Downtown Parking Lot and Intermodal Transportation Center Rezone Project Initial Study – Mitigated Negative Declaration prepared by City of Salinas Community Development Department 65 West Alisal Street, 2nd Floor Salinas, California 93901 Contact: Lisa Brinton, Planning Manager prepared with the assistance of Rincon Consultants, Inc. 437 Figueroa Street, Suite 203 Monterey, California 93940 July 2021 RINCON CONSULTANTS, INC. Environmental Scientists | Planners | Engineers rinconconsultants.com Downtown Parking Lot and Intermodal Transportation Center Rezone Project Initial Study – Mitigated Negative Declaration prepared by City of Salinas Community Development Department 65 West Alisal Street, 2nd Floor Salinas, California 93901 Contact: Lisa Brinton, Planning Manager prepared with the assistance of Rincon Consultants, Inc. 437 Figueroa Street, Suite 203 Monterey, California 93940 July 2021 RINCON CONSULTANTS, INC. Environmental Scientists | Planners | Engineers rinconconsultants.com This report prepared on 50% recycled paper with 50% post-consumer content. Table of Contents Table of Contents Initial Study ............................................................................................................................................. 1 1. Project Title ......................................................................................................................... 1 2. Lead Agency/Sponsor Name and Address .......................................................................... 1 3. Contact Person and Phone Number ................................................................................... 1 4. Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 1 5. Project Location .................................................................................................................. 2 6. General Plan Designation .................................................................................................... 2 7. Zoning.................................................................................................................................. 2 8. Setting and Surrounding Land Uses .................................................................................... 8 9. Description of Project ......................................................................................................... 9 10. Other Public Agencies Whose Approval is Required ........................................................12 11. Native American Tribal Consultation ................................................................................12 Environmental Factors Potentially Affected .................................................................................15 Determination...............................................................................................................................15 Environmental Checklist .......................................................................................................................17 1 Aesthetics ..........................................................................................................................17 2 Agriculture and Forestry Resources ..................................................................................29 3 Air Quality .........................................................................................................................31 4 Biological Resources ..........................................................................................................43 5 Cultural Resources ............................................................................................................49 6 Energy ...............................................................................................................................65 7 Geology and Soils ..............................................................................................................71 8 Greenhouse Gas Emissions ...............................................................................................79 9 Hazards and Hazardous Materials ....................................................................................89 10 Hydrology and Water Quality ...........................................................................................95 11 Land Use and Planning ....................................................................................................101 12 Mineral Resources ..........................................................................................................105 13 Noise ...............................................................................................................................107 14 Population and Housing ..................................................................................................123 15 Public Services .................................................................................................................125 16 Recreation .......................................................................................................................129 17 Transportation ................................................................................................................131 18 Tribal Cultural Resources ................................................................................................139 19 Utilities and Service Systems ..........................................................................................143 20 Wildfire............................................................................................................................149 21 Mandatory Findings of Significance ................................................................................151 References ..........................................................................................................................................155 Bibliography ................................................................................................................................155 List of Preparers ..........................................................................................................................162 Initial Study – Mitigated Negative Declaration i City of Salinas Downtown Parking Lot and Intermodal Transportation Center Rezone Project Tables Table 1 PS and MX Zones Regulations ............................................................................................. 7 Table 2 Project Sites Existing Conditions and Surrounding Land Uses ............................................ 8 Table 3 Health Effects Associated with Non-Attainment Criteria Pollutants ................................32 Table 4 Air Quality Thresholds of Significance ..............................................................................33 Table 5 Estimated Maximum Daily Construction Emissions..........................................................37 Table 6 Estimated Maximum Daily Operational Emissions (pounds per day) ...............................38 Table 7 Known and Potential Historical Resources Within or Adjacent to the Rezone Sites ........57 Table 8 Natural Gas Consumption in PG&E Service Area in 2019 .................................................66 Table 9 Estimated Fuel Consumption During Construction ..........................................................67 Table 10 Estimated Project Annual Transportation Energy Consumption ......................................68 Table 11 General Plan Energy Policy Consistency Analysis .............................................................69 Table 12 SB 32 Scoping Plan Emissions Sector Targets ...................................................................83 Table 13 SB 32 Locally Appropriate Project-Specific Threshold ......................................................84 Table 14 PG&E Energy Intensity Factors..........................................................................................85 Table 15 Estimated Construction GHG Emissions ...........................................................................85 Table 16 Combined Annual Emissions of Greenhouse Gases .........................................................86 Table 17 Project Consistency with the City of Salinas General Plan................................................88 Table 18 Cleanup Sites in the Vicinity of the Rezone Sites ..............................................................92 Table 19 Project Consistency with General Plan Policies ..............................................................102 Table 20 AASHTO Maximum Vibration Levels for Preventing Damage .........................................109 Table 21 Human Response to Steady State Vibration ...................................................................110 Table 22 Human Response to Transient Vibration ........................................................................110 Table 23 Significance of Changes in Operational Roadway Noise Exposure .................................111 Table 24 City of Salinas Noise/Land Use Compatibility Matrix ......................................................112 Table 25 Project Sound Level Monitoring Results .........................................................................113 Table 26 Nearest Sensitive Receivers to Rezone Sites ..................................................................115 Table 27 RCNM Results at Each Rezone Site for General Construction Activities .........................117