Hilltop Speculative School IS-MND

HILLTOP SPECULATIVE SCHOOL Initial Study Prepared for July 2014 City of Richmond 450 Civic Center Plaza, 2nd Floor Richmond, California 94804 Contact: Kieron Slaughter, Associate Planner 110 LINDEN STREET | OAKLAND, CA | 94607 5 1 0 . 8 3 6 . 6 5 9 4 | s t u d i o b o n d y . c o m SPEC SCHOOL PROJECT NO:: 1309.00 3000-3050 HILLTOP MALL ROAD RICHMOND, CA | 94806 STRUCTURAL ENGINEER STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS INC. 4970 EL CAMINO REAL, SUITE 100 LOS ALTOS, CA 94022 CONTACT: WILLIAM TOY 650.810.2937 P 650.938.5538 F E-MAIL: [email protected] CIVIL ENGINEER SANDIS 636 9TH STREET OAKLAND, CA 94607 CONTACT: MICHAEL KUYKENDALL 510.873.8866 P 510.873.8868 F Shane Drive E-MAIL: [email protected] LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT WILSON & ASSOCIATES LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE 815 SAN DIEGO ROAD BERKELEY, CA 94707 CONTACT: CHARLES WILSON 510.644.9602 P 510.644.9604 F E-MAIL: [email protected] ACOUSTICAL ENGINEER ACOUSTIC ARTS AND ENGINEERING 2271 ROOSEVELT AVENUE, SUITE B BERKELEY, CA 94703 CONTACT: TIM SCHMIDT 510.845.2661 P E-MAIL: [email protected] SUSTAINABILITY CONSULTANT [i3] INTEGRAL IMPACT INC. 1566 HAMPSHIRE STREET SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110 CONTACT: PRUDENCE FERREIRA 415.693.4302 P E-MAIL: [email protected] Hilltop Mall Drive 2' 4' 10' 20' N.T.S. 3D RENDERINGS HILLTOP SPECULATIVE SCHOOL Initial Study Prepared for July 2014 City of Richmond 450 Civic Center Plaza, 2nd Floor Richmond, California 94804 Contact: Kieron Slaughter, Associate Planner 550 Kearny Street Suite 800 San Francisco, CA 94108 415.896.5900 www.esassoc.com Los Angeles Oakland Orlando Palm Springs Petaluma Portland Sacramento San Diego Santa Cruz Seattle Tampa Woodland Hills 130984 TABLE OF CONTENTS Hilltop Speculative School Initial Study Page Environmental Checklist S-1 Summary Information S-1 Environmental Factors Potentially Affected S-2 1. Project Description 1-1 1.1 Project Overview 1-1 1.2 Project Site and Vicinity 1-1 1.3 Existing General Plan and Zoning 1-7 1.4 Project Characteristics 1-7 1.5 Project Approvals 1-13 2. Environmental Checklist 2-1 2.1 Aesthetics 2-1 2.2 Agricultural and Forest Resources 2-4 2.3 Air Quality 2-6 2.4 Biological Resources 2-17 2.5 Cultural Resources 2-23 2.6 Geology, Soils, and Seismicity 2-28 2.7 Greenhouse Gas Emissions 2-35 2.8 Hazards and Hazardous Materials 2-39 2.9 Hydrology and Water Quality 2-43 2.10 Land Use and Land Use Planning 2-49 2.11 Mineral Resources 2-50 2.12 Noise 2-51 2.13 Population and Housing 2-56 2.14 Public Services 2-57 2.15 Recreation 2-59 2.16 Transportation and Traffic 2-60 2.17 Utilities and Service Systems 2-80 2.18 Mandatory Findings of Significance 2-84 3. Report Preparers 3-1 3.1 Environmental Consultants 3-1 Hilltop Speculative School i ESA / 130984 Initial Study July 1, 2014 Table of Contents Page Appendices A. Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Detail A-1 B. Special-Status Species Potentially Occurring in the Project Area B-1 C. Transportation Impact Study B-1 List of Tables AIR-1 Criteria Air Pollutant Significance Thresholds for Construction 2-7 AIR-2 Average Daily Construction-Related Pollutant Emissions without Mitigation 2-11 AIR-3 Unmitigated Operational Criteria Pollutant Emissions 2-13 AIR-4 Health Impacts from Existing Sources for New School Receptors 2-15 GHG-1 Estimated Construction-Related GHG Emissions 2-36 GHG-2 Unmitigated Project Increment Operational GHG Emissions 2-37 NOI-1 Maximum Noise Level in DBA 2-52 NOI-2 Traffic Noise Increases In The Project Area 2-54 TRA-1 Pedestrian Intersection Volumes 2-62 TRA-2 Bicyclist Intersection Volumes 2-63 TRA-3 Collisions by Party Category (Five Years between July 1, 2007 and June 30, 2012) 2-64 TRA-4 General Level of Service Definitions 2-67 TRA-5 Intersection Level of Service Definitions 2-68 TRA-6 Intersection Level of Service – Existing Conditions 2-68 TRA-7 Trip Generation 2-70 TRA-8 Intersection Level of Service – Existing Plus Project Conditions 2-71 TRA-9 Intersection Level of Service – Cumulative AM Peak Hour Conditions 2-72 TRA-10 Off-Street Parking– City Zoning Code Requirements 2-78 List of Figures 1-1 Site Location Map 1-2 1-2 Existing Site Conditions Looking East from Shane Drive 1-4 1-3 Existing Site Conditions Looking Southwest toward Hilltop Drive 1-5 1-4 Surrounding Context 1-6 1-5 Proposed Site Plan 1-8 1-6 Illustrative View Looking Southwest 1-10 TRA-1 Project Location and Study Intersections 2-66 Hilltop Speculative School ii ESA / 130984 Initial Study July 1, 2014 INITIAL STUDY Environmental Checklist Summary Information 1. Project Title: Hilltop Speculative School 2. Lead Agency Name and Address: City of Richmond Planning and Building Services Department 450 Civic Center Plaza Richmond, CA 94804 3. Contact Person and Phone Number: Kieron Slaughter, Associate Planner City of Richmond, Planning Department Phone: (510) 620-6887 4. Project Location: 3000-3050 Hilltop Mall Road Richmond, CA 94806 5. Project Sponsor’s Name and Address: Hilltop Community Ventures 5860 W. Las Positas Blvd., Suite 21 Pleasanton, CA 94588 (925) 224-8278 6. General Plan Designation(s): High Intensity Mixed-Use (Major Activity Center) 7. Zoning Designation(s): C-3 Regional Commercial 8. Description of Project: The proposed Hilltop Speculative School project involves construction of a new speculative middle and high school campus. The school would accommodate an enrollment of up to 1,400 students in grades 6 through 12 (or a portion of those grades) and up to 108 staff. The project would demolish approximately 55,533 square feet of existing one-story commercial buildings and construct a complex of two classroom buildings, a gymnasium and central athletic playfield, outdoor use areas, and associated parking and infrastructure improvements. The two proposed classroom buildings each would be two stories and a maximum of 30’-6” tall with a total building floor area of 61,147 square feet. The proposed gymnasium would be a maximum of 32’-0” tall with a total floor area of 12,081 square feet. Minimal grading is proposed to the existing property, which slopes steeply upward along its east, west and south perimeters. The proposed development would be situated in the relatively flat central and north areas of the site. The project sponsor seeks approvals to develop the project in advance of a designated school operator(s). The school is projected to be constructed and operational by fall 2015. Hilltop Speculative School S-1 ESA / 130984 Initial Study July 3, 2014 Initial Study 9. Surrounding Land Uses and Setting. Land uses adjacent to the project site include low- rise commercial office buildings, a regional shopping mall, and a vegetated parcel that contains a public utility water tank. Other uses in the vicinity of the site include a church, automobile oil change business, and a primarily single-family residential neighborhood. Interstate 80 (I-80) is located approximately one-half mile east of the project site. 10. Other public agencies whose approval is required. East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) for approval of new service requests and new water meter installations. San Francisco Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) for General Stormwater Permit (SWPPP – Notice of Intent) and Municipal Stormwater Permit (MS4) Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) for compliance with BAAQMD Regulation 2, Rule 1 (General Requirements) for all portable construction equipment subject to that rule. Environmental Factors Potentially Affected The proposed project could potentially affect the environmental factor(s) checked below. The following pages present a more detailed checklist and discussion of each environmental factor. Aesthetics Agriculture and Forestry Resources Air Quality Biological Resources Cultural Resources Geology, Soils and Seismicity Greenhouse Gas Emissions Hazards and Hazardous Materials Hydrology and Water Quality Land Use and Planning Mineral Resources Noise Population and Housing Public Services Recreation Transportation and Traffic Utilities and Service Systems Mandatory Findings of Significance Determination: (To be completed by Lead Agency) On the basis of this initial study: I find that the proposed project COULD NOT have a significant effect on the environment, and a NEGATIVE DECLARATION will be prepared. I find that although the proposed project could have a significant effect on the environment, there will not be a significant effect in this case because revisions in the project have been made by or agreed to by the project proponent. A MITIGATED NEGATIVE DECLARATION will be prepared. I find that the proposed project MAY have a significant effect on the environment, and an ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT is required. I find that the proposed project MAY have a “potentially significant impact” or “potentially significant unless mitigated” impact on the environment, but at least one effect 1) has been adequately analyzed in an earlier document pursuant to applicable legal standards, and 2) has been addressed by mitigation measures based on the earlier analysis as described on attached sheets. An ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT is required, but it must analyze only the effects that remain to be addressed. I find that although the proposed project could have a significant effect on the environment, because all potentially significant effects (a) have been analyzed adequately in an earlier EIR or NEGATIVE DECLARATION pursuant to applicable standards, and (b) have been avoided or mitigated pursuant to that earlier EIR or NEGATIVE DECLARATION, including revisions or mitigation measures that are imposed upon the proposed project, no further environmental documentation is required. Hilltop Speculative School S-2 ESA / 130984 Initial Study July 3, 2014 CHAPTER 1 Project Description 1.1 Project Overview Hilltop Community Ventures (project sponsor) proposes the construction of a state of the art speculative charter or private middle and high school campus on approximately 8.38 acres of developed land at 3000-3050 Hilltop Mall Road in Richmond, California.

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