TOSCANA SUBDIVISION SANTA ROSA, CALIFORNIA Environmental Impact Report
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Draft TOSCANA SUBDIVISION SANTA ROSA, CALIFORNIA Environmental Impact Report Prepared for: January 2007 City of Santa Rosa Draft TOSCANA SUBDIVISION SANTA ROSA, CALIFORNIA Environmental Impact Report Prepared for: January 2007 City of Santa Rosa 225 Bush Street Suite 1700 San Francisco, CA 94104 415.896.5900 www.esassoc.com Los Angeles Petaluma Portland Sacramento San Diego San Francisco Seattle Tampa 203184 TABLE OF CONTENTS Tocana Subdivision Page 1. Introduction 1-1 A. Environmental Review Process I-1 B. Range of Alternatives I-2 C. Use of the EIR I-2 D. Public Participation I-2 E. Organization of the Draft EIR I-3 2. Summary 2-1 A. Project Description 2-1 B. Environmental Impacts and Mitigation Measures 2-1 C. Alternatives 2-1 3.Project Description 3-1 A. Introduction 3-1 B. Project Sponsor’s Objectives 3-1 C. Project Location and Characteristics 3-2 D. Project Characteristics 3-2 E. Project Approvals 3-8 4. Environmental Setting, Impacts, and Mitigation Measures 4-1 A. Aesthetics 4.A-1 B. Air Quality 4.B-1 C. Biological Resources 4.C-1 D. Cultural Resources 4.D-1 E. Geology, Soils, and Seismicity 4.E-1 F. Hazards and Hazardous Materials 4.F-1 G. Hydrology and Water Quality 4.G-1 H. Land Use 4.H-1 I. Noise 4.I-1 J. Population and Housing 4.J-1 K. Public Services 4.K-1 L. Transportation and Traffic 4.L-1 M. Utilities and Service Systems 4.M-1 5. Alternatives 5-1 A. Criteria for Selecting Alternatives 5-1 B. Factors in the Selection of Alternatives 5-1 C. Alternatives Selected for Consideration 5-2 D. Description and Analysis of Alternatives 5-2 E. Environmentally Superior Alternative 5-4 Toscana Subdivision i ESA / 203184 Draft Environmental Impact Report January 2007 Table of Contents Page 6. Other Statutory Sections 6-1 A. Introduction 6-1 B. Growth-Inducing 6-1 C. Cumulative Impacts 6-2 D. Significant and Unavoidable Environmental Impacts 6-3 E. Effects to Be Less than Significant 6-3 7. Report Preparers 7-1 Appendices A. Toscana Subdivision Santa Rosa, California, Draft Initial Study A-1 B. Comments on the NOP B-1 List of Figures 3-1 Southwest Santa Rosa Area Plan Boundary and Project Location 3-3 3-2 Preliminary Site Plan 3-4 3-3 CTS Mitigation Corridor 3-7 4.A-1 Public View 4.A-3 4.A-2 Interior View 4.A-4 4.A-3 Long Range View 4.A-6 4.A-4 Front Elevations for Alley Loaded Units 4.A-13 4.C-1 Vegetation Communities on the Project site 4.C-3 4.C-2 Aquatic Habitats on the Project site 4.C-6 4.C-3 Location of CTS Breeding Sites, CTS Upland habitat, and Sebastopol Meadowfoam Colonies on the Project Site 4.C-16 4.I-1 Effects of Noise on People 4.I-3 4.I-2 Noise and Land Use Compatibility 4.I-5 4.L-1 Existing Traffic Volumes 4.L-3 4.L-2 Project Traffic Volumes 4.L-13 4.L-3 Approved Traffic Volumes 4.L-16 List of Tables 2-1 Summary of Impacts and Mitigation Measures for the Toscana Subdivision 2-3 4.B-1 Ambient Air Quality Standards and Bay Area Attainment Status 4.B-5 4.B-2 Air Quality Data Summary (2001-2005) for the Project area 4.B-10 4.B-3 Summary of Ozone Data for the San Francisco Bay Area Air Basin, 1995 – 2004 4.B-11 4.B-4 Estimated Daily Emissions for the Proposed Project 4.B-17 4.B-5 Estimated Carbon Monoxide Concentrations at Selected Intersections in the Project Vicinity 4.B-18 4.C-1 Special Status Species Considered for the Toscana Project 4.C-9 4.C-2 Heritage Trees as Identified by the City of Santa Rosa 4.C-25 4.C-3 Summary of Tree Impacts on the Toscana Subdivision Project Site 4.C-32 4.E-1 Regional Active Faults and Estimated Maximum Parameters 4.E-2 4.E-2 Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale 4.E-4 4.I-1 Ambient Noise Level Criteria 4.I-6 4.I-2 Typical Commercial Construction Noise Levels 4.I-9 4.I-3 Typical Construction Equipment Noise Levels 4.I-9 Toscana Subdivision ii ESA / 203184 Draft Environmental Impact Report January 2007 Table of Contents Page List of Tables (Continued) 4.I-4 Traffic Noise Increases Along Local Roadways in the Project Area 4.I-12 4.J-1 Bay Area Population by County, 1990-2020 4.J-2 4.J-2 Santa Rosa and Vicinity Population Change, 2000-2020 4.J-3 4.J-3 Swap Projected Population and Housing Units, 1994, 2010 4.J-3 4.J-4 Santa Rosa and Vicinity Employment Change, 2005–2020 4.J-4 4.J-5 Number of Housing Units by County for the Bay Area 1990-2005 4.J-5 4.J-6 Bay Area, Sonoma county and Santa Rosa (and SOI) Jobs to Employed Residents Ratios (2005, 2020) 4.J-7 4.L-1 Signalized Intersection Level of Service Definitions 4.L-4 4.L-2 Level of Service Criteria for Unsignalized Intersections 4.L-4 4.L-3 Levels of Service Existing Conditions 4.L-5 4.L-4 Arterial Level of Service Existing Conditions 4.L-5 4.L-5 Project Trip Generation 4.L-7 4.L-6 Project Trip Distribution 4.L-8 4.L-7 Existing Plus Project Levels of Service (LOS) Conditions 4.L-12 IV.L-8 Existing Plus Approved and Project Levels of Service (LOS) Conditions 4.L-17 4.L-9 Existing Plus Approved and Project Levels of Service (LOS) Conditions 4.L-22 5-1 Summary of Impacts: Project and Alternatives 5-6 Toscana Subdivision iii ESA / 203184 Draft Environmental Impact Report January 2007 CHAPTER 1 Introduction A. Environmental Review Process The project sponsor, Santa Rosa Toscana Partners LLC, proposes to construct a 243 single-family home subdivision. The project includes the residential lots, a California Tiger Salamander Habitat, internal roadways, extension of utilities (water, sewer, electricity, gas, telephone, and cable), and three neighborhood parks. The City of Santa Rosa has determined that preparation of an environmental impact report (EIR) was needed for the Toscana Subdivision project because there was “substantial evidence that the project may have a significant effect on the environment.” The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires that, before a decision can be made to approve a project with potentially significant environmental effects, an EIR must be prepared that fully describes the environmental effects of the project. The EIR is a public information document for use by the City of Santa Rosa, other governmental agencies and the public to identify and evaluate potential environmental consequences of a proposed project, to recommend mitigation measures to lessen or eliminate adverse impacts, and to examine feasible alternatives to the project. The information contained in the EIR is reviewed and considered by the governing agency prior to the ultimate decision to approve, disapprove, or modify the proposed project. CEQA states that the Lead Agency (in this case, the City of Santa Rosa) shall not “approve projects as proposed if there are feasible alternatives or feasible mitigation measures available which would substantially lessen the significant environmental effects of such projects…” (Section 21002). The Lead Agency shall neither approve nor implement a project as proposed unless the significant environmental effects of that project have been reduced to a less-than- significant level, essentially “eliminating, avoiding, or substantially lessening” the expected impacts (Section 21081). If the Lead Agency approves the project despite residual significant adverse impacts that cannot be mitigated to less than significant levels, the agency must state the reasons for its action in writing. This “Statement of Overriding Considerations” must be included in the record of project approval. On August 28, 2006, the City of Santa Rosa sent a Notice of Preparation (NOP) to governmental agencies, organizations, and persons interested in the project. The NOP is included as Appendix A of this document. The NOP requested that agencies with regulatory authority over any aspect of the project describe that authority and identify the relevant environmental issues that should be addressed in the EIR. This Draft EIR addresses those responses to the NOP that Toscana Subdivision 1-1 ESA / 203184 Draft Environmental Impact Report January 2007 1. Introduction involved environmental issues associated with the project site and proposed project. Copies of responses to the NOP are included in Appendix B. The Draft EIR is available for public review for the period identified on the notice that is inside the front cover of the document, during which time written comments on the adequacy of the Draft EIR may be submitted to the City of Santa Rosa, Community Development Department, at the address indicated on the notice. Responses to all substantive comments received on the adequacy of the Draft EIR and submitted within the specified review period will be prepared and included in the Final EIR. The City of Santa Rosa Planning Commission will then review and consider the Final EIR for certification based on its fulfillment of CEQA requirements. Prior to approval of the project, the City of Santa Rosa City Counsel must certify the Final EIR. B. Range of Alternatives CEQA requires that a reasonable range of alternatives be discussed in an EIR. This EIR identifies and analyzes such a reasonable range of alternatives; discusses the environmental effects of each alternative; and compares the environmental effects of each alternative with the environmental setting, with the effects of the project and each other alternative; and addresses the relationship of each alternative to the project sponsor’s objectives.