ATTACHMENT 1 ZAB 01-26-17 Page 1 of 7 Planning and Development Department Land Use Planning Division NOTICE OF PREPARATION (NOP) OF A DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT AND SCOPING SESSION FOR THE PROPOSED 2190 SHATTUCK AVENUE MIXED-USE PROJECT The City of Berkeley is preparing a Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the project identified below, pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15183.3 (“Streamlining for Infill Projects”). An Infill Environmental Checklist is also being prepared and will be released with the Draft EIR. Project plans and other information are available at the Zoning Counter in City of Berkeley Permit Service Center, Planning and Development Department, 1947 Center Street, 2nd Floor, Berkeley, California or online at: http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/Planning_and_Development/Zoning_Adjustment_Board/21 90_Shattuck.aspx The City of Berkeley, as the Lead Agency for the project, invites you to comment on the proposed scope of the Draft EIR. This notice is being sent to the State Clearinghouse, adjacent cities, the University of California, and other interested parties. Please direct comments on this NOP to: Leslie Mendez, Senior Planner, Planning and Development Department, c/o Permit Service Center, Berkeley, California 94704; or [email protected]. Comments on the NOP must be received on or before February 6, 2017. In addition, commen ts may be provided at the EIR Scoping Meeting (see below). Comments should focus on discussing possible impacts on the physical environment, ways in which potential adverse effects might be minimized, and alternatives to the project. EIR PUBLIC SCOPING: The City of Berkeley will conduct a public scoping session on January 26, 2017, as part of the regularly scheduled Zoning Adjustments Board hearing starting at 7:00 PM at 2134 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way, 2nd Floor Council Chambers, Berkeley, CA. ATTACHMENT 1 ZAB 01-26-17 Notice of Preparation Page 2 of 7 2190 Shattuck Avenue Mixed-Use Project January 5, 2017 PROJECT LOCATION: The project site, assessor’s parcel number (APN) 57-2026- 004-05, is located at 2190 Shattuck Avenue, on the northwest corner of Shattuck Avenue and Allston Way, in the Downtown area of the City of Berkeley. The site has frontage on Shattuck Avenue and Allston Way, and is adjacent to the southern edge of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Plaza associated with the Downtown Berkeley BART station. It is accessible by several bus lines operated by the Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit), including lines 6, 7, 12, 18, 25, 49, 51B, 52, 65, 67, 88, 800, 851, and F, along with shuttle buses serving the University of California, Berkeley (UCB) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). Local access is provided by Shattuck Avenue and Allston Way. Regional vehicular access is provided by Interstate 80 (I-80), California State Route 13 and California State Route 24. Figure 1 (attached) shows the project site’s immediate location and selected nearby features. EXISTING CONDITIONS: The project site is in a part of downtown Berkeley with high levels of pedestrian traffic and a mix of low-, mid-, and high-rise structures. The 19,967- square-foot (0.46-acre) project site is an irregularly shaped but generally rectangular property that faces Shattuck Avenue to the east and Allston Way to the south. A two- story, flat-roofed masonry building with a floor area of approximately 38,700 square feet covers the entire project site. The building is largely rectangular with a stucco-clad ground level and a brick-veneered second story. A Walgreens store currently occupies the building. The parcel slopes gently toward the west. PROJECT SPONSOR: PR III Shattuck LLC, 2190 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94704 PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The project would involve demolition of a two-story, approximately 38,700 square-foot retail and office building and construction of an 18- story, 211,590 square-foot mixed-use building. On the ground floor, the proposed building would have commercial retail space with a floor area of approximately 10,000 square feet, an adjacent community area, and a residential lobby. The retail space would front on the BART Plaza and wrap around to Allston Way. The applicant anticipates that Walgreens would return to the site after construction and occupy the ground-floor retail space. On the upper floors, the building would have 274 apartment units, ranging in size from studios to two-bedroom units. The upper floors would step back from Shattuck Avenue. Motor vehicle parking would be provided in a two-level underground garage with 103 parking spaces, including five car share spaces. One hundred (100) bicycle parking spaces would be provided, including 94 spaces for residents and six for commercial users, along with a bicycle repair shop on the ground floor. The project would include 21,924 square feet of residential open space on rooftop terraces and gardens and private balconies for residents, and 224 square feet of private 2 ATTACHMENT 1 ZAB 01-26-17 Notice of Preparation Page 3 of 7 2190 Shattuck Avenue Mixed-Use Project January 5, 2017 commercial open space at the retail entrance. Other improvements within and facing the public right-of-way may include seating and other pedestrian amenities at the BART Plaza, in coordination with planned BART improvements at that site; enhanced stone paving on the sidewalk, planted trees, and bike racks; and a Community Art Space adjacent to the building lobby. Figure 2 shows the proposed ground floor plan, and Figure 3 shows the proposed street elevations. REQUESTED APPROVALS: The proposed project is subject to approvals by the City of Berkeley’s Zoning Adjustments Board. The project would require the following discretionary entitlements from the City of Berkeley: • Demolition of the existing non-residential building, per Berkeley Municipal Code (BMC) Section 23C.08.050.A: Use Permit required to allow the demolition. • Mixed Use Development, per Section 23E.68.030 of the Zoning Ordinance: Use Permit required to establish a mixed-use development involving residential and retail commercial uses in one building. • Construction of New Floor Area, per BMC 23E.68.050 of the Zoning Ordinance: Use Permit required to construct more than 10,000 square feet of new floor area. • Building Height of 180 Feet, per BMC 23E.68.070.B: Use Permit required to allow a maximum building height of 180 feet. • Building Width, per BMC 23E.68.070.C: Use Permit to allow portion of the building exceeding 120 feet in height to be greater than 120 feet in width when measured at the widest point on the diagonal in plan view. • Architectural Projections Over Height Limit, per BMC 23E.04.020.C: Administrative Use Permit to allow architectural projections (e.g., mechanical penthouses) to exceed the maximum height of 180 feet. STREAMLINED CEQA PROCESSING FOR INFILL PROJECTS: The City’s preliminary review indicates that the project may qualify for streamlined review under CEQA Guidelines Section 15183.3, due to its potential conformance with the eligibility requirements of CEQA guidelines section 15183.3. The purpose of Guidelines section 15183.3 is to allow lead agencies to limit the topics subject to CEQA review at the project level “where the effects of infill development have been addressed in a planning level decision or by uniformly applicable development policies.” The primary planning level decision is the adopted Downtown Area Plan, and the referenced environmental documentation is the 2009 Downtown Area Plan EIR. POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS: Based on site-specific characteristics and City standard conditions of approval, and because it would be located on an infill site in a transit priority area, the project is not anticipated to have significant impacts related to the CEQA issue topics listed below. It is anticipated that these issue topics will only be 3 ATTACHMENT 1 ZAB 01-26-17 Notice of Preparation Page 4 of 7 2190 Shattuck Avenue Mixed-Use Project January 5, 2017 analyzed in an Infill Environmental Checklist, which will be included as an appendix to the Draft EIR. • Agriculture and Forest Resources • Biological Resources • Greenhouse Gas Emissions • Hazards and Hazardous Materials • Hydrology and Water Quality • Land Use and Planning • Mineral Resources • Population and Housing • Public Services • Recreation It is anticipated that the following topics will be analyzed in the Draft Environmental Impact Report. • Aesthetics • Air Quality • Cultural Resources • Geology and Soils • Noise • Transportation/Traffic • Utilities and Service Systems However, the Infill Environmental Checklist analysis will confirm which topics ultimately require study in the Draft EIR. The Draft EIR will also examine a reasonable range of alternatives to the project, including the CEQA-mandated No Project Alternative and other potential alternatives that may be capable of reducing or avoiding potential environmental effects. Leslie Mendez, Senior Planner Date of Distribution: January 5, 2017 Attachments: Figure 1: Project Location Map Figure 2: Proposed Ground Floor Plan Figure 3: Proposed Street Elevations 4 ATTACHMENT 1 ZAB 01-26-17 Notice of Preparation 2190 Shattuck Avenue Mixed-Use Project Page 5 of 7 Milvia St Hearst Ave S h a t t u Walnut St c k A v Berkeley Way e University of California University Ave Shattuck Sq Berkeley Campus S h a University Ave t t u c Oxford St k S q Addison St Berkeley Sq Sq Berkeley B e r k e l e y S q Berkeley City College Center St &3 &3 Downtown Berkeley BART Station &3 Allston Way YMCA &3 &3 Shattuck Hotel &3 US Post Office F Berkeley High School u l t o Kittredge St n S t Bancroft Way Shattuck Ave Bancroft Way Milvia St Durant Ave Channing Way Haste St Project Site 0 150 300 Feet ± Imagery ©2016 , DigitalGlobe, U.S. Geological Survey Imagery provided by Google and its licensors © 2016.