4.8 TRANSPORTATION AND TRAFFIC

A. INTRODUCTION

This section presents the traffic and circulation analysis conducted for the proposed Project. This section includes a description of the existing conditions, the regulatory framework that guides the decision‐ making process, thresholds for determining if the Project would result in a significant impact, the potential transportation and circulation impacts, mitigation measures where necessary to reduce the severity of potentially significant impacts, and the level of significance after mitigation. This information contained in this section is derived from the Transportation Impact Analysis CEQA Evaluation prepared by the City’s Department of Transportation and included in Appendix F of this DEIR.

B. ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING 1. Existing Street System

The existing street system in the study area consists of a regional highway system with major arterials, and a local street system including secondary arterials, collectors and local streets.

Foothill Freeway/State Route 210/Interstate 210 provides primary regional access to the area. The is a 12-lane limited access freeway that connects with in Redlands, Interstate 215 in San Bernardino, Interstate 15 in Rancho Cucamonga, State Route 57 in Glendora, Interstate 605 in Irwindale, State Route 134 in Pasadena, State Route 2 in Glendale, State Route 188 in and in Los Angeles.

Colorado Boulevard is an east–west principal arterial with two travel lanes in each direction. The City of Pasadena’s adopted street classification for this roadway is City Connector. The posted speed limit is 25 miles per hour in the business district. The approximate daily trips along Colorado in the Project vicinity is 17,598.1

Corson Street is a one-way eastbound minor arterial parallel to the south side of the Foothill Freeway and has two travel lanes and a Class II bike lane. It is classified as a multimodal corridor where several freeway on- and off-ramps are located. The City has classified this roadway as City Connector. The posted speed limit is 35 miles per hour. The approximate daily trips along Corson in the vicinity of the Project Site is 7,352.

1 References to daily trip counts comes from City of Pasadena Transportation Data Management System, http://pasadena.ms2soft.com.

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El Molino Avenue is a north–south roadway with one through travel lane provided in each direction. The City of Pasadena’s adopted street classification for this roadway is Neighborhood Connector. The approximate daily trips along El Molino in the vicinity of the Project Site is 8,322.

Los Robles Avenue is a north–south roadway that borders the Project Site to the west. Two through travel lanes are provided in each direction in the Project study area. Parking is prohibited along both sides of Los Robles Avenue adjacent to the Project Site. The street is classified as City Connector. The approximate daily trips along Los Robles adjacent to the Project Site is 19,451.

Maple Street is a one-way, westbound City Connector that runs parallel to the north side of the Foothill Freeway and has two through travel lanes. The posted speed limit is 35 miles per hour. The approximate daily trips along Maple in the vicinity of the Project Site is 9,166.

Oakland Avenue is a north–south, two-way local street that borders the Project Site on the east. Restricted parking is allowed on both sides of the street. This street is classified as an Access Street. The approximate daily trips along Oakland adjacent to the Project Site is 457.

Union Street is a one-way collector roadway that provided three travel lanes westbound with turning lanes at key intersections. The street is classified as City Connector. Restricted parking is generally allowed along many stretches of this roadway. The approximate daily trips along Union in the vicinity of the Project Site is 7,640.

Walnut Street is an east–west roadway featuring two through travel lanes in each direction. The street classification for this roadway is City Connector. The posted speed limit is 30 miles per hour. The approximate daily trips along Walnut in the proximity of the Project Site is 14,783.

2. Pedestrian, Transit, and Bicycle Access

The pedestrian circulation system in the City of Pasadena includes a network of sidewalks, crosswalks, signal technology, and mid-block traffic controls. All streets in the Project vicinity include sidewalks with crosswalks at signalized intersections.

Public transit services within the Project area are provided by LA Metro (Metro), Foothill Transit (FT), LA Department of Transportation (LADOT), and Pasadena Transit (PT). The location of transit stops near the Project Site are shown in the Table 4.8-1, Transit Service within ½ Mile of Project Site.

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Table 4.8-1 Transit Service within ½ Mile of Project Site

Stop Location Route Walking Distance from Project Site PT 40; Metro 264–267, Los Robles Avenue at Walnut Street 0.1 miles 686–687 Walnut Street at Garfield Avenue LADOT 549 0.2 miles PT 10; Metro 180–181, 256, Los Robles Avenue at Colorado Boulevard 0.3 miles 780; FT 187 Lake Avenue at I-210 Metro Gold Line 0.5 miles

Source: Los Robles Apartments Transportation Analysis, City of Pasadena Department of Transportation., February 2017; Metro Bus and Rail system map; Google Maps.

The City of Pasadena has approximately 18.6 miles of bike lanes (Class 2 facilities featuring striped one- way bike travel lanes) and 25.1 miles of bike routes (Class 3 facilities featuring shared roadway use denoted by signage).2 Bicycle facilities adjacent to the Project Site include a Class 2 along Corson Street and Class 3 on Los Robles Avenue.

C. REGULATORY FRAMEWORK 1. Senate Bill 743

The passage of Senate Bill (SB) 743 in 2013 ushered in a new era for the evaluation of traffic impacts under CEQA. The bill directs the Office of Planning and Research (OPR) to amend the CEQA Guidelines to replace existing approaches for studying transportation impacts under CEQA. These previously approaches focused on auto delay and congestion, typically measured using intersection level of service. In contrast SB 743 requires criteria for determining the significance of transportation impacts that promote the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, the development of multimodal transportation networks, and a diversity of land uses. In response, OPR published a document titled Updating Transportation Impacts Analysis in the CEQA Guidelines: Preliminary Discussion Draft of Updates to the CEQA Guidelines Implementing Senate Bill 743 (OPR 2014). These preliminary updates identify Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) as the primary metric for evaluating transportation impacts. OPR published a revised proposal concerning the updates to the CEQA Guidelines in January 2016 (OPR 2016). The revised proposal continues to identify VMT as the primary metric for evaluating transportation impacts.

2 Classification of bicycle facilities derived from California Streets and Highway Code Section 890.4.

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2. Congestion Management Program

The CMP is a state‐mandated program that requires every county to address urban congestion at a regional level. Statutory requirements of the CMP include monitoring LOS on the CMP Highway and Roadway network, measuring frequency and routing of public transit, implementing the Transportation Demand Management and Land Use Analysis Program, and helping local jurisdictions meet their responsibilities under the CMP. Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (METRO) adopted the most recent CMP in 2010. The countywide approach includes designating a highway network that includes all state highways and principal arterials within the County and monitoring traffic conditions on the designated transportation network; performance measures to evaluate current and future system performance; promotion of alternative transportation methods; analysis of the impact of land use decisions on the transportation network; and mitigation to reduce impacts on the network.

3. City of Pasadena General Plan

The Pasadena General Plan includes eight guiding principles, one of which is “Pasadena will be a city where people can circulate without cars.” The General Plan Mobility Element, updated in 2015, addresses all modes of travel and provides a guide for the continuing development of the transportation system to support planned growth. In addition, the Land Use Element, also updated in 2015, includes policies related to the nexus between land use policy and transportation.

a. Pasadena Transportation Impact Analysis Guidelines

In response to SB 743, the City of Pasadena adopted the Transportation Impact Analysis Current Practice and Guidelines (“TIA Guidelines”). The TIA Guidelines promote an “integrated and multimodal transportation system that provides choices and accessibility for everyone living and working in the City” through public transit services, parking strategies, bicycle facilities, and pedestrian components that are connected with the larger transportation system. The TIA Guidelines differentiate between analyses to be conducted pursuant to CEQA and analyses to be evaluated outside the CEQA process. For CEQA purposes, the TIA Guidelines identify performance measures that are closely aligned with the Mobility Element objectives and policies. These mobility performance measures assess the quality of vehicular travel, transit, biking, and walking in the City and serve as the City’s CEQA thresholds of significance for transportation. The City has adopted performance measures to support the Mobility Element’s main policy objectives and to implement SB 743. These measures relate to Vehicle Miles Traveled, Vehicle Trips, and bicycle, transit, and pedestrian accessibility, as shown in Table 4.8-2, Transportation System Performance Measures.

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Table 4.8-2 Transportation System Performance Measures

Metric Description Threshold Existing (%) VMT per Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) in the Any increase over existing Citywide 22.6 Capita City of Pasadena per service VMT per Capita population (population + jobs) VT per Vehicle Trips (VT) in the City of Any increase over existing Citywide VT 2.8 Capita Pasadena per service population per Capita (population + jobs) Proximity Percent of service population Any decrease in the percent of service 31.7 and Quality (population plus jobs) located within a population (population plus jobs) of Bicycle quarter mile of each of three bicycle located within a quarter mile of a Network facility types Level 1 or Level 2 Bike Facility Proximity Percent of service population Any decrease in the percent of service 66.6 and Quality (population plus jobs) located within a population (population plus jobs) of Transit quarter mile of each of three transit located within a quarter mile of a Network facility types Level 1 or Level 2 Transit Facility Pedestrian The Pedestrian Accessibility Score uses Any decrease from the existing 3.88 Accessibility the mix of destinations and a network Citywide Pedestrian Accessibility Score based walk-shed to evaluate walkability

D. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS 1. Thresholds of Significance

The Project is considered to have a significant impact on transportation and traffic if it would:

Threshold 4.8-1: Conflict with an applicable plan, ordinance or policy establishing measures of effectiveness for the performance of the circulation system, taking into account all modes of transportation including mass transit and non-motorized travel and relevant components of the circulation system, including but not limited to intersections, streets, highways and freeways, pedestrian and bicycle paths, and mass transit.

Threshold 4.8-2: Conflict with an applicable congestion management program, including, but not limited to level of service standards and travel demand measures, or other standards established by the county congestion management agency for designated roads or highways.

Threshold 4.8-3: Result in a change in air traffic patterns, including either an increase in traffic levels or a change in location that results in substantial safety risks.

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Threshold 4.8-4: Substantially increase hazards due to a design feature (e.g., sharp curves or dangerous intersections) or incompatible uses (e.g., farm equipment).

Threshold 4.8-5: Result in inadequate emergency access.

Threshold 4.8-6: Conflict with adopted policies, plans, or programs regarding public transit, bicycle, or pedestrian facilities, or otherwise decrease the performance or safety of such facilities.

2. Methodology

The City uses a travel demand forecasting (TDF) model to evaluate the impacts of a project. The TDF model uses TransCAD software to simulate traffic levels and travel patterns for the City of Pasadena. The program consists of input files that summarize the City’s land uses, street network, travel characteristics, and other key factors. Using this data, the model performs a series of calculations to determine the number of trips generated, the beginning and ending location of each trip, and the route taken by the trip.

Thresholds 4.8-1 and 4.8-6 relate to adopted policies and plans regarding performance of the circulation system and facilities that support it. The results of the TDF model provide Project-impact data to compare with the performance measures. In addition, the consistency with the relevant policies of the General plan is discussed.

Threshold 4.8-2 relates to the County Congestion Management Plan (CMP). The CMP requires study of:

• All CMP arterial monitoring intersections where the proposed project will add 50 or more trips during either the AM or PM weekday peak hours of adjacent street traffic • If CMP arterial segments are being analyzed rather than intersections, the study area must include all segments where the proposed project will add 50 or more peak hour trips. • Mainline freeway monitoring locations where the project will add 150 or more peak hour trips

Based on the estimated trip generation and the distribution modeled by the TDF, none of these criteria would be met. Therefore, impact analysis relative to the CMP was not conducted.

Thresholds 4.8-4 and 4.8-5 relate to design features and access. These aspects of the Project are described and discussed.

Based on the location and land use of the Project, Threshold 4.8-3 regarding air traffic patterns is not considered to be applicable.

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3. Project Impacts Threshold 4.8-1: Conflict with an applicable plan, ordinance or policy establishing measures of effectiveness for the performance of the circulation system, taking into account all modes of transportation including mass transit and non-motorized travel and relevant components of the circulation system, including but not limited to intersections, streets, highways and freeways, pedestrian and bicycle paths, and mass transit.

Threshold 4.8-6: Conflict with adopted policies, plans, or programs regarding public transit, bicycle, or pedestrian facilities, or otherwise decrease the performance or safety of such facilities.

General Plan Consistency

In general, projects with land uses that are consistent with the General Plan and complimentary to their surrounding land uses are expected to reduce the trip length associated with adjacent land uses and/or increase the service population access to pedestrians, bike, and transit facilities if the project is within a quarter mile of those facilities. The Land Use Element and Mobility Element of the General Plan include policies that encourage transit-oriented and pedestrian-oriented uses. The Project is supportive of these policies as it is located within a ¼ mile of multiple transit services.

VMT Per Capita

To determine VMT per Capita, the miles traveled for trips within the TDF model is summed then divided by the City’s total service population, defined as the population plus the number of jobs. Although VMT will increase with population growth, VMT per-capita can be maintained or reduced through land use policies that help Pasadena residents meet their daily needs within a short distance of home, thereby reducing trip lengths, and by encouraging development in areas with access to various modes of transportation other than auto.

The TDF model calculation results indicated that the Project’s incremental VMT per capita change is 10.2, which is less than the adopted performance metric of 22.6. Therefore, the Project does not cause a significant impact to VMT per capita.

VT Per Capita

Vehicle Trips (VT) sums the trips with origins and destination within the City of Pasadena, as generated by the TDF model. A regional VT is calculated by adding the VT associated with trips generated and attracted within City of Pasadena boundaries, and 50 percent of the VT associated with trips that either begin or end in the City, but have one trip end outside of the City. The City’s VT is then divided by the City’s total service population, defined as the population plus the number of jobs.

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As with VMT, VT itself will likely increase with the addition of new residents, but the City can reduce VT on a per-capita basis with land use policies that help Pasadena residents meet their daily needs within a short distance of home, reducing trip lengths, and by encouraging development in areas with access to various modes of transportation other than auto.

The TDF model indicated that Project related VT per capita change is 2.2, which is less than the adopted performance measure of 2.8. Thus, the Project would not cause a significant impact to VT per capita.

Proximity and Quality of the Bicycle Network

The Proximity and Quality of Bicycle Network provides a measure of the percent of the City’s service population within a quarter mile of bicycle facility types. The City can improve measures of Bike Facility Access by improving and expanding existing bike facilities and by encouraging residential and commercial development in areas with high quality bike facilities.

The Project would be located adjacent to a roadway, Corson Street, which features a Level 2 bicycle facility. Accordingly, the TDF model indicated that the Project would increase the service population within a quarter mile of bicycle facilities to 31.8 percent. As such, the Project does not cause a significant impact related to access to the bicycle network.

Proximity and Quality of Transit Network Analysis

The Proximity and Quality of Transit Network provides a measure of the percent of the City’s service population (population + jobs) within a quarter mile of transit facilities. The City can improve the measures of Transit Proximity and Quality by reducing headways on existing transit routes, by expanding transit routes to cover new areas, and by encouraging residential and commercial development to occur in areas with an already high-quality transit service.

The Project would be located within a quarter mile of multiple transit facilities. The TDF model indicated that the Project would increase service population percentage within a quarter mile of transit facilities to 66.7 percent. As such, the Project would not result in a significant impact related to access to the transit network.

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Pedestrian Accessibility Analysis

The proximity and quality of pedestrian environment provides a measure of the average walkability in the surrounding area. The Pedestrian Accessibility score is based on the number of land use types accessible to a resident within a 5-minute walk. Any decrease in the existing Pedestrian Accessibility score would indicate a significant impact. The TDF model indicated that the pedestrian accessibility score for the Project would be 3.88. Therefore, the Project would not result in a significant impact.

Threshold 4.8-4: Substantially increase hazards due to a design feature (e.g., sharp curves or dangerous intersections) or incompatible uses (e.g., farm equipment).

Implementation of the Project would not alter existing roadways or create unusual design features. Driveways and sidewalks would be designed to City standards. Impacts would be less than significant.

Threshold 4.8-5: Result in inadequate emergency access?

The proposed Project would replace existing residential structures with new residential structures. The number of curb cuts would be reduced. Emergency access to the Project Site and surrounding area would occur via existing roads adjacent to the Project Site and in the Project vicinity. No changes would be made to the rights of way. Impacts would be less than significant.

E. CUMULATIVE IMPACTS

The 2015 General Plan Draft EIR evaluated the potential transportation impacts of the build out of the City based on the land use projections contained in the General Plan (which included an updated Mobility Element). As the proposed Project is consistent with the site’s General Plan designation and zoning,3 the analysis of transportation impacts in the General Plan Draft EIR is representative of cumulative impacts including the Project. Based on CMP analysis, the General Plan EIR identified cumulative impacts at two westbound segments of the 210 freeway and the intersection of Pasadena Avenue at California Boulevard. One impacted segment is approximately 4 miles east of the Project at Rosemead Boulevard; the other is approximately 2 miles west of the Project at Washington Boulevard. These segments are projected to serve traffic volumes of 11,500 and 8,500 with capacities of 10,000 and 8,000 respectively. The impact to the I-210 at Rosemead would occur in the westbound (toward the Project Site) direction during the AM peak hours, whereas the impact to the I-210 at Washington would occur in the westbound (away from the Project Site) direction during the PM peak hours; as such neither segment is likely to include Project related trips as the directions are counter to the direction of peak trips associated with the Project. Furthermore, the Project would add less than 50 trips to the I-210 during peak hours. Therefore, the

3 In the General Plan Update, the site is designated as Medium-Residential, with a corresponding FAR of 2.25 FAR. The proposed Project would have a FAR of 2.25, which would be consistent with the General Plan Update land use designation.

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Project would not make a considerable contribution to the cumulative impacts at these freeway segments As such, the Project would not have significant cumulative impacts.

F. MITIGATION MEASURES

As Project impacts are less than significant, no mitigation measures are necessary.

G. LEVEL OF SIGNIFICANCE AFTER MITIGATION

Project-level and cumulative impacts of the Project would be less than significant.

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