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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPC 2020-12PLANNING COMMISSION RESOLUTION NO, 2020-12 A RESOLUTION OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF DIAMOND BAR, CALIFORNIA, RECOMMENDING THE ADOPTION OF "VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED" THRESHOLDS OF SIGNIFICANCE FOR PURPOSES OF ANALYZING TRANSPORTATION IMPACTS UNDER THE CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT TO THE CITY COUNCIL. A. RECITALS 1. WHEREAS, on April 18, 1989, the City of Diamond Bar was established as a duly organized municipal corporation of the State of California. 2. WHEREAS, on July 25, 1995, the City of Diamond Bar adopted its General Plan incorporating all State mandated elements, and portions of the General Plan have been updated from time to time. 3. WHEREAS, on December 17, 2019, the City of Diamond Bar adopted its comprehensive update of the General Plan ("General Plan 2040"). 4. WHEREAS, the California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines ("CEQA Guidelines") encourage public agencies to develop and publish generally applicable "thresholds of significance" to be used in determining the significance of a project's environmental effects. 5. WHEREAS, CEQA Guidelines Section 15064.7(a) defines a threshold of significance as "an identifiable quantitative, qualitative or performance level of a particular environmental effect, noncompliance with which means the effect will normally be determined to be significant by the agency and compliance with which means the effect normally will be determined to be less than significant". 6. WHEREAS, CEQA Guidelines Section 15064.7(b) requires that thresholds of significance must be adopted by ordinance, resolution, rule, or regulations, developed through a public review process, and be supported by substantial evidence. 7. WHEREAS, pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15064.7(c), when adopting thresholds of significance, a public agency may consider thresholds of significance adopted or recommended by other public agencies provided that the decision of the agency is supported by substantial evidence. WHEREAS, Senate Bill 743, enacted in 2013 and codified in Public Resources Code Section 21099, required changes to the CEQA Guidelines regarding the criteria for determining the significance of transportation impacts of projects. 9. WHEREAS, in 2018, the Governor's Office of Planning and Research ("OPR") proposed, and the California Natural Resources Agency certified and adopted, new CEQA Guidelines Section 15064.3 that identifies vehicle miles traveled ("VMT") — meaning the amount and distance of automobile travel attributable to a project — as the most appropriate metric to evaluate a project's transportation impacts. 10. WHEREAS, as a result, automobile delay, as measured by "level of service" and other similar metrics, generally no longer constitutes a significant environmental effect under CEQA. 11. WHEREAS, CEQA Guidelines Section 15064.3 goes into effect on July 1, 2020, though public agencies may elect to be governed by this section immediately. 12. WHEREAS, the City of Diamond Bar, following a public review process consisting of staff presentations before the Planning Commission, wishes, to recommend adopting the VMT thresholds of significance for determining the significance of transportation impacts to the City Council. 13. WHEREAS, on May 26, 2020, at a regularly scheduled meeting, the Planning Commission reviewed and considered the City of Diamond Bar's proposed VMT thresholds of significance for determining the significance of transportation impacts and recommends adoption to the City Council, B. RESOLUTION NOW, THEREFORE, it is found, determined and resolved by the Planning Commission of the City of Diamond Bar as follows: 1. This Planning Commission hereby specifically finds that all of the facts set forth in the Recitals, Part A, of this Resolution are true and correct. 2. Based upon the facts and evidence presented during the Planning Commission meeting regarding the City's proposed VMT thresholds of significance for determining the significance of transportation impacts, including oral and documentary evidence provided by City staff, the Planning Commission hereby finds as follows: (a) The new CEQA VMT transportation impact thresholds are consistent with the City's General Plan 2040's numerous goals and policies adopted December 17, 2019, including, but not limited to, the following: (i) Land Use &Economic Development Element • Goals: LU-G-4, LU-G-9, LU-G-12, LU-G-13, LU-G-14, LU-G-19, LU-G-26, ED-G-2, ED-G-5 • Policies: LU-P-3, LU-P-4, LU-P-7, LU-P-14, LU-P45, LU-P-21, LU-P-26, LU-P-28, LU-P-29, LU-P-31, LU-P-32, LU-P-33, LU-P- 35, LU-P-41, LU-P-45, LU-P-49, LU-P-51, ED-P-9, ED-P-9 (ii) Community Character & Placemaking Element • Goals: CC-G-14, CC-G-17 • Policies: CC-P-23, CC-P-25, CC-P-26, CC-P-56, CC-P-58, CC- P-59, CC-P-64 2 Planning Commission Resolution No. 2020-12 (iii) Circulation Element Goals: CR-G-1, CR-G-2, CR-G-3, CR-G-8 • Policies: CR-P-3, CR-P-4, CR-P-5, CRP 7, CRP 12, CR-P-16, CR-P-24, CR-P-25, CR-P- 54 (iv) Resource Conservation Element • Goal: RC-G-14 • Policy: RC-P-35 (v) Community Health & Sustainability Element Goal: CHS-G-2 Policies: CHS-P-4, CHS-P-5, CHS-P-B, CHS-P-33 (b) The new CEQA VMT transportation thresholds has been assessed in accordance with the authority and criteria contained in the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the State CEQA Guidelines. The adoption of new local CEQA thresholds of significance for transportation impacts and the adoption of new Local Transportation Assessment Guidelines will not have a significant environmental impact and are exempt from the CEQA pursuant to Section 15308 of Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations because the two actions are undertaken by the City for the protection of the environment. The revised CEQA thresholds will be compliant with a State mandate (SB 743) and will be used in a regulatory process (CEQA process) that involves procedures for the protection of the environment. Accordingly, the City Council will consider the recommendation to find the Resolution exempt from the environmental review requirements of CEQA pursuant to Section 15308 of Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations. 3. Based on the findings and conclusions set forth above, this Resolution shall serve as the Planning Commission's report to the City Council recommending adoption of the VMT thresholds of significance as set forth in Exhibit A. The Planning Commission shall: (a) Certify as to the adoption of this Resolution; and (b) Forthwith transmit a certified copy of this Resolution to the City Council of the City of Diamond Bar. Planning Commission Resolution No. 2020-12 ADOPTED AND APPROVED THIS 26th DAY OF MAY, 2020, BY THE PLANNING COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF DIAMOND BAR. Ke6n Mok, Chairman I, Greg Gubman, Secretary of the Planning Commission of the City of Diamond Bar, do hereby certify that the foregoing Resolution was duly introduced, passed, and adopted, at a regular meeting of the Planning Commission held on the 26th day of May, 2020, by the following vote to wit: AYES: Commissioners: Barlas, Garg, Wolfe, VC/Rawlings, Chair/Mok NOES: Commissioners: None ABSENT: Commissioners: None ABSTAIN: Commissioners: None Greg Gubmariammuaawl o'c uw ATTEST: -an Greg Gubman, Secretary %W 4 Planning Commission Resolution No. 2020-12 City of Diamond Bar ExnlbitA VMT Baselines and Thresholds of Significance Consistent with State CEQA guidelines section 15064,33 the City of Diamond Bar has adopted the project baselines and thresholds of significance set forth in Table 1 to guide in determining when a project will have a significant transportation impact. Table 1 Project Type Baseline and Methodology Threshold Land Use Plan Total VMT per service population. A significant impact would Origin/Destination (OD) occur if the VMT' for the plan would exceed the current baseline VMT'. Land Use Origin/Destination (OD) per A significant impact would Project resident/employee. Determination occur if the VMT' for the (mixed -use with of applicable projects will be project would exceed 15% residential and determined by City staff on a case- below the applicable employment by -case basis. baseline VMT'. components and special generators) Land Use Origin/Destination (OD) per A significant impact would Project resident/employee, and Home- occur if the VMT' for the (residential only) Base VMT per population using project would exceed 15% Production/Attraction (PA) below the applicable baseline VMT'. Land Use Origin/Destination (OD) per A significant impact would Project resident/employee, and Home- occur if the VMT' for the (employment Base -Work VMT per Employee project would exceed 15% generators) using Production/Attraction (PA) below the applicable baseline VMT'. Retail Project Home -Base to Work VMT per A significant impact would Employee Production/Attraction occur if the VMT' for the (PA). Alternatively, the boundary project would exceed 15% method could be applied to below the applicable determine if the project results in a baseline VMT'. If net increases or a net decrease in boundary method is VMT in the selected boundary applied, impact would (typically within the City limits). occur if a net increase in Total VMT occurs. Transportation Total VMT per service population Project using the boundary method to determine if the project results in a net increase or a net decrease in VMT in the selected boundary (typically within the City limits). A significant impact would occur in there is a net ncrease in total VMT within the boundary. Note: 1. VMT to be reported as VMT per baseline indicated for that project type. 2. Baseline VMT is defined as the City of Diamond Bar VMT.