where the side views of the Courthouse were not obstructed by 3 Found on pages 33-35 of the FEIR 4