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7.B. - Page 6 <br /> 1. Traffic Analysis <br /> The Appellant claims there were "errors in approach, statistical analysis and arithmetic" <br /> in the 2007 EIR and relies upon a memorandum prepared by Robert L. Harrison in <br /> November 2007. <br /> The Robert Harrison memorandum was considered as part of the Final EIR for the 2007 <br /> project and the City certified the 2007 EIR, which withstood a legal challenge. To the <br /> extent the Appellant seeks to invalidate the decision based on the analysis of the 2007 <br /> EIR, this is extraneous to the expansion project. For purposes of this proposed Costco <br /> Gasoline Station Expansion Project, the City needs to determine only whether any of <br /> the grounds for additional environmental review exists; it does not need to recertify the <br /> 2007 EIR. The adequacy of the 2007 EIR is not relevant to the City's determination. A <br /> previous EIR is conclusively presumed to be valid if it has not been set aside by a court. <br /> (Laurel Heights Improvement Ass'n v. Regents of University of California (1993) 6 <br /> Cal.4th 1112, 1130.) This presumption precludes reopening the CEQA process on the <br /> previous 2007 EIR. <br /> During the City's review and consideration of the 2011 Costco Gasoline Station <br /> Expansion Project the same November 2007 memorandum was submitted and the <br /> City's environmental consultant responded to each issue during the October 16, 2012 <br /> Planning Commission public hearing (Attachment 7). <br /> This information was considered by the Planning Commission and it was determined <br /> that the City had and has sufficient information as documented in the 2007 EIR, <br /> Addendum No.1, Addendum No. 2, and in the administrative record; therefore no <br /> additional analysis was deemed necessary and the proposed gas station expansion <br /> project is not anticipated to generate any new significant impacts. <br /> 2. Gasoline Prices <br /> The Appellant objects to the fact that the Planning Commission's resolution did not <br /> include a condition of approval, which prohibits Costco from selling gasoline to the <br /> public below cost, in violation of the California Unfair Practices Act. Condition No. 36 of <br /> the Planning Commission Resolution approving the Use Permit (Attachment 3) states, <br /> "Applicant shall comply with all City, State and Federal regulations, applicable to the <br /> Project." Thus, the Applicant must comply with State regulations such as the California <br /> Unfair Practices Act, to the extent it is applicable. Furthermore, it is not within the City's <br /> purview to enforce the California Unfair Practices Act. Nevertheless, because of <br /> Condition No. 36, should it be determined by a court that Costco has engaged in unfair <br /> practices and therefore violated State law, such violation would implicate Condition No. <br /> 36 and the City would have the ability to revisit the Use Permit in accordance with <br /> Article 42 of the Zoning Ordinance. It should be noted that claims alone are not <br /> considered grounds for overturning the approval of the expanded gas station facility. <br />