Saratoga Creek Trail Homeridge Park to Central Park
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INITIAL STUDY Saratoga Creek Trail Homeridge Park to Central Park Prepared by the June 2016 TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION 1.0 INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE .......................................................................... 1 SECTION 2.0 PROJECT INFORMATION ....................................................................................... 2 2.1 PROJECT TITLE ................................................................................................................. 2 2.2 PROJECT LOCATION ........................................................................................................ 2 2.3 LEAD AGENCY CONTACT .............................................................................................. 2 SECTION 3.0 PROJECT DESCRIPTION ......................................................................................... 6 SECTION 4.0 SETTING, ENVIRONMENTAL CHECKLIST AND IMPACTS ........................... 11 4.1 AREAS OF NO MEASURABLE IMPACT ....................................................................... 12 4.2 AESTHETICS ..................................................................................................................... 17 4.3 AIR QUALITY .................................................................................................................... 20 4.4 BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES ............................................................................................. 24 4.5 CULTURAL RESOURCES ................................................................................................ 37 4.6 GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS .................................................................................... 41 4.7 HAZARDS AND HAZARDOUS MATERIALS ............................................................... 44 4.8 HYDROLOGY AND WATER QUALITY ........................................................................ 49 4.9 LAND USE .......................................................................................................................... 56 4.10 NOISE ................................................................................................................................. 58 4.11 RECREATION .................................................................................................................... 62 4.12 MANDATORY FINDINGS OF SIGNIFICANCE ............................................................. 64 SECTION 5.0 REFERENCES .......................................................................................................... 68 SECTION 6.0 AUTHORS AND CONSULTANTS ........................................................................ 70 FIGURES Figure 2.2-1: Regional Map .................................................................................................................. 3 Figure 2.2-2: Vicinity Map ................................................................................................................... 4 Figure 2.2-3: Aerial Map ...................................................................................................................... 5 Figure 3.0-1: Trail Alignment and Cross-Sections ............................................................................... 7 Figure 4.4-1: Existing Biological Habitats ......................................................................................... 25 Figure 4.4-2: Mitigation Sites ............................................................................................................. 33 TABLES Table 4.3-1 Number of Ambient Air Quality Standards Violations and Highest Concentrations (2013-2015)……………………………………..………………………………….. 20 Table 4.4-1 Summary of Biological Habitat Impacts..………………………………………….. 30 Saratoga Creek Trail Initial Study City of Santa Clara i June 2016 TABLE OF CONTENTS Table 4.4-2 Tree Replacement Ratios………………..………………………………………….. 31 Table 4.7-1 Hazardous Materials Sites Within ¼ Mile of the Project Site..…………………….. 45 Table 4.12-1 Noise and Land Use Compatibility (Ldn & CNEL)……………….……………….. 59 APPENDICES Appendix A: Biological Resources Report and Wetland Delineation Appendix B: Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Appendix C: Hydraulic Analysis Saratoga Creek Trail Initial Study City of Santa Clara ii June 2016 SECTION 1.0 INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE This Initial Study of environmental impacts has been prepared to conform to the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the CEQA Guidelines (California Code of Regulations 15000 et. seq.), and the regulations and policies of the City of Santa Clara. This Initial Study evaluates the environmental impacts which might reasonably be anticipated to result from the proposed Saratoga Creek Trail project. The City of Santa Clara is the Lead Agency under CEQA and has prepared this Initial Study to address the impacts of implementing the proposed project. Saratoga Creek Trail Initial Study City of Santa Clara 1 June 2016 SECTION 2.0 PROJECT INFORMATION 2.1 PROJECT TITLE Saratoga Creek Trail – Homeridge Park to Central Park 2.2 PROJECT LOCATION The project is located on both sides of Saratoga Creek generally between Central Park and Homeridge Park in the City of Santa Clara. Figure 2.2-1 Regional Map Figure 2.2-2 Vicinity Map Figure 2.2-3 Aerial Photograph and Surrounding Land Uses 2.3 LEAD AGENCY CONTACT Vincent Luchessi, Senior Civil Engineer City of Santa Clara Public Works Department 1500 Warburton Avenue Santa Clara, CA 95050 408-615-3048 [email protected] Saratoga Creek Trail Initial Study City of Santa Clara 2 June 2016 880 Fremont 84 Palo Alto Milpitas 101 Mountain View 237 680 280 880 82 Santa Clara San Jose Project Site 87 Saratoga 9 85 Campbell 101 17 Morgan Hill 0 5 10 Miles REGIONAL MAP FIGURE 2.2-1 3 Kiely Boulevard Kiely Kaiser Drive San Tomas Expressway Via Torino Place Las Palmas Drive Quince Avenue Pepper Tree Lane Hearth Place Marietta Drive Layton Street Pomeroy Avenue Saratoga Creek Homestead Road Bucher Avenue 4 Homestead Road Salberg Avenue Kiely Boulevard Alexander Avenue Valley Way Ridge Road Hamilton Lane Forbes Avenue Flannery Street Woodhams Road Project Site 0 500 1000 Feet VICINITY MAP FIGURE 2.2-2 Project Site 0 100 300 600 Feet Kiely Boulevard Ki Kiely ely Boulevard ely Aerial Source: Google Earth Pro, May 5, 2016. Photo Date: Jan. 2016 e n k a e L e Central Park r e C e r a T g r to e Via Siena Place a p Siena Place r p a e S P Residential Marietta Drive Residential Commercial Creekside Place Miles Drive Residential Commercial 5 Residential Homestead Road Homestead RRoadoad Residential Residential k e re C a g Kiely BouleBoulevard Howell Avenue to Salem Drive ra a S Barcells Avenue Residential vard Woodhams Road AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH AND SURROUNDING LAND USES FIGURE 2.2-3 SECTION 3.0 PROJECT DESCRIPTION 3.1 OVERVIEW The City of Santa Clara recently prepared a citywide trail network feasibility study. One of the outcomes of this study is that construction of a portion of the planned Saratoga Creek Trail from Kiely Boulevard to Homestead Road was approved to proceed. The objective of the proposed project is to complete the trail between Central Park and Homeridge Park in Santa Clara. The trail segment addressed in this analysis is part of the County of Santa Clara’s Countywide Trails Master Plan. The proposed trail segment is identified on the County’s Existing and Proposed Regional Trail Connections Map1 and is part of a larger trail alignment referred to as the Saratoga Creek Extension Trail (Map Reference No. O12). This entire alignment, which includes both on- street and off-street segments, extends south from Benton Street to the trail’s confluence with the San Tomas Aquino/Saratoga Trail (No. C5) near Forbes Avenue. When it is fully constructed, the trail would be continuous from Prospect Road in Saratoga in the south to San Francisco Bay in the north, with connections to other trails at various locations. [Note to Reader: Taken as a whole, Saratoga Creek is a waterway that flows in a southwest to northeast direction. Within the project limits, however, the creek is primarily in a west to east alignment. Therefore, for the purposes of descriptions in this document, directions in relation to the creek will assume the creek is oriented in a west to east direction.] 3.2 DETAILED PROJECT DESCRIPTION 3.2.1 Description of Project Features and Components The proposed trail would include a combination of asphalt and concrete paving and would be approximately 0.4 miles in length. The description of the specific improvements are broken into the following three segments: 1) Central Park to Kiely Boulevard, 2) Kiely Boulevard to Homestead Road, and 3) Homestead Road to Homeridge Park. Please see Figure 3.0-1 for an overview of the trail project. Central Park to Kiely Boulevard An existing segment of the Saratoga Creek Trail, which is also used by SCVWD maintenance vehicles, runs along the north side of Saratoga Creek through Central Park and ends at the sidewalk on the east side of Kiely Boulevard. The project proposes to extend the trail to the west under Kiely Boulevard while retaining the current connection to the sidewalk on the east side of the street. The northern creek bank would be excavated to allow for installation of the 14-foot wide trail. The southern creek bank would be excavated under Kiely Boulevard to provide comparable creek capacity to offset the area taken up by the trail. The trail would be anchored into the creek bank and would be supported on the creek side by a retaining wall. On the south side of the creek, a new ramp 1 https://www.sccgov.org/sites/parks/PlansProjects/Documents/AlignmentStatus_August18_2015.pdf