SIR FRANCIS DRAKE BOULEVARD REHABILITATION PROJECT FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT STATE CLEARING HOUSE NUMBER 2008112004 January 2011 SIR FRANCIS DRAKE BOULEVARD REHABILITATION PROJECT FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT SCH # 2008112004 Submitted to: Marin County Department of Public Works 3501 Civic Center Drive San Rafael, California 94903 Contact: Mr. Dave Bernardi (415) 499-6530 Prepared by: LSA Associates, Inc. 157 Park Place Point Richmond, California 94801 (510) 236-6810 LSA Project No. BKF0902 January 2011 TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1.0 INTRODUCTION.........................................................................................................1 1.1 PURPOSE OF THE EIR..................................................................................................1 1.2 PROPOSED ACTION .....................................................................................................1 1.3 CONTENTS OF THE EIR...............................................................................................2 1.4 PUBLIC REVIEW AND COMMENTS..........................................................................3 1.5 EIR PROCESS.................................................................................................................3 CHAPTER 2.0 SUMMARY ..................................................................................................................5 2.1 SUMMARY OF THE PROPOSED PROJECT ................................................................5 2.2 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT UNAVOIDABLE ADVERSE IMPACTS ..................5 2.3 SUMMARY OF GROWTH INDUCING IMPACTS.......................................................5 2.4 SUMMARY OF CUMULATIVE IMPACTS ..................................................................6 2.5 SUMMARY OF PLAN AND POLICY CONSISTENCY ...............................................8 2.6 EFFECTS FOUND NOT TO BE SIGNIFICANT............................................................9 2.7 SUMMARY OF ALTERNATIVES ANALYSIS ............................................................9 2.8 AREAS OF CONTROVERSY .......................................................................................10 2.9 SUMMARY OF MAJOR CONCLUSIONS...................................................................11 2.10 ISSUES TO BE RESOLVED .........................................................................................12 2.11 SUMMARY TABLE OF IMPACTS AND MITIGATIONS .........................................13 CHAPTER 3.0 PROJECT DESCRIPTION.........................................................................................59 3.1 PROJECT BACKGROUND...........................................................................................59 3.2 PROJECT OBJECTIVES ...............................................................................................59 3.3 EXISTING CONDITIONS.............................................................................................59 3.4 PROPOSED PROJECT...................................................................................................73 3.5 REQUIRED PERMITS AND APPROVALS.................................................................96 CHAPTER 4.0 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ANALYSIS .............................................................99 4.1 LAND USE AND PLANNING POLICY.....................................................................101 4.2 AESTHETICS...............................................................................................................133 4.3 BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES ......................................................................................150 4.4 CULTURAL RESOURCES .........................................................................................217 4.5 GEOLOGY AND SOILS..............................................................................................235 4.6 HYDROLOGY AND WATER QUALITY..................................................................252 4.7 HAZARDS AND HAZARDOUS MATERIALS.........................................................273 4.8 TRAFFIC AND CIRCULATION.................................................................................282 4.9 AIR QUALITY .............................................................................................................295 4.10 NOISE...........................................................................................................................311 4.11 PUBLIC SERVICES AND UTILITIES .......................................................................320 4.12 GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE ..................................................................................331 CHAPTER 5.0 ALTERNATIVES ANALYSIS ................................................................................345 5.1 NO PROJECT ALTERNATIVE ..................................................................................346 5.2 RESURFACE ROADWAY ALTERNATIVE .............................................................349 5.3 MITIGATED ROADWAY ALTERNATIVE ..............................................................351 5.4 ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED BUT REJECTED FROM FURTHER CONSIDERATION .................................................................................................................352 5.5 ENVIRONMENTALLY SUPERIOR ALTERNATIVE..............................................353 CHAPTER 6.0 CEQA REQUIRED ASSESSMENT CONCLUSIONS ...........................................355 P:\BKF0902\EIR\Final EIR\SFDB_Final EIR.doc (01/09/11) i 6.1 GROWTH INDUCING IMPACTS ..............................................................................355 6.2 UNAVOIDABLE SIGNIFICANT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS..........................355 6.3 SIGNIFICANT IRREVERSIBLE CHANGES.............................................................355 6.4 CUMULATIVE IMPACTS ..........................................................................................356 6.5 EFFECTS FOUND NOT TO BE SIGNIFICANT........................................................362 CHAPTER 7.0 REPORT PREPARATION .......................................................................................365 7.1 REPORT PREPARERS ................................................................................................365 7.2 REFERENCES..............................................................................................................366 7.3 COMMUNICATIONS..................................................................................................374 CHAPTER 8.0 ACRONYMS AND GLOSSARY OF TERMS ........................................................375 8.1 ACRONYMS ................................................................................................................375 8.2 GLOSSARY..................................................................................................................378 APPENDICES A: SUMMARY TABLE OF PUBLIC COMMENTS B: NOTICE OF PREPARATION C: COMMENTS RECEIVED IN RESPONSE TO THE NOTICE OF PREPARATION D: TRANSCRIPT OF PUBLIC SCOPING SESSION E: BIOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT F: TREE INVENTORY G: AIR QUALITY MODELING H: GEOTECHNICAL REPORT I: SLOPE INSTABILITY PRELIMINARY GEOTECHNICAL MEMORANDUM P:\BKF0902\EIR\Final EIR\SFDB_Final EIR.doc (01/09/11) ii FIGURES AND TABLES FIGURES Figure 3.1-1: Project Vicinity Map ......................................................................................................61 Figure 3.3-1: Project Location Map .....................................................................................................63 Figure 3.3-2: Existing Site Conditions .................................................................................................65 Figure 3.3-3: Existing Drainage Structures ..........................................................................................69 Figure 3.3-4: Pavement Conditions......................................................................................................71 Figure 3.4-1: Drainage Improvement Illustrations...............................................................................75 Figure 3.4-2: Pullout Improvements.....................................................................................................78 Figure 3.4-3: Slope Repair ...................................................................................................................81 Figure 3.4-4: Visual Simulations of Slope Repair................................................................................83 Figure 3.4-5: Additional Project Improvements...................................................................................85 Figure 3.4-6: Retaining Wall Improvements........................................................................................87 Figure 3.4-7: Visual Simulation of Low Retaining Wall .....................................................................89 Figure 3.4-8: Option A Improvements .................................................................................................93 Figure 4.1-1: Land Use Designations.................................................................................................103 Figure 4.2-1: Project Site and Topography ........................................................................................135 Figure 4.2-2: Tree Removal for Slope Repair ....................................................................................143 Figure 4.2-3: Tree Removal for Option A..........................................................................................145