Reso23-02 0009 PC Reso Adopt CEQA

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Findings and Statements Required by the California Environmental Quality Act Focused General Plan Update 17 Final Environmental Impact Report January 2023 implementation of these goals, policies, and implementation measures and the City’s development review process would ensure impacts to drainage patterns related to erosion and siltation from future development facilitated by the Project would be less than significant. City design standards for development are intended to result in no increase in offsite downstream runoff, typically achieved through runoff retention or detention onsite and/or low impact development/stormwater treatment features, which would ensure that the Project would have less than significant impacts related to increases in runoff. Therefore, impacts of future development facilitated by the Project on the existing drainage pattern of the Planning Area and related erosion or siltation, rate or amount of surface runoff, and polluted runoff would be less than significant. (Draft EIR, pp. 4.10-19 to 4.10-21) Impact HYD-4: The proposed Project would not result in flood hazard, tsunami, or seiche zones, risk release of pollutants due to project inundation. Portions of the Planning Area are mapped as Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA), including 100-year floodplains in Downtown Redwood City along and extending north and south from Highway 101 and in Redwood Shores in the northern portion of the Planning Area and a sizeable portion of the Planning Area mapped as flood hazard zones with 0.2% annual chance of inundation (500-year floodplains). The General Plan contains goals, policies, and programs intended to reduce flooding risks, and the City’s Municipal Code (Floodplain Management) includes methods and provisions intended to minimize public and private losses due to flood conditions. Continued implementation of adopted goals, policies, and implementation programs; compliance with the provisions of Chapter 41 of the Municipal Code; and implementation of the sea level rise-related policies and implementation measures included in the Project would minimize the impact of flooding hazards on existing and new development and result in a less than significant impact related to release of pollutants within the Planning Area due to flooding. A small portion of the Planning Area, including Bair Island, Greco Island, Maple Street, and the business centers off of Seaport Boulevard, is located within a Tsunami Hazard Area. These areas would be protected due to the extensive existing levee system and intervening natural features, such as wetlands, located along the Bay shoreline. Therefore, the likelihood of the Planning Area being inundated by a tsunami is low. This impact would be less than significant. Due to the Planning Area’s proximity to the San Francisco Bay, lands immediately adjacent to the San Francisco Bay, such as Bair, Bird, and Greco Islands, are at a higher risk of seiche. However, due to the distance from the San Francisco Bay shoreline and the buffer effect provided by islands, the severity of the seiche energy should be decreased upon reaching the developed portions of the Planning Area in the Bayfront area, representing a less than significant impact in regards to seiche inundation. In addition, implementation of adopted General Plan policies and implementation programs, adherence to the CBC, would minimize effects related to seiche on development facilitated by the Project. Therefore, based on the relatively low risk to the Planning Area of flooding, tsunami, and seiche, there is little potential for significant release of pollutants from these sources. This impact would be less than significant. (Draft EIR, pp. 4.10-21 to 4.10-23) Impact HYD-5: The proposed Project would not conflict with or obstruct implementation of a water quality control plan or sustainable groundwater management plan.