Reso 23-09 PC Reso 0034 Reso Recommending CEQA Approval - 505 E. Bayshore

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ATTY/RESO.0034/PC RESO RECOMMENDING CEQA APPROVAL – 505 E. BAYSHORE – EXHIBIT A REV: 05-12-23 JB Page 29 of 30 commercial development on the property. The alternative project could potentially be similar in scale to or larger than the proposed development, as allowed under the General Plan. To the extent more intense development were to be proposed beyond what is currently pending with the subject project application, construction and operational effects could be increased. Additionally, this alternative would not provide affordable housing to the City; therefore, the City Council hereby finds that the No Project – Existing Plans and Policies Alternative is not feasible. Findings Relating to Design Alternative – Removal of Cantilevered Portions of Public Trail As described in Section 3.4 Biological Resources, portions of the trail would be cantilevered to overhang 0.04 acre (or roughly 1,742 square feet) of muted tidal marsh habitat. Although these portions of the trail would not result in direct impacts to the habitat from grading or construction activities, shading from the cantilevered structures would result in long-term degradation of this habitat, which provides potential foraging habitat for salt marsh harvest mice and salt marsh wandering shrews. This habitat is of low quality due to its small size and isolation from higher quality marsh habitats to the north, but it is possible that individual salt marsh harvest mice and salt marsh wandering shrews occur here. Due to the rarity of the salt marsh harvest mouse and salt marsh wandering shrew, project impacts to their habitat would be considered significant, even though the existing habitat is of low quality. Eliminating the cantilevers structures would avoid the impact to muted tidal marsh habitat. It should be noted that this impact would be reduced to a less than significant level under the currently proposed project with implementation of mitigation measures (MM BIO-5.1). This alternative would still meet all project objectives but would reduce passive recreational opportunities for users of the trail by eliminating areas for resting, gathering, and viewing the San Francisco Bay. Additionally, removing the cantilevered portions of the trail may require a reduction to the width of the trail in some locations, which could result in inconsistencies with BCDC requirements for trail design; therefore, the City Council hereby finds that the Design Alternative – Removal of Cantilevered Portions of Public Trail is not feasible. Findings Relating to Reduced Scale Alternative The majority of the project’s impacts are a result of general development activity that would occur with nearly any project on the site, regardless of size (Impacts BIO-1 through BIO-4, Impact BIO-6, and Impacts HAZ-2 and HAZ-2). However, impacts related to VMT (Impact TRN-2) and construction air quality emissions (Impact AIR-1) could potentially be reduced by reducing the scale of the project. The City’s Transportation Analysis Manual identifies the screening threshold to result in a less than significant VMT impact for multi-family residential projects as roughly 20 units. Reducing the scale of the project to 20 or fewer units, therefore, would place the project below the City’s screening threshold, avoiding the need to mitigate the project’s VMT impacts. It should be noted that this impact would be reduced to a less than significant level under the currently proposed project with implementation of mitigation measures (MM TRN-2.1). Implementation of Reduced Scale Alternative would avoid the need for mitigation for project-related VMT impacts and may avoid impacts to muted tidal marsh by allowing for a redesign of the proposed public trail. However, this alternative would still be required to implement mitigation measures for all other identified impacts on the site. This alternative would meet most of the project objectives, albeit to a lesser degree than the proposed