Amendment #3 (Gpa 14-02) and Residential Subdivision (Tm 14-04)
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
INITIAL STUDY HECKER PASS SPECIFIC PLAN AMENDMENT #3 (GPA 14-02) AND RESIDENTIAL SUBDIVISION (TM 14-04) PREPARED FOR City of Gilroy March 25, 2015 HECKER PASS SPECIFIC PLAN AMENDMENT #3 (GPA 14-02) AND RESIDENTIAL SUBDIVISION (TM 14-04) EIR Addendum to the Hecker Pass Specific Plan/South Valley Community Church EIR (SCH# PREPARED FOR City of Gilroy Melissa Durkin, Planner II 7351 Rosanna Street Gilroy, CA 95020 Tel 408.846.0451 Fax 408.846.0429 [email protected] PREPARED BY EMC Planning Group Inc. 301 Lighthouse Avenue, Suite C Monterey, CA 93940 Tel 831.649.1799 Fax 831.649.8399 Teri Wissler Adam, Senior Principal [email protected] www.emcplanning.com March 25, 2015 This document was produced on recycled paper. TABLE OF CONTENTS A. BACKGROUND ............................................................... 1 B. ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS POTENTIALLY AFFECTED ..... 22 C. DETERMINATION ......................................................... 23 D. EVALUATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS .................. 24 1. Aesthetics ......................................................................... 26 2. Agriculture and Forestry Resources ..................................... 29 3. Air Quality ....................................................................... 31 4. Biological Resources .......................................................... 34 5. Cultural Resources ............................................................ 44 6. Geology and Soils .............................................................. 48 7. Greenhouse Gas Emissions ................................................. 50 8. Hazards and Hazardous Materials ....................................... 51 9. Hydrology and Water Quality ............................................. 54 10. Land Use and Planning ...................................................... 57 11. Mineral Resources ............................................................. 58 12. Noise ............................................................................... 59 13. Population and Housing ..................................................... 61 14. Public Services .................................................................. 62 15. Transportation/Traffic ....................................................... 64 16. Utilities and Service Systems .............................................. 68 E. SOURCES .................................................................... 70 EMC PLANNING GROUP INC. Figures Figure 1 Location Map .................................................................................... 3 Figure 2 Aerial Photograph .............................................................................. 5 Figure 3 Approved GPA 07-05/TM10-05 Site Plan ........................................... 7 Figure 4 Proposed GPA 14-02/TM 14-04 SVCC-North Plan ............................. 9 Figure 5 HPSP Residential Projects ................................................................ 13 Figure 6 Syngenta Mill Building Relocation Plan ............................................ 17 Tables Table 1 Dwelling Unit Distribution Status ..................................................... 12 Appendices Appendix A Proposed Hecker Pass Specific Plan Amendments Appendix B Trip Generation Analysis Appendix C Revised Mitigation Recommendations for the Conrotto Winery Property in the County of Santa Clara Appendix D Noise Assessment Study EMC PLANNING GROUP INC. CITY OF GILROY A. BACKGROUND Project Title Hecker Pass Specific Plan (HPSP) Amendment (GPA 14-02) and Residential Subdivision (TM 14-04) Lead Agency Contact Person Melissa Durkin, Planner II and Phone Number City of Gilroy Community Development Department Planning Division (408) 846-0440 Date Prepared February 25, 2015 Study Prepared by EMC Planning Group Inc. 301 Lighthouse Avenue Suite C Monterey, CA 93940 (831) 649-1799 Ashley Hefner, Associate Planner Teri Wissler Adam, Senior Principal Ron Sissem, Principal Planner Andrea Edwards, Senior Biologist/Arborist Project Location HPSP area, City of Gilroy, South of State Route 152 (Hecker Pass Highway) and north of Uvas Creek Project Sponsor Name and Address Mr. Scott Kramer Meritage Homes 1671 E. Monte Vista Avenue, Suite #214 Vacaville, CA 95688 General Plan Designation Hecker Pass Special Use District Zoning Hecker Pass Special Use District Setting The Hecker Pass Specific Plan (HPSP) Amendment (GPA 14-02) and Residential Subdivision (TM 14-04) project (hereinafter “proposed project”) is located within the HPSP area in the western portion of the City of Gilroy (hereinafter “City”), south of Hecker Pass Highway and north of Uvas Creek. Figure 1, Location Map, presents the regional location and project vicinity. Figure 2, Aerial Photograph, presents an aerial view of the project site. The proposed project consists of two sites, considered as the comprehensive project site, which are not contiguous, but are both located south of Hecker Pass Highway, as follows: 1 EMC PLANNING GROUP INC. HECKER PASS SPECIFIC PLAN (HPSP) AMENDMENT #3 (GPA 14-02) AND RESIDENTIAL SUBDIVISION (TM 14-04) . The first site is the northern 11-acre portion of the 18-acre South Valley Community Church (SVCC) site (assessor’s parcel number (APN) 810-21-009). Existing development on the site consists of a group of six buildings located along the Hecker Pass Highway frontage, and one building located further south on the property, that are all proposed for demolition. The remainder of the site is vacant. The adjacent uses include Hecker Pass Highway, residential and open space to the north; vacant land to the south (the remainder of the 18-acre SVCC site) that is entitled for 15 single-family residential units; senior housing to the east; and agriculture to the west. Uvas Creek corridor is located approximately 630 feet south of the southerly boundary of this first site. The second site consists of two abutting parcels; the eastern parcel is the Syngenta Flowers property (APN 810-20-005) and the western parcel, referred to as the Arias property, is (APN 810-20-004). Existing uses on the Syngenta Flowers property consist of the Syngenta flower facility, including an existing mill building, and agricultural uses. Existing uses on the Arias property consist of two residential buildings with surrounding landscaping, and vacant land. Adjacent uses consist of Hecker Pass Highway and agriculture to the north; open space and Uvas Creek to the south; and agriculture to the east and west. Description of the Proposed Project The proposed project consists of an amendment to the HPSP, a residential subdivision, the relocation of an existing mill building, and the demolition of seven buildings as described in detail below. South Valley Community Church North (SVCC-North) Site The Hecker Pass Specific Plan/South Valley Community Church EIR (HPSP EIR) was prepared in 2004 and is the original program EIR for the HPSP. As identified in the HPSP EIR, the SVCC originally sought approvals for the development of a church, daycare, wedding chapel, supporting administration building, and an elementary school on its entire 18-acre site. Then in 2008, the SVCC sought and gained approvals to amend the Community Facilities designation on the southern seven acres of the 18-acre site (hereinafter “SVCC-South”) to Residential Cluster and to permit a 15-lot single-family residential subdivision (see Figure 3, Approved GPA 07-05/TM10-05 Site Plan), currently referred to as Heartland Estates (see “CEQA History” below for more details). This current CEQA document, therefore, analyzes only the potential effects of the SVCC’s current proposed general plan amendment and tentative map that would enable development of a 33-lot single-family residential subdivision of the 11-acre “SVCC-North” site, and does not address the SVCC-South site. Figure 4, Proposed GPA 14-02/TM 14-04 SVCC-North Plan, reflects the proposed residential development of the SVCC-North site. EMC PLANNING GROUP INC. 2 San Francisco UV99 ¨¦§580 Modesto ¨¦§680 §5 ¨¦§280 ¨¦ San Jose Project ¤£101 UV1 Location UV152 Santa Cruz kGilroy Salinas Monterey UV1 ¤£101 UV1 Regional Location Monterey Rd. Project Site Leavesley Rd. WrenAve. Santa Teresa Blvd. 152 UV Gillman Rd. GILROY ¤£101 UV152 Source: County of Santa Clara GIS 2012, ESRI Streetmap North America 2010. 0 1.5 mile Figure 1 Location Map Hecker Pass Specific Plan Amendment (GPA 14-02) and Residential Subdivision (TM 14-04) Initial Study HECKER PASS SPECIFIC PLAN (HPSP) AMENDMENT #3 (GPA 14-02) AND RESIDENTIAL SUBDIVISION (TM 14-04) This side intentionally left blank. EMC PLANNING GROUP INC. 4 State Route 152 Proposed Mill Building Relocation Existing Buildings SVCC - North to be Removed (Proposed Project) Existing Building to be Relocated West DeNova Uvas Creek Cluster SantaTeresa Teresa Blvd. Blvd. Meritage SVCC - South (Heartland Estates) Hecker Pass Specific Plan Boundary Source: Google Earth 2014 0 800 feet Figure 2 Aerial Photograph Hecker Pass Specific Plan Amendment (GPA 14-02) and Residential Subdivision (TM 14-04) Initial Study HECKER PASS SPECIFIC PLAN (HPSP) AMENDMENT #3 (GPA 14-02) AND RESIDENTIAL SUBDIVISION (TM 14-04) This side intentionally left blank. EMC PLANNING GROUP INC. 6 Use Century Gothic Font, 9 pt Source: EMC Planning Group Inc. 2008, not to scale SVCC - North Site Source: archespace GWSC 2008 archespace GWSC 2008 0 200 feet Figure 3 Approved GPA 07-05/TM10-05 Site Plan Hecker Pass Specific Plan Amendment (GPA 14-02) and Residential Subdivision (TM 14-04) Initial Study HECKER PASS