APPENDIX D Biological Resources Technical Report
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APPENDIX D Biological Resources Technical Report DRAFT Biological Resources Technical Report for the SDSU New Student Housing Project Prepared for: San Diego State University 5500 Campanile Drive San Diego, California 92182-1624 Contact: Laura Shinn, Director Prepared by: 605 Third Street Encinitas, California 92024 Contact: Callie Amoaku APRIL 2017 Printed on 30% post-consumer recycled material. Biological Resources Technical Report for the SDSU New Student Housing Project TABLE OF CONTENTS Section Page No. SUMMARY OF FINDINGS ........................................................................................................ V 1 INTRODUCTION..............................................................................................................1 1.1 Regional and Local Setting ..................................................................................... 1 1.2 Project Description.................................................................................................. 1 2 METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................3 2.1 Literature Review.................................................................................................... 3 2.2 Field Reconnaissance .............................................................................................. 3 2.3 Resource Mapping .................................................................................................. 4 2.4 Flora ........................................................................................................................ 5 2.5 Fauna ....................................................................................................................... 5 2.5.1 Focused California Gnatcatcher Surveys .................................................... 5 2.6 Jurisdictional Wetlands Delineation ....................................................................... 6 2.7 Survey Limitations .................................................................................................. 7 3 EXISTING CONDITIONS ...............................................................................................9 3.1 Existing Environmental Setting .............................................................................. 9 3.1.1 Vegetation Communities ............................................................................ 9 3.1.2 Flora .......................................................................................................... 12 3.1.3 Fauna ......................................................................................................... 12 3.1.4 Sensitive Plant Species ............................................................................. 12 3.1.5 Sensitive Wildlife Species ........................................................................ 13 3.1.6 Wetlands/Jurisdictional Resources ........................................................... 16 3.1.7 Habitat Connectivity and Wildlife Corridors ............................................ 17 3.2 Regulatory Setting ................................................................................................ 17 3.2.1 Federal....................................................................................................... 18 3.2.2 State........................................................................................................... 19 3.2.3 Regional .................................................................................................... 21 3.2.4 Local ......................................................................................................... 22 4 THRESHOLDS OF SIGNIFICANCE ...........................................................................25 5 IMPACT ANALYSIS ......................................................................................................27 5.1 Threshold 1 ........................................................................................................... 27 5.1.1 Direct Impacts ........................................................................................... 27 5.1.2 Indirect Impacts ........................................................................................ 30 10105 i April 2017 Biological Resources Technical Report for the SDSU New Student Housing Project TABLE OF CONTENTS (CONTINUED) Section Page No. 5.2 Threshold 2 ........................................................................................................... 34 5.2.1 Direct Impacts ........................................................................................... 34 5.2.2 Indirect Impacts ........................................................................................ 35 5.3 Threshold 3 ........................................................................................................... 37 5.4 Threshold 4 ........................................................................................................... 37 5.4.1 Direct Impacts ........................................................................................... 37 5.4.2 Indirect Impacts ........................................................................................ 38 5.5 Threshold 5 ........................................................................................................... 39 5.6 Threshold 6 ........................................................................................................... 39 5.6.1 Direct Impacts ........................................................................................... 39 5.6.2 Indirect Impacts ........................................................................................ 39 6 MITIGATION MEASURES...........................................................................................43 7 LEVEL OF SIGNIFICANCE AFTER MITIGATION ...............................................49 8 REFERENCES CITED ...................................................................................................57 APPENDICES A Plant Compendium B Wildlife Compendium C Data Station Forms D1 Special-Status Plants – Observed or Moderate Potential to Occur D2 Special-Status Plants – Low Potential or Not Expected to Occur E1 Special-Status Wildlife – Observed, High or Moderate Potential to Occur E2 Special-Status Wildlife – Low Potential or Not Expected to Occur F City of San Diego MSCP Subarea Plan Information FIGURES 1 Regional Map .....................................................................................................................63 2 Vicinity Map ......................................................................................................................65 3 Proposed Site Design .........................................................................................................67 4 Biological Resources Map .................................................................................................69 5 Impacts to Biological Resources Map ...............................................................................71 10105 ii April 2017 Biological Resources Technical Report for the SDSU New Student Housing Project TABLE OF CONTENTS (CONTINUED) Page No. TABLES 1 Schedule of Surveys .............................................................................................................4 2 Vegetation Communities/Land Cover Types in the Project Area .....................................10 3 Impacts to Vegetation Communities/Land Cover Types by Phase ...................................27 10105 iii April 2017 Biological Resources Technical Report for the SDSU New Student Housing Project INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK 10105 iv April 2017 Biological Resources Technical Report for the SDSU New Student Housing Project SUMMARY OF FINDINGS The San Diego State University (SDSU) New Student Housing Project (proposed project) is located at the northwest corner of the main SDSU campus, north of the campus athletic fields and Remington Road, west of 55th Street and east of privately owned residential properties. The proposed project includes the construction and operation of several multi-story residence halls and an associated stand-alone dining facility on an undeveloped 8.02-acre canyon site surrounded by on-campus student housing, institutional and recreational uses, and off-campus single-family residences. The following report assesses the biological resources found within the project site and the resulting impacts that would occur following project implementation. The report has been prepared to provide supporting information for an environmental impact report (EIR) being prepared for the proposed project. The report first provides the local and regional setting followed by a detailed description of the proposed project. The report then identifies the methodology used to assess the biological resources found within the project area. A discussion of the existing biological resources, including vegetation communities, flora and fauna, wetlands and jurisdictional resources, and wildlife corridors, is presented following the methodology section. The report then provides the significance thresholds, analysis, results, and mitigation measure recommendations. The report concludes with a discussion of the level of significance after the proposed mitigation measures are included as part of the proposed project. Vegetation mapping, focused botanical surveys, focused surveys for the coastal California gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica