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8.A. - Page 3 environmental, and engineering-related issues. The City Council reaffirmed this policy in 2000.� (Attachment 1) As discussed below, the City of Redwood City prepared the EIR on August 24, 2010, in conformance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to determine, evaluate, and prepare mitigations (where applicable) for environmental impacts associated with the project. The EIR preparation is a public process whereby all environmental impacts associated with the project are identified, evaluated and disclosed to the public. The EIR is the planning document that describes the environmental impacts associated with the project. It must be prepared in accordance with CEQA before any decisions are made on the proposed project. Over the years, the City received numerous inquiries from individual land owners and/or developers wanting to construct single-family homes on the remaining vacant lots located in the project area (the western half of Laurel Way). However, until a few years ago, the entire group of property owners had not agreed to fund and prepare the comprehensive EIR and accompanying technical studies that have been required by the City Council. In July of 2007, the Laurel Way Joint Venture (LWJV), submitted an application for a Planned Development proposal and associated Environmental Review to construct 18 single-family homes on 20 lots. Prior to the filing of the application, owners of each of the lots provided the City with written authorization to include their lots in the EIR study area and to access their lots for the purpose of the EIR analysis. (However, as discussed further below, the City recently discovered that not all of the owners authorized LWJV to file the actual application itself.) A location map and conceptual site plan for the Laurel Way subdivision is enclosed. (Attachment 2) As part of the preparation of the EIR, the applicant commissioned several studies and reports in order to evaluate potential impacts, including geologic/geotechnical studies, hydrologic storm drainage analysis, traffic studies, and analysis of biological impacts. Each of these studies was independently peer reviewed by the City's consultants. These reports have formed the basis for the analysis and resulting mitigations, which would ensure that impacts found to be potentially significant could be reduced to a less- than-significant level. Copies of all of these documents are on file with the Planning Division, and attached as appendices to the EIR. Preparation and certification of an EIR does not constitute an entitlement, but is rather a representation by the City that it has complied with the CEQA process and adopted the analysis, findings, and conclusions of the environmental document. Once the EIR is ' This policy does not restrict additions or modifications to existing homes on Laurel Way. It only pertains to remaining vacant lots in a defined area on Laurel Way. Z There are a total of 20 vacant parcels within the EIR project area. However, three of the parcels are proposed to be merged and subdivided into two parcels (Lots #5 and #6), and one of the parcels (Lot 6) contains a drainage swale that is proposed to be dedicated as open space. Under the project as analyzed in the EIR, the remaining 18 parcels are proposed to be developed with single family residences. Staff understands that the revised application, when filed, will leave out two or three of the parcels, as discussed further below.