INITIAL STUDY AND MITIGATED NEGATIVE DECLARATION IMPERIAL HIGHWAY COMMERCIAL CENTER ● 701 EAST IMPERIAL HIGHWAY ● CITY OF LA HABRA INITIAL STUDY AND MITIGATED NEGATIVE DECLARATION IMPERIAL HIGHWAY COMMERCIAL CENTER 701 EAST IMPERIAL HIGHWAY LA HABRA, CALIFORNIA LEAD AGENCY: CITY OF LA HABRA DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT 110 EAST LA HABRA BOULEVARD LA HABRA, CALIFORNIA 90631 REPORT PREPARED BY: BLODGETT BAYLOSIS ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING 2211 S. HACIENDA BOULEVARD, SUITE 107 HACIENDA HEIGHTS, CALIFORNIA 91745 JUNE 4, 2018 LHAB 029 PAGE 1 INITIAL STUDY AND MITIGATED NEGATIVE DECLARATION IMPERIAL HIGHWAY COMMERCIAL CENTER ● 701 EAST IMPERIAL HIGHWAY ● CITY OF LA HABRA THIS PAGE HAS BEEN INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK. PAGE 2 INITIAL STUDY AND MITIGATED NEGATIVE DECLARATION IMPERIAL HIGHWAY COMMERCIAL CENTER ● 701 EAST IMPERIAL HIGHWAY ● CITY OF LA HABRA MITIGATED NEGATIVE DECLARATION PROJECT NAME: Imperial Highway Commercial Center. APPLICANT: Greg Jones Trust and Sunny Investments, LLC, 440 West Whittier Boulevard, La Habra, CA, 90631. ADDRESS: 701 East Imperial Highway. CITY/COUNTY: La Habra, Orange County. DESCRIPTION: The City of La Habra, in its capacity as the Lead Agency, is considering an application to construct and operate four new structures within a 4.24-acre site located on the north side of Imperial Highway. The proposed project’s legal address is 701 East Imperial Highway. Key elements of the project include: ● The proposed project site consists of 184,944 square feet (4.24 acres). The proposed project involves the construction of a hotel, two drive-thru restaurants, and an undetermined fourth office/retail structure. ● The land area of the site that will be occupied by the hotel (herein referred to as Parcel 1) will consist of 92,114 square feet (2.11 acres). The proposed hotel will consist of four stories and will contain a total of 91 guest rooms. The hotel will have a total floor area of 50,744 square feet. ● The land area of the parcel that will be occupied by the first drive-thru restaurant (herein referred to as Parcel 2) will consist of 39,924 square feet (0.92 acres). Parcel 2 will have a total floor area of 2,730 square feet and will be located on the southwestern portion of the project site. ● The land area of the site that will be occupied by the second drive-thru restaurant (herein referred to as Parcel 3) will consist of 32,188 square feet (0.74 acres). This second restaurant will have a total floor area of 2,166 square feet and will be located on the southeastern portion of the project site. ● The land area of the site that will be occupied by the fourth office/retail building (tentative medical office), referred to as Parcel 4, will consist of 20,718 square feet (0.47 acres). The office/retail building will have a total floor area 4,800 square feet and will be located on the northeastern portion of the project site. ● A total of 205 parking spaces provided for the proposed project. Of that total, 144 parking spaces will be assigned to the proposed hotel; 22 parking spaces will be provided for the first drive-thru restaurant; 20 parking spaces will be provided for the second drive-thru restaurant; and 19 parking spaces will be assigned to the office/retail building. PAGE 3 INITIAL STUDY AND MITIGATED NEGATIVE DECLARATION IMPERIAL HIGHWAY COMMERCIAL CENTER ● 701 EAST IMPERIAL HIGHWAY ● CITY OF LA HABRA ● Vehicular access to the proposed development will be provided by two driveways connections located on the north side of Imperial Highway. One driveway will be located along the westernmost portion of the project site and the second driveway will be located in the middle of the project site, where a new left-turn lane and signal will be installed subject to the approval of Caltrans. An additional 26-foot wide driveway easement will be integrated into the project design. This driveway easement will be located in the northwest corner of the site and will connect to Leslie Street through the adjacent property. ● A total of 34,510 square feet will be dedicated to landscaping. This landscaping will be provided throughout the site’s interior and along the Imperial Highway frontage. FINDINGS: The environmental analysis provided in this Initial Study indicates that the proposed project will not result in any significant adverse environmental impacts. For this reason, the City of La Habra determined that a Mitigated Negative Declaration is the appropriate CEQA document for the proposed project. The following findings may be made based on the analysis contained in the attached Initial Study: ● The proposed project will not have the potential to degrade the quality of the environment. ● The proposed project will not have the potential to achieve short-term goals to the disadvantage of long-term environmental goals. ● The proposed project will not have impacts that are individually limited, but cumulatively considerable, when considering planned or proposed development in the City. ● The proposed project will not have environmental effects that will adversely affect humans, either directly or indirectly. The environmental analysis is provided in the attached Initial Study prepared for the proposed project. The project is also described in greater detail in the attached Initial Study. Signature Date Chris Schaefer, Senior Planner PAGE 4 INITIAL STUDY AND MITIGATED NEGATIVE DECLARATION IMPERIAL HIGHWAY COMMERCIAL CENTER ● 701 EAST IMPERIAL HIGHWAY ● CITY OF LA HABRA TABLE OF CONTENTS Section Page 1.0 Introduction ...................................................................................... 7 1.1 Purpose of the Initial Study ................................................................................................... 7 1.2 Initial Study’s Organization .................................................................................................. 8 1.3 Initial Study Checklist ........................................................................................................... 8 2.0 Project Description ........................................................................... 17 2.1 Project Overview ................................................................................................................. 17 2.2 Project Location ................................................................................................................... 17 2.3 Environmental Setting ......................................................................................................... 21 2.4 Project Description .............................................................................................................. 25 2.5 Discretionary Actions .......................................................................................................... 32 3.0 Environmental Analysis ................................................................... 33 3.1 Aesthetics ............................................................................................................................ 34 3.2 Agricultural and Forestry Resources .................................................................................. 38 3.3 Air Quality ........................................................................................................................... 40 3.4 Biological Resources ........................................................................................................... 48 3.5 Cultural Resources ............................................................................................................... 51 3.6 Geology and Soils ................................................................................................................ 56 3.7 Greenhouse Gas Emissions ................................................................................................. 62 3.8 Hazards and Hazardous Materials ..................................................................................... 66 3.9 Hydrology and Water Quality ............................................................................................. 70 3.10 Land Use and Planning ........................................................................................................ 76 3.11 Mineral Resources ............................................................................................................... 80 3.12 Noise ..................................................................................................................................... 81 3.13 Population and Housing ...................................................................................................... 91 3.14 Public Services ..................................................................................................................... 92 3.15 Recreation ........................................................................................................................... 96 3.16 Transportation and Circulation .......................................................................................... 97 3.17 Tribal Cultural Resources ................................................................................................. 144 3.18 Utilities ............................................................................................................................... 146 3.19 Mandatory Findings of Significance .................................................................................. 152 4.0 Conclusions .................................................................................... 153 4.1