State Clearinghouse Number: 2013031067 FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT City of Pasadena Planning & Community Development Department Green Hotel Apartments Project June 2015 Table of Contents Section 1 Summary ................................................................................................................................................. 1-1 Section 2 Corrections and Additions ................................................................................................................ 2-1 Section 3 Comments and Responses ................................................................................................................ 3-1 3.1 Background ...................................................................................................................................................... 3-1 3.1.1 Draft EIR Published January 24, 2014 ..................................................................................... 3-1 3.1.2 Recirculated Draft EIR Published January 20, 2015 .......................................................... 3-2 3.2 List of Commenters ....................................................................................................................................... 3-3 3.2.1 List of Public Agencies and Private Parties Commenting on the Draft EIR .............. 3-3 3.2.2 List of Public Agencies and Private Parties Commenting on the Recirculated Draft EIR ............................................................................................................................................... 3-3 3.3 Responses to Comments ............................................................................................................................. 3-3 3.3.1 Topical Responses to Comments on the Draft EIR ............................................................. 3-3 Topical Response (TR)–CR-1 Potential Impacts to Historic Resources ............... 3-4 TR-AES-1 Potential View Impacts ........................................................................................ 3-8 TR-ALT-1 Project Alternatives .............................................................................................3-10 3.3.2 Individual Responses to Comments on the Draft EIR .....................................................3-29 Letter No. 1 County Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County ...................3-31 Letter No. 2 Pasadena Heritage ...................................................................................3-37 Letter No. 3 Castle Green Homeowner’s Association .........................................3-47 Letter No. 4 Chatten-Brown & Carstens LLP .........................................................3-91 Letter No. 5 Ann Scheid ................................................................................................ 3-103 Letter No. 6 Kelly Sutherlin McLeod, FAIA .......................................................... 3-111 3.3.3 Comments Received at the Public Hearing on the Draft EIR ..................................... 3-126 3.3.4 Individual Responses to Comments on the Recirculated Draft EIR ....................... 3-130 Letter No. 7 Ciy of San Marino ................................................................................... 3-131 Letter No. 8 Castle Green Homeowner’s Association ....................................... 3-135 3.3.5 Comments Received at the Public Hearing on the Recirculated Draft EIR .......... 3-157 Section 4 Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program ........................................................................ 4-1 Attachment 1 – Design Process Memorandum i Green Hotel Apartments Final EIR Table of Contents List of Figures Figure 2-3a Aerial Overview – Oblique Angel ............................................................................................................. 2-7 Figure 2-5 Site Plan and First Floor Layout ............................................................................................................... 2-9 Figure 3.1-2 Location of On-Site Trees .......................................................................................................... 2-13 & 3-83 Figure 3-1-15 Vantage Point Locations – Vantage Points 5 through 8 ............................................... 2-15 & 3-11 Figure 3-1.16 Vantage Point 5 .............................................................................................................................. 2-17 & 3-13 Figure 3.1-17 Vantage Point 6 .............................................................................................................................. 2-19 & 3-15 Figure 3.1-18 Vantage Point 7 .................................................................................................................... 2-21 & 3-17 Figure 3.1-19 Vantage Point 8 .................................................................................................................... 2-23 & 3-19 Figure 3.1-20 Vantage Point Locations – Vantage Points 9 ..................................................................... 2-25 & 3-21 Figure 3.1-21 Vantage Point 9 ..................................................................................................................... 2-27& 3-23 List of Tables Table 1 Summary of Project Impacts, Conditions of Approval, Mitigation Measures, and Residual Impacts ............................................................................................................................................. 1-7 Table 2-1 Summary Disposition of Protected Trees with Project Implementation ................ 2-3 & 3-81 Table 3-1 Summary of On-Site Trees ........................................................................................................... 2-5 & 3-79 Table 3-2 Summary Disposition of Protected Trees with Project Implementation ............. 2-11 & 3-80 Table 4-6 Reduced Height Alternative – Traffic Generation........................................................................... 2-33 Table 4-1 Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program ................................................................................ 4-3 ii Green Hotel Apartments Final EIR Section 1 Summary Introduction In accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), specifically, CEQA Guidelines Sections 15088, 15089, and 15132, the City of Pasadena (the City) has prepared the Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the proposed Green Hotel Apartments Project (proposed project or project). A Final EIR is defined by Section 15362(b) of the CEQA Guidelines as “containing the information contained in the Draft EIR; comments, either in verbatim or in summary received in the review process; a list of persons commenting; and the responses of the Lead Agency to the comments received.” The Final EIR is organized in the following sections: . Section 1 – Summary: This Section is intended to provide a summary of the CEQA requirements, including Project Location, Setting and Description information, Alternatives to the Project, Areas of Controversy, Issues to be Resolved and a Summary of the Project Impacts and Mitigation Measures. Section 2 – Corrections and Additions: This Section includes changes to text within the Draft EIR and the Recirculated Draft EIR as a result of either comments received from interested parties during the public review period or as initiated by the Lead Agency (City of Pasadena or City). Section 3 – Comments and Responses: This Section includes all comments received on the original Draft EIR during the document’s 45-day public review period, which began on January 24, 2014 and was completed on March 11, 2014, and on the Recirculated Draft EIR during the document’s 45-day public review period, which began on January 20, 2015 and was completed on March 5, 2015. A list of public agencies, organizations, and individuals who submitted comments on the Draft EIR and/or the Recirculated Draft EIR is provided. Responses to comments received on the Draft EIR and Recirculated Draft EIR have been prepared and are included in this Section of this Final EIR. Section 4 – Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program: This Section includes a list of all mitigation measures for the project and identifies the timing associated with, and entity responsible for, implementing each mitigation measure in a table format. Space is provided within the table for tracking mitigation implementation and effectiveness. This document, along with the Draft EIR (incorporated by reference), make up the Final EIR as defined in CEQA Guidelines, Section 15132, which states: The Final EIR shall consist of: (a) The Draft EIR or a revision of the Draft. (b) Comments and recommendations received on the Draft EIR either verbatim or in summary. 1-1 Green Hotel Apartments Final EIR Section 1 Summary (c) A list of persons, organizations, and public agencies commenting on the Draft EIR. (d) The responses of the Lead Agency to significant environmental points raised in the review and consultation process. (e) Any other information added by the Lead Agency. Uses of the Final EIR The Final EIR allows the public and the decision makers the opportunity to review revisions to the Draft EIR and Recirculated Draft EIR, the comments and responses to those comments, and other components of the EIR, such as the Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program, prior to approval of the project. The Final EIR serves as the environmental document to support approval of the proposed project, either in whole or in part. After completing the Final