City of Millbrae Climate Action Plan Final Initial Study–Negative Declaration prepared for City of Millbrae 621 Magnolia Avenue Millbrae, California 94030 prepared by Rincon Consultants, Inc. 449 15th Street, Suite 303 Oakland, California 94612 October 14, 2020 Table of Contents Table of Contents Initial Study .............................................................................................................................................1 Proposed Plan Title .........................................................................................................................1 Lead Agency/Plan Sponsor and Contact .........................................................................................1 Plan Location and Physical Setting .................................................................................................1 Existing Setting ................................................................................................................................4 General Plan Designation and Zoning .......................................................................................... 11 Description of Plan (2020 CAP) .................................................................................................... 11 Cumulative Projects Scenario ...................................................................................................... 20 Required Approvals ..................................................................................................................... 20 Environmental Factors Potentially Affected ........................................................................................ 21 Determination ..................................................................................................................................... 21 Environmental Checklist ...................................................................................................................... 23 1 Aesthetics ......................................................................................................................... 23 2 Agriculture and Forestry Resources ................................................................................. 29 3 Air Quality ........................................................................................................................ 31 4 Biological Resources ......................................................................................................... 35 5 Cultural Resources ........................................................................................................... 39 6 Energy .............................................................................................................................. 43 7 Geology and Soils ............................................................................................................. 45 8 Greenhouse Gas Emissions .............................................................................................. 49 9 Hazards and Hazardous Materials ................................................................................... 53 10 Hydrology and Water Quality .......................................................................................... 57 11 Land Use and Planning ..................................................................................................... 61 12 Mineral Resources ........................................................................................................... 63 13 Noise ................................................................................................................................ 65 14 Population and Housing ................................................................................................... 69 15 Public Services .................................................................................................................. 71 16 Recreation ........................................................................................................................ 73 17 Transportation ................................................................................................................. 75 18 Tribal Cultural Resources ................................................................................................. 79 19 Utilities and Service Systems ........................................................................................... 81 20 Wildfire ............................................................................................................................ 87 21 Mandatory Findings of Significance ................................................................................. 89 References ........................................................................................................................................... 91 List of Citations ............................................................................................................................ 91 List of Document Preparers ......................................................................................................... 93 Final Initial Study– Negative Declaration i City of Millbrae Climate Action Plan Tables Table 1 Millbrae 2005 Communitywide GHG Emissions by Sector .............................................. 12 Table 2 Millbrae 2020 CAP Measures ........................................................................................... 13 Table 3 Millbrae 2030 GHG Reduction Target by Sector .............................................................. 18 Table 4 Millbrae Future GHG Emissions Projection and Reduction Target .................................. 19 Table 5 Aircraft Noise/Land Use Compatibility for San Francisco International Airport .............. 66 Table 6 Human Response to Different Levels of Groundborne Vibration .................................... 67 Figures Figure 1 Regional Location ................................................................................................................2 Figure 2 Plan Location .......................................................................................................................3 Figure 3 Millbrae Future GHG Emissions Projection and Reduction Target .................................. 19 Appendices Appendix A Sources, Health Effects, and Typical Controls Associated with Criteria Pollutants Appendix B Description of Greenhouse Gases of California Concern Appendix C Public Comments Received on Draft Initial Study-Negative Declaration and Responses to Comments ii Initial Study Initial Study Proposed Plan Title Millbrae 2020 Climate Action Plan (CAP) Lead Agency/Plan Sponsor and Contact Lead Agency/Plan Sponsor City of Millbrae 621 Magnolia Avenue Millbrae, CA 94030 Contact Person Shelly Reider, Environmental Programs Manager (650) 259-2444 [email protected] Plan Location and Physical Setting The City of Millbrae CAP apply to all areas and plans/projects within the City of Millbrae limits. Figure 1 shows the regional location, and Figure 2 shows the plan location. The plan location includes all of Millbrae’s incorporated lands. Regional Location and Setting The City of Millbrae is located on the northern San Francisco Peninsula, 15 miles south of San Francisco and immediately west of the San Francisco International Airport. Millbrae occupies 3.25 square miles of northern San Mateo County and is part of the nine-county-area known as the San Francisco Bay Region (see Figure 1 and Figure 2). Neighboring jurisdictions include the City of San Bruno to the north, the City of Burlingame to the south, City and County of San Francisco lands to the west, and the San Francisco International Airport and San Francisco Bay (Bay) to the east. Principal regional transportation facilities serving Millbrae are U.S. Highway 101, Interstate Highway 280 (Junipero Serra Freeway), State Route 82 (El Camino Real), the Southern Pacific Railroad, CalTrain, Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), and the San Francisco International Airport. Regional bus service is also provided by the San Mateo County Transit District (SamTrans). Final Initial Study–Negative Declaration 1 City of Millbrae Climate Action Plan Figure 1 Regional Location 2 Initial Study Figure 2 Plan Location Final Initial Study–Negative Declaration 3 City of Millbrae Climate Action Plan Local Setting The City is characterized as a suburban residential community. More than 50 percent of Millbrae’s land is occupied with residential uses, primarily single-family. Commercial uses account for less than 10 percent, with another 10 percent related to utility uses. About 17 percent of the land is occupied by streets and highways. Only four percent of the City land is vacant. Millbrae’s topography ranges from the flatlands closer to the San Francisco Bay (roughly seven feet above mean sea level) to the lower portions of the City and County of San Francisco watershed lands toward the center of the San Francisco Peninsula (about 500 feet above mean sea level). Three parallel watersheds (Lomita Creek, Greenhills Creek, and Millbrae Creek Watersheds) drain the upper slope areas into canals that empty into the San Francisco Bay. Millbrae’s climate is influenced by both coastal and Bayside weather. The Santa Cruz Mountains partially protect the City from coastal weather, although seasonal fog and wind is common at the higher elevations. Lower elevations generally have milder conditions with some maritime influences from the Bay. A temperature inversion,