TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Purpose of the Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration ............................................. 1.0-1 1.2 Technical Studies .......................................................................................................................... 1.0-1 1.3 Abbreviations Used ...................................................................................................................... 1.0-2 2.0 PROJECT DESCRIPTION 2.1 Project Location and Setting ..................................................................................................... 2.0-1 2.2 Project Background and History ................................................................................................ 2.0-1 2.3 Project Objectives ........................................................................................................................ 2.0-2 2.4 Project Characteristics................................................................................................................. 2.0-4 2.5 Construction and Phasing .......................................................................................................... 2.0-8 3.0 ENVIRONMENTAL CHECKLIST 3.1 Background ................................................................................................................................... 3.0-1 3.2. Environmental Factors Potentially Affected ............................................................................ 3.0-3 3.3 Determination ............................................................................................................................... 3.0-4 3.4 Evaluation of Environmental Impacts ....................................................................................... 3.0-5 4.0 ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS 1. Aesthetics. ...................................................................................................................................... 4.0-1 2. Agriculture and Forestry Resources. .......................................................................................... 4.0-6 3. Air Quality. ...................................................................................................................................... 4.0-9 4. Biological Resources. ................................................................................................................. 4.0-19 5. Cultural Resources. ..................................................................................................................... 4.0-47 6. Energy…………………………………………………………………………………………………4.0-50 7. Geology and Soils. ...................................................................................................................... 4.0-51 8. Greenhouse Gas Emissions. ...................................................................................................... 4.0-59 9. Hazards and Hazardous Materials. ......................................................................................... 4.0-67 10. Hydrology and Water Quality. ................................................................................................. 4.0-74 11. Land Use and Planning. ............................................................................................................ 4.0-81 12. Mineral Resources. ..................................................................................................................... 4.0-83 13. Noise. ............................................................................................................................................. 4.0-84 14. Population and Housing ............................................................................................................ 4.0-90 15. Public Services ............................................................................................................................. 4.0-93 City of Victorville Old Town Specific Plan August 2018 Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration i TABLE OF CONTENTS 16. Recreation ................................................................................................................................... 4.0-96 17. Transportation.............................................................................................................................. 4.0-98 18. Tribal Cultural resources………………………………………………………………………….4.0-102 19. Utilities and Service Systems. .................................................................................................. 4.0-104 20. Wilfire………………………………………………………………………………………………...4.0-109 18. Mandatory Findings of Significance. .................................................................................... 4.0-110 5.0 REFERENCES APPENDICES Appendix A – Air Quality Appendix B – Biological Resources Appendix C – Traffic Appendix D - Demographics LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 Regional Location ............................................................................................................... 2.0-10 Figure 2 Project Location ................................................................................................................... 2.0-11 Figure 3 Specific Plan Land Use Map .............................................................................................. 2.0-12 Figure 4 Vegetative Communities Within the Old Town Specific Plan ..................................... 4.0-22 Figure 5 Previously Recorded Special-Status Species Occurrences Within a One-mile Radius of the Old Town Specific Plan ................................................................................................ 4.0-27 Figure 6 Designated Critical Habitat Within and Surrounding the Old Town Specific Plan.. 4.0-34 Figure 7 Fault Map .............................................................................................................................. 4.0-54 Figure 8 100- & 500-Year Floodplain ................................................................................................ 4.0-76 LIST OF TABLES Table 1 Existing vs. Buildout Conditions in the OTSP Project Area ............................................... 2.0-7 Table 2 Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Data for Victorville ...................................................... 4.0-11 Table 3 Construction-Related Criteria Pollutant and Precursor Emissions (Average Year) (Tons per Year) ................................................................................................................................ 4.0-16 Table 4 Vegetative Communities Within the OTSP Project Area .............................................. 4.0-20 Table 5 Special-Status Species Potentially Occurring Within the OTSP Project Area ........... 4.0-25 Table 6 Project Area Soils.................................................................................................................. 4.0-52 Table 7 Construction-Related GHG Emissions (Average Year) (Metric Tons per Year) ........ 4.0-64 City of Victorville Old Town Specific Plan August 2018 Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Table 8 Operational Generated GHG Emissions (Average Year) (Metric Tons per Year) ... 4.0-65 Table 9 LUST and Other Cleanup Sites Within the OTSP Project Area ................................ 4.0-68 Table 11 Typical Construction Equipment Vibration Levels ......................................................... 4.0-88 City of Victorville Old Town Specific Plan August 2018 Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration iii 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 PURPOSE OF THE INITIAL STUDY/MITIGATED NEGATIVE DECLARATION This document is an Initial Study (IS) and Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) prepared pursu- ant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) for the Old Town Specific Plan project (proposed project; OTSP; Specific Plan, Plan). This MND has been prepared in accordance with CEQA, Public Resources Code Sections 21000 et seq., and the CEQA Guidelines found in Chap- ter 14 of the California Code of Regulations. An Initial Study is conducted by a lead agency to determine if a project may have a significant effect on the environment. In accordance with the CEQA Guidelines, Section 15064(a)(1), an envi- ronmental impact report (EIR) must be prepared if there is substantial evidence in light of the whole record that the proposed project under review may have a significant effect on the envi- ronment. A mitigated negative declaration may be prepared if the lead agency determines there is substantial evidence in the record that the project may have a significant effect on the envi- ronment but the lead agency determines that revisions in the project plans or proposals made by, or agreed to by, the applicant would avoid the effects or mitigate the effects to a point where clearly no significant effect on the environment would occur and there is no substantial evidence in light of the whole record before the public agency that the project, as revised, may have a sig- nificant effect on the environment (CEQA Guidelines, Section 15064(f)(2)). According to CEQA Guidelines Section 15070, a public agency shall prepare or have prepared a proposed negative declaration or mitigated negative declaration for a project subject to CEQA when: a) The Initial Study shows there is no substantial evidence, in light of the whole record before the agency, that the proposed project may have a significant effect on the environment, or b) The Initial Study identified potentially significant effects, but: (1) Revisions in the project plans or proposals