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24 CONCLUSION With regard to the issue of Aesthetics, the following findings can be made: (1) no peculiar impacts to the 1900 Broadway project component or its site have been identified, (2) there are no potentially significant effects or off-site and/or cumulative impacts which were not discussed by the EIR/SEIR, (3) no substantial new information has been identified which results in an impact which is more severe than anticipated by the EIR/SEIR, and (4) the shadow study confirmed the project component DTPP compliance. For these reasons, the aesthetic impacts of the proposed project component would be consistent with the impacts identified in the EIR/EIS and this project component does not require additional environmental review under CEQA Guidelines section 15183. 847 Woodside Road Component: a. Views in the city range from views of adjacent development to views of surrounding cities, San Francisco Bay, and the hills in the distance, such as the Santa Cruz Mountains. As stated in Chapter 4.1, Aesthetics, of the Focused GPU program EIR, the four most notable viewpoints for scenic vistas are in the elevated western hillsides – Easter Cross, Easter Bowl, Canada College, and Edgewood County Park. As with other viewpoints typical of an urban environment, views can often be partially obscured by buildings, trees, telephone and power lines, cell towers, or other structures. New development facilitated by the Focused GPU would result in taller and more dense development than currently exists at some locations, but this development would be consistent with the urban character of the City. As determined by the Focused GPU program EIR (pp. 4.1-8 and 4.1-9), General Plan Policy BE-8.1 requires development within the sensitive hillside areas of the City to minimize visual and environmental impacts. General Plan Policy BE-44.1 requires the City to collaborate with PG&E to maximize utility line undergrounding to reduce the visual impact of aboveground and overhead utilities, including electric lines. These and other General Plan goals and policies help protect views along major corridors like El Camino Real, Woodside Road, and Middlefield Road, to name a few, and would reduce impacts with respect to scenic vistas associated with future Focused GPU. The Focused GPU EIR therefore concluded that no scenic vistas or view corridors would be substantially obstructed or degraded by future more intensive and higher density uses because these views are already affected by the existing built environment and compliance with the General Plan would minimize impacts. The proposed project component is located on a major commercial and residential corridor in an urbanized area with a mix of residential and commercial uses and is not located in a designated scenic resource or view corridor. The 847 Woodside project component would not occur in an area designated as “Parkland” nor would it occur in the southern and western hillside areas where viewpoints of important scenic resources exist. The 847 Woodside project site does not contain any designated scenic resources. The project is consistent with residential land uses surrounding the site and does not adversely affect any designated scenic resources or view corridors, public open space, or historic resources. In addition, any scenic vistas visible from or near the site are already impacted by several large redwood trees currently on the site that vary in height between approximately 30 and 75 feet tall. While there are parapet walls and elevator and stair penthouses that extend past the roofline, these trees will be preserved in the redevelopment project and exceed the height of the proposed development by approximately up to 11 feet (tallest tree is approximately 75 feet, minus the proposed building height at the top of the stair parapet at 64 feet, equals 11 feet). Scenic vistas visible from or near the project site are also already impacted by surrounding multi-family residential. South of the project site is a four story multi-family residential building (875 Woodside Road) and another four to five story multi-family residential building (885 Woodside Road). The proposed project would not be substantially different in height compared to the existing multi-family residential buildings nearby. As explained in the Focused GPU program EIR (pp. 4.1-8 and 4.1-9), many views in the city are already affected by the existing built environment (e.g., the city is already largely built out) so even with the anticipated increase in intensive and higher density uses, such as the proposed residential building, visual impacts on scenic vistas would not be substantial. Project component aesthetic impacts related to scenic vistas would therefore be less-than-significant because the proposed development would be consistent with and not detract from existing views. For these reasons, the 847 Woodside project component would be consistent with the analysis in the Focused GPU EIR and would not create new impacts, increase impacts, and there is no new information of substantial importance for CEQA purposes. b. The Focused GPU program EIR (p. 4.1-9) concluded that because there are no officially designated scenic highways, or highway segments eligible for designation as scenic highways, within the city, there would be no direct impact on scenic highways. The project component site is located in the western part of the city; the closest scenic highway is I- 280, approximately 2.25 miles southwest of the project component site. In addition, impacts to scenic resources would not occur because development of the project component would not be inconsistent with State and local regulations ATTY/RESO.0074/CC RESO 847 WOODSIDE (CEQA) - EXHIBIT 1 - CEQA CONSISTENCY CHECKLIST REV: 10-23-24 VR Page 24 of 135