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_Executive SummaryExecutive Summary Executive Summary Espola Road Improvement Project Final EIR ES-1 May 2013 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This summary provides a brief synopsis of the Espola Road Improvement Project (Project), the results of the environmental analysis, and Project alternatives considered within this Environmental Impact Report (EIR). The summary does not contain the extensive background and analysis found in this EIR. Therefore, the reader should review the entire EIR to fully understand the Project, its alternatives and its environmental consequences. ES.1 INTRODUCTION The City of Poway (City) is proposing to address roadway capacity and safety enhancements on Espola Road, located within the City. This EIR addresses the Project and is an informational document intended for use by both decision makers and the public. It has been prepared specifically to disclose information regarding the Project and its potential environmental impacts and benefits for any interested member of the public, as well as the City Council, which will be making a decision about whether or not to approve the Project based on its contents. Because the City proposes partial use of federal funds for the Project, the Project is subject to federal, as well as City and state, environmental review requirements. Project technical documentation has been prepared in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). This EIR has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of CEQA, the State CEQA Guidelines (as amended) and City standards. There are two lead agencies for this Project under state and federal laws. Lead agencies are those public agencies with responsibility for preparing and approving the document. The City is the lead agency for CEQA because the roadways are located within City boundaries, the Project falls under the jurisdiction of the City’s Development Services Department and the City is the Project proponent. Because of anticipated partial federal funding, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) traditionally would be lead agency under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) acting as its agent and providing oversight for the NEPA processing. While retaining responsibility for engineering, in 2007, the FHWA delegated responsibility for environmental analysis on local roadways to Caltrans, so that Caltrans now acts as lead agency for NEPA documentation. Should the City continue to pursue partial federal funding, it is anticipated that Caltrans will prepare a Categorical Exclusion under NEPA (which will be separately circulated). Updates/modifications to NEPA-required technical studies prior to Categorical Exclusion preparation would also be completed. Following public circulation of this EIR and receipt of comments from the public and reviewing agencies, the City may: (1) give environmental approval to the proposed Project, (2) undertake additional environmental studies, or (3) abandon the Project. If the Project is given environmental approval and funding is appropriated, the City could design and construct all or part of the Project. Executive Summary Espola Road Improvement Project Final EIR ES-2 May 2013 ES.2 PROJECT LOCATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING Location and Relation to Surrounding Roadways The Project site is located in the eastern portion of the City of Poway in San Diego County, California. Espola Road, also known as County Road S5, serves as a primary link between Poway’s northern, northeastern, and central residential areas. It also provides the northernmost link between Poway and Interstate 15 (I-15), and, as such, it provides an important east-west route in the northern portion of Poway. The Project area contains a variety of land uses overwhelmingly dominated by single-family residential dwelling units. The number of cross streets and driveway access points onto Espola Road on this portion of the roadway decreases its usefulness for through traffic. The segment of Espola Road south of the Project area, between Twin Peaks Road and Poway Road, also serves as an important inter-city link and a regional link between I-15 and State Route 67 (SR 67). Within the study area, Espola Road is currently a two-lane collector extending in a north-south direction with a posted speed limit of 45 miles per hour. The current Master Transportation Element uses a design capacity threshold for service. The threshold is 80 to 90 percent of capacity, which translates to level of service (LOS) D. (Capacity, at a 1:1 volume equals capacity, translates to LOS E.) According to the 2006 Traffic Analysis, the segments of Espola Road between Twin Peaks Road and Titan Way operate at the equivalent of LOS F with an average daily traffic (ADT) ranging between 19,327 and 21,165. By 2030, Espola Road between Twin Peaks Road and Titan Way is forecasted to carry ADT ranging between 21,378 and 23,411, all of which would remain LOS F. LOS A through D is considered acceptable for street segments and intersections in urbanized areas by the City. These levels assume that delays at intersections do not exceed 10, 20, 35, and 55 seconds, respectively. The unsignalized intersection of Espola Road and Durhullen Drive/Golden Sunset operates at LOS F (greater than 80 seconds delay) in the a.m. peak hour, and at LOS E in the p.m. peak hour. Per the 2006 Traffic Analysis, all other intersections operate at an acceptable LOS C or B for both the a.m. and p.m. peak hours. The Transportation Master Element (TME) of the City’s General Plan, amended in 2010, specifies that this segment of Espola Road be improved to include a 12-foot wide two-way left-turn lane in the roadway median, as well as bike lanes. The road would then have a design threshold of 24,000 ADT, with a capacity of 29,000 ADT (City 2010). Changes in Adjacent Uses/Planning Constraints Within a period of 50 years, the community grew from less than 1,600 persons (in 1957) to a primary residential and commercial community with a population of approximately 50,000. During the 1970s, Poway’s population increased by 139 percent (from 14,000 people to nearly 33,500). Between 1980 and 1990, City population growth increased 30 percent—from approximately 33,500 to over 43,500 (City 1991b); and in 2010, a population of 47,811 people lived in the City (2010 U.S. Census). The projected rate of growth is now slowing. By 2020, an estimated 54,070 people will reside in City, and population is projected to increase to 59,808 by 2050 (SANDAG 2010b). Executive Summary Espola Road Improvement Project Final EIR ES-3 May 2013 Within the segment of Espola Road addressed by this Project, the above-described growth was clearly reflected during this same period (1955 on). The portion of Espola Road between Twin Peaks Road and the northern Project terminus was primarily undeveloped at the beginning of this period. Currently, Espola Road is edged by a fairly dense concentration of primarily single- family residential uses (individually designed and built homes as well as housing tracts), although some commercial, religious, recreational and educational facilities also are present. Facilities abutting or accessed via Espola Road include both open space and developed uses. The Blue Sky Ecological Reserve (Reserve), located approximately 0.7 mile northeast of the Project alignment, is a 700-acre natural habitat reserve with hiking, horseback riding and interpretive trails. Lake Poway Recreational Area, located just to the south of the Reserve, also offers multiple recreational activities. The Poway Center for the Performing Arts (PCPA), an 815-seat professional theater, is located just north of the northern terminus of the proposed Project, adjacent to Poway High School (PHS) at Titan Way. At the extreme south end of the Project alignment, immediately south of Twin Peaks Road, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints is located east of Espola Road. The Montessori Child Development Center is located on the east side of Espola Road, approximately mid-way through the Project to the west. The Poway Valley Riders Association (PVRA) equestrian center is located approximately 0.25 mile west of Espola Road, south of Twin Peaks Road. Elements of native habitat still exist within the Project study area. These areas contain remnants of southern mixed chaparral, Diegan coastal sage scrub, non-native grassland, southern willow riparian forest, and southern willow scrub. Overall, although the nature of the community abutting the roadway has physically changed, one of the City’s enduring characteristics is a population that retains interest in more rural pursuits. Of particular note is the fact that a number of properties along this segment of the road (as well as residences set off the road, but using Espola Road as primary access) support equestrian uses in addition to residences. North-south trails are shown in the TME in the vicinity of Espola Road, and the primary local equestrian center (PVRA) is located south of Twin Peaks Road to the west of the Project area. Equestrians cross Espola Road at signalized intersections using signal change buttons sited for pedestrians at Del Poniente, and cross from sidewalk to sidewalk using equestrian signal change buttons at Twin Peaks Road. A signed unsignalized horse crossing also is located at Mountain Road, which may contribute to riders routing themselves along Espola Road (where no equestrian path exists or is planned). ES.3 PROJECT HISTORY The City has been monitoring conditions of vehicular congestion and pedestrian/equestrian uses along Espola Road for the past decade. According to the City General Plan TME, the roadway has been slated for widening and associated improvements for over 25 years. A program to widen the road was first actively pursued by the City in the late 1990s, but lapsed due to funding issues (as well as opposition from abutting property owners). Executive Summary Espola Road Improvement Project Final EIR ES-4 May 2013 In 2002, however, the regional need to pursue improvements to this roadway segment, as well as the possibility of obtaining federal funding to help pay for the Project, led the City to again pursue bringing the roadway into compliance with the City’s General Plan. At that time, Espola Road was planned to be four lanes in this area, and 2003 design efforts identified three alternatives that would improve this segment of the road to that standard, as well as associated improvements for pedestrian, equestrian and bicycle users. New modeling undertaken by the City to update the traffic projections through 2030 (earlier modeling covered the period through 2025) also focused on specific segments of Espola Road rather than relying on more generalized modeling provided by SANDAG for all area roads (and upon which earlier traffic modeling had been based). This more specific review indicated that a three-lane design would be functional and operate within desired standards. As noted above, the current TME plans Espola Road to be two through lanes with a center two-way left-turn in this area, and 2003 design efforts identified three alternatives that would improve this segment of the road to that standard, as well as associated improvements for pedestrian, equestrian and bicycle users. The three-lane alternative is the Project described below and addressed in Chapters 2.0 and 3.0 of this EIR. The three-lane design is located wholly within the footprint of design scenarios evaluated for a four-lane roadway and would result in fewer environmental impacts while still meeting Project objectives (see below). Another beneficial aspect of the smaller footprint is that a full parcel acquisition that would have been required under one of the previously analyzed design scenarios (Assessor’s Parcel Number [APN] 321-011-24; see Chapter 6.0 of this EIR) would not occur under the current Project. ES.4 PROJECT OBJECTIVES As stated in the City of Poway General Plan, it is the goal of the City “…to provide a safe, realistic, efficient, and integrated transportation system to serve the present and future mobility needs of all the residents of Poway” (City 1991a:2, as amended). The proposed Project is designed to relieve congestion, and improve safety (vehicle, pedestrian, bicycle and equestrian) and roadway operations on Espola Road. The Project would increase the capacity of the existing roadway, resulting in Espola Road meeting the design capacity threshold and operating at the equivalent of an improved LOS D or C for Espola Road segments between Titan Way and Twin Peaks Road. Intersections would operate at LOS D (Espola Road at Twin Peaks in the a.m. peak hour) to LOS A, B or C for all other signalized intersections (including Espola Road and Durhullen Drive/Golden Sunset, which would be signalized as part of the Project). Roadway safety also would be improved, due to incorporation of consistent (and continued) bike lanes and pathways edging the road. ES.5 PROJECT DESCRIPTION In overview, the proposed Project would provide circulation improvements to Espola Road from approximately 1,000 feet south of the intersection of Espola Road and Titan Way (just north of Willow Ranch Road) to the intersection of Espola Road and Twin Peaks Road, with drainage improvements continuing to approximately 500 feet south to where Espola Road crosses Executive Summary Espola Road Improvement Project Final EIR ES-5 May 2013 Rattlesnake Creek. Improvements would consist of widening and resurfacing the road from a two-lane to three-lane facility. Necessary traffic safety (new or upgraded signals), utilities (undergrounding), drainage (increased capacity), pedestrian (sidewalks and pathways), bikeway (designated bicycle lanes), equestrian crossings (a marked crossing with equestrian push buttons at Del Poniente Road) and landscaping improvements (slope and parkway plantings with street trees) also would occur. These improvements would take place within slightly expanded road right-of-way; new right-of-way would total 18,687 square feet. Roadway Upgrades One 12-foot wide vehicle lane would carry traffic in each direction from the northern Project terminus south of Titan Way to the intersection of Espola Road and Twin Peaks Road. A dedicated 12-foot wide turn lane would be located between them. The Project generally would be superimposed on the existing road right-of-way, and would follow both the horizontal and vertical alignment of the current road. Roadway right-of-way would range from 60 to 96 feet in width. The road would continue to have a design speed of 45 miles per hour. One traffic signal would be upgraded (at the intersection of Espola Road with High Valley Road/Del Poniente Road), and one new signal would be constructed at the intersection of Espola Road and Golden Sunset/Durhullen Drive. Minimum eight-foot wide bike lanes and five-foot wide sidewalks would parallel improved portions of the road on both sides, which is consistent with the 2010 TME. Where possible, a non-contiguous sidewalk would be installed with a landscaped parkway to separate vehicular traffic from pedestrian traffic. New landscaping generally would be provided along the length of the improved roadway, and is planned to both provide a unifying Project element (both along this section of Espola Road, as well as with other major City streets) and screen potential sound walls proposed as sound mitigation. The proposed landscape plant palette complies with the City’s Landscape and Irrigation Design Manual (City 2010), as well as Executive Order 13112 for federally funded projects, which prohibits use of invasive plant species. A total of approximately 1,850 feet of retaining walls—varying from 3 to 11 feet in height—is proposed as part of the Project. All of these retaining walls would be provided north of Jerome Drive, with the highest (11-foot) wall located on the east side of Espola Road. New street lighting would consist of concrete poles supporting 180-watt low-pressure sodium lamps spaced 250 to 300 feet apart on both sides of Espola Road. Proposed improvements to Espola Road also would require the relocation of several existing electric, gas, cable, telephone and water utility lines. No sewer relocations would be required. The City also would modify and/or replace the existing storm drain system along the roadway with upgraded facilities. The existing system is primarily corrugated metal pipe and, over the years, has deteriorated significantly, and the existing systems are undersized in many locations. Accordingly, all proposed storm drain facilities would be designed to accommodate 100-year Executive Summary Espola Road Improvement Project Final EIR ES-6 May 2013 storm flows (per City standards) and would consist of reinforced concrete pipe or reinforced concrete box culverts. In addition, the existing outlet structure discharging to the Rattlesnake Creek tributary at the southern end of the study area would be modified or replaced in the same location. Construction Activities Project implementation would include excavation, grading and construction activities associated with the above-described road improvements, culminating in a total of approximately 17.2 acres of hardscape at ultimate buildout (including both existing and new hardscape). Construction activities generally would occur within the existing roadway right-of-way, as well as a Project staging area, which is a City-owned parcel located on Twin Peaks Road just west of the Espola Road. Two open travel lanes would be maintained during construction during the a.m. and p.m. peak traffic hours. Excluding a.m. and p.m. peak travel periods, traffic control flaggers would route drivers and bicyclists along a single lane adjacent to the construction zone. Lane closures would not be allowed during commute hours (7:00 to 9:00 a.m., 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. and 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.). Approximately 12.1 acres would be graded and primary grading activities would be completed within a four-month period. Preliminary earthwork totals assume approximately 5,691 cubic yards of cut and 7,905 cubic yards of fill material (soil import is anticipated). Maximum cut and fill slopes generally would be approximately 25 feet in height, with maximum grades of 50 percent (2:1) for manufactured slopes. Blasting may be required in areas of shallow bedrock, and some large rocks are present in the vicinity of Northcrest Lane on the east side of Espola Road. (It is possible that the rocks may be broken rather than blasted apart.) Where blasting is necessary, these operations would precede other roadway grading activities and would be completed in a relatively short time period. In accordance with the Poway Municipal Code (PMC), Project construction typically would be limited to the hours of 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday (excluding holidays), and the construction activity noise level would not be permitted to exceed an 8-hour average of 75 decibels during any 24-hour period when measured at an existing (or proposed) residential property line. Work would occur on Sundays, holidays or nighttime only if required and approved by the City for health and safety purposes (e.g., emergency access is somehow blocked or blasting has left an unsafe condition). The proposed Project would require the reconstruction of several driveway approaches located along Espola Road. Driveways in areas of steeper slopes would be realigned/reconstructed at a maximum grade of 25 percent, in accordance with City standards. It is anticipated that reconstruction of individual driveway approaches temporarily would interrupt driveway access for approximately 6 to 72 hours. The timing of driveway approach reconstruction and location of alternative parking would be coordinated with each individual property owner prior to construction. Executive Summary Espola Road Improvement Project Final EIR ES-7 May 2013 The Project design would include a number of standard measures to minimize effects related to air and water contamination during construction. The Project construction program would include a temporary traffic control plan to minimize interruptions of existing traffic patterns and avoid related safety hazards during construction, in accordance with California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). It is possible that during reconstruction of driveways a portion of the existing driveways could be maintained for use. In any event, access to existing homes and businesses along or adjacent to the Project site would be maintained during construction by creating temporary driveways, and/or providing alternate access points, all within the evaluated Project footprint. ES.6 REQUIRED DISCRETIONARY PERMITS AND ACTIONS City Discretionary Actions Following receipt of public comments on the EIR and circulation of the Final EIR, the City Council will determine whether to certify the EIR and issue Findings. The Findings will summarize significant impacts associated with the Project. If mitigation is not proposed that would reduce the impact to less than significant levels following implementation, a Statement of Overriding Considerations (SOC) will identify each of those impacts, and explain both why the impact is not being fully mitigated and what overriding consideration supports the City in moving forward. (Overriding considerations would explain the City’s reason[s] regarding why on balance Espola Road conditions with the Project impact would be more beneficial than conditions without the Project.) The City Council also must make a decision in the future whether to approve the Project for construction and approve required land acquisitions. Other Discretionary Actions As the federal Lead Agency with authority delegated by the FHWA, Caltrans will prepare a Categorical Exclusion based on technical studies to support the separate federal NEPA documentation process and make the appropriate conclusions regarding the level of significance of Project impacts. The City will not be able to access federal funds for final design, right-of-way arrangements or construction until both the City’s CEQA process and the federal NEPA environmental process are complete. In addition, the FHWA will only provide federal funding for a project that is considered feasible under NEPA, meaning the Project provides all features needed to completely meet the purpose and need. Therefore, if the City selects a design that is not considered to be feasible by FHWA/Caltrans, federal funding would not be provided and Project monies would have to be obtained by the City from a different source. Other agencies would use this document to make discretionary decisions regarding Project permits in accordance with CEQA and NEPA requirements, as summarized in Table ES-1. Executive Summary Espola Road Improvement Project Final EIR ES-8 May 2013 Table ES-1 PERMITS AND APPROVALS Agency Permit/Approval Status U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) Nationwide Permit 14 (Linear Transportation Crossings) under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act Requires Section 401 Water Quality Certification for permit authorization (see below) U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Section 7 Consultation (informal) Informal consultation was completed June 2007 Caltrans Headquarters Post-1960 structures analysis under Programmatic Agreement Concurrence received May 2005 State Historic Preservation Officer Section 106 Consultation Concurrence on finding of No Historic Properties Affected received January 3, 2006, with update concurrence obtained October 11, 2010 California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) 1602 Streambed Alteration Agreement Requires EIR certification for Agreement issuance Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) Section 401 Water Quality Certification Requires EIR certification for Certification issuance Conformance with Municipal Storm Water Permit Conformance with existing permit required; will be demonstrated through implementation of the approved project Water Quality Technical Report Conformance with General Groundwater Extraction Waste Discharge Permit Conformance with existing permit required; will be demonstrated through application to the RWQCB and implementation of appropriate best management practices (BMPs) by the construction contractor State Water Resources Control Board General Construction Activity Storm Water Permit Conformance with existing permit required; will be demonstrated through implementation of a SWPPP to be prepared by construction contractor Executive Summary Espola Road Improvement Project Final EIR ES-9 May 2013 ES.7 ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS This EIR contains an environmental analysis of the potential impacts associated with implementing the Project. Impacts associated with land use, visual/aesthetics, noise, biological resources, cultural resources and geology/soils would be significant. Table ES-2 (at the end of this section) summarizes the Project’s potentially significant environmental impacts and proposed mitigation measures by issue, as analyzed in Chapter 2.0 of this EIR. The last column of the table indicates whether the impact would be reduced to below a level of significance after implementation of the proposed mitigation measures or could remain significant. ES.8 EFFECTS FOUND NOT TO BE SIGNIFICANT During preparation of this EIR, impacts associated with the following environmental issues were determined to not be significant: traffic/transportation, air quality, hazards/hazardous materials, paleontological resources, public services and population/housing. Based on the initial study prepared for the proposed Project, the City has determined that the Project would not have the potential to cause significant adverse effects in the following areas: scenic highways and light and glare (aesthetics); agricultural resources; odor (air quality); transport of hazardous materials, airport/airstrip conflict and risk of wildlife (hazards and hazardous materials); mineral resources; airport proximity (noise); construction of replacement housing and parks (population and housing); recreation; air traffic, hazards and emergency access, and alternative transportation (traffic/transportation); and water and waste systems. ES.9 PROJECT ALTERNATIVES The alternatives addressed for this Project include the No Project, the Alternative Location, a series of build alternatives developed for a potential four-lane roadway, and design alternatives attempting to retain a two-lane configuration. No Project Alternative A “No Project” alternative discussion is an EIR requirement (State CEQA Guidelines Section 15126.6[e]). The No Project Alternative is included to provide a basis against which the impacts from the build alternatives are compared. The No Project Alternative assumes that no major improvements would be made and no major construction would occur on Espola Road and the associated intersections within the Project area. Ongoing maintenance activities would continue. Existing failing LOS on roadway segments and intersections would continue, and the City design capacity threshold would not be met. The lack of standardized sidewalks/pathways along certain portions of the road would be retained. The upgrades specified in the TME of the City’s General Plan would not be implemented, and existing adverse conditions would be exacerbated as a result of growth planned for the region in general. As part of the No Project review, Traffic Management Systems (TMS) revisions were evaluated to see if traffic flow could be improved without widening. Types of revisions/measures evaluated for Espola Road include traffic signal coordination along the corridor, re-striping and Executive Summary Espola Road Improvement Project Final EIR ES-10 May 2013 any other measures that would improve operations without necessarily widening or physically improving the roadway. Along the Project corridor, there are two traffic signals that could be re- timed to provide better progression of vehicular traffic. The two signals are spaced approximately 1.5 miles apart. Although re-timing them to be coordinated could gain some additional vehicle progression efficiency, the additional efficiency gained would not provide enough additional capacity to provide better LOS under the future timeframes. Re-striping Espola Road also is not considered effective due to the limited roadway width available to provide for additional lanes. Public transit operations, provided by Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) are serving this section of Espola Road, with two bus routes that serve the area. Therefore, of the limited number of options to revise the existing TMS, none is seen as a practical alternative to the proposed Project. The future traffic volumes are such that non- construction system modifications would not provide for the additional capacity necessary to have acceptable operations and LOS. Roadway capacity and operational and safety deficiencies would not be corrected with the implementation of the No Project Alternative. As a result, this alternative does not meet the objectives of the proposed Project. Alternatives Considered But Rejected Alternative Location Under CEQA, off-site alternatives should be considered if development of another site is feasible and would reduce or avoid the significant impacts of a proposed project. Factors that need to be considered when identifying an off-site alternative include the size of the site, its location, the General Plan (or other applicable planning document) land use designation and availability of infrastructure. For Espola Road, the overall purpose is to alleviate congestion on an existing roadway in a developed setting. If another road sited in an alternative location were to be improved, it could not guarantee meeting the objective of satisfying reduction in congestion on Espola Road. Travelers might choose to still use the existing congested roadway option due to familiarity, or because it is in a more direct line of travel. In addition, a baseline requirement of the CEQA alternative location is that the new location reduces significant impacts associated with the location of the proposed project. Because there are so few relatively direct north-south routes through the City, and because the surrounding areas also are heavily developed or in dedicated open space, it is not anticipated that an alternative location would lessen potential impacts. Any effort to find a route crossing open space would result in likely increased biological impacts, which are minimal in amount with the proposed Project. Similarly, although significant noise impacts are identified for the Project, there is no location just west or east of Espola Road that would not affect existing adjacent residences. A new road route would increase noise impacts by moving the road closer to other homes, and potentially require removal of homes as well. A potential for greater, rather than reduced, impacts overall would occur if the crossing location were to be changed. Taking all of these factors into account, the identification of an alternative location was rejected due to infeasibility. Executive Summary Espola Road Improvement Project Final EIR ES-11 May 2013 Design Alternatives Reviewed in Detail Three build alternatives were given detailed analysis during earlier phases of this Project. These include the Conventional Roadway (Alternative 1), the Split Grade Roadway (Alternative 2), and the Westerly Roadway Alignment (Alternative 3). Each of these build alternatives would have provided roadway and associated improvements to Espola Road from approximately 1,000 feet south of the intersection of Espola Road and Titan Way to the intersection of Twin Peaks Road and Espola Road (the same distance assumed for the proposed Project). For all three alternatives, improvements would have consisted of widening the two-lane road to a four-lane secondary arterial, as well as necessary traffic safety, drainage, pedestrian, equestrian and landscaping improvements. Alternative 1 – Conventional Roadway Alternative 1 was generally superimposed on the existing road right-of-way, and would have followed both the horizontal and vertical alignment of the current road. Alternative 1 also would have included the following:  Re-routing of driveways for three properties south of High Valley Road on the east side of the roadway. The re-routing would have required alternative access areas and additional private access easements for these three properties  Substantial soil excavation (50 to 60 feet) into the slope on the east side of the roadway in the area of Northcrest Lane and south of High Valley Road  Right-of-way and slope easement acquisition totaling 4.46 acres  One full parcel acquisition (APN 321-011-24) of property adjacent to Espola Road immediately north of Jerome Drive Similar to existing conditions, City secondary arterials have a design speed of 45 miles per hour. An approximately 14-foot wide striped or raised median would have been included for the entire length of the roadway widening. Similar to the proposed Project, one new signal would have been constructed at the intersection of Espola Road and Golden Sunset Lane. Alternative 2 – Split Grade Roadway Alternative 2, a split grade alternative, incorporated many of the elements of Alternative 1. From the vicinity of Golden Sunset Lane southerly, Project elements would have been identical. Variations would have occurred on the east side of Espola Road just south of High Valley Road, and in the area approximately 250 feet south of the water tank. The western (southbound) lanes would have retained the existing grade and the eastern (northbound) lanes would have been constructed at a higher grade supported by retaining walls, thereby minimizing cuts into slopes on the east side of the roadway. The retaining walls would have ranged up to 10 feet in height. Alternative 2 also would have included the following:  Reconstruction of the driveways for three properties south of High Valley Road on the east side of the roadway Executive Summary Espola Road Improvement Project Final EIR ES-12 May 2013  Reduction in the size of cuts into slope required for Alternative 1 on the east side of the roadway in the area of Northcrest Lane and south of High Valley Road  Reconstruction of several hundred feet of existing waterline in the area of Northcrest Lane  Right-of-way and slope easement acquisition totaling 4.24 acres Alternative 2 would vary from Alternative 1 in that:  No re-routing of driveways would be required  The full parcel acquisition of property (APN 321-011-24) adjacent to Espola Road immediately north of Jerome Drive would have been eliminated Alternative 3 – Westerly Roadway Alignment Alternative 3, the residential property impact minimization alternative, also shared many elements with Alternative 1, and was identical from High Valley Road northerly, and from the vicinity of Golden Sunset Lane southerly. Just south of High Valley Road, and on the east side of the roadway, right-of-way acquisition from residential properties would have been minimized, with increased right-of-way acquisition occurring on the western side of the road. Right-of-way and slope easement acquisition would total 4.82 acres. Alternative 3 would have varied from Alternative 1 in:  Elimination of the full parcel acquisition of property (APN 321-011-24) adjacent to Espola Road immediately north of Jerome Drive  Demolition and reconstruction of detached garage on property (APN 321-011-41) on west side of roadway (across from APN 321-011-24)  No re-routing of the driveways for three properties south of High Valley Road on the east side of the roadway  Reduction in size of excavation cuts into slope on the east side of the roadway in the area of Northcrest Lane and south of High Valley Road and increases in fill on the west side of Espola Road Rationale for Rejecting Design Alternatives Reviewed in Detail Because an objective of the Project is to improve conditions on an existing roadway, the potential impact footprint within which to consider alternatives is relatively constrained. Any roadway improvements would, therefore, necessarily affect abutting parcels. Project design was guided by a desire on the part of the City to limit the adverse effects associated with roadway widening, and retain the community’s rural character to the extent possible while still achieving the improved LOS as outlined in the General Plan. Accordingly, project alternatives that would sufficiently improve traffic conditions, while not requiring unnecessary expansion of the road with greater need to acquire private property, were considered to be superior. As the Traffic Analysis (Appendix F) discusses, the use of a two-way left-turn lane is appropriate for roadways with less than 24,000 projected ADT and would still accomplish the LOS objectives on such a road (KOA Corporation 2006). Because an alternative (the proposed Project) exists that would Executive Summary Espola Road Improvement Project Final EIR ES-13 May 2013 meet the Project objectives while requiring less acquisition of private property and minimizing visual changes that might alter the rural character of the community, the three build alternatives that involved construction of additional lanes were rejected. Additional Design Alternatives During the Project alternatives development process, additional build alternatives were considered but eliminated from more detailed review in this EIR. The purpose of the following alternatives was to reduce the amount of new right-of-way needed by reducing the Project footprint. These include the Two-lane Collector with Safety Improvements (Alternative 4), Four-lane Intersection Alternative (Alternative 4A), and Single-lane Roundabout Alternative (Alternative 5). Alternative 4 – Two-lane Collector with Safety Improvements Alternative 4 generally would have maintained Espola Road as a two-lane collector beginning approximately 1,000 feet south of the intersection of Espola Road and Titan Way and ending 200 feet south of the crossing of Rattlesnake Creek. Improvements would consist of the necessary traffic safety, drainage, sidewalk and pathway upgrades, and landscaping improvements described for Alternative 1. A 12-foot wide striped or raised median would be included for the entire length of the roadway widening. Although the roadway would be maintained as a two-lane collector, the Espola Road and High Valley Road traffic signal would be upgraded and one new signal would be constructed at the intersection of Espola Road and Golden Sunset Lane. At each of these intersections, Alternative 4 would add one through lane in each direction, and retain turn pockets for north- and southbound traffic. This alternative was eliminated from further evaluation because it was unable to meet the Project objectives in their entirety. Improvements provided by the alternative would not adequately meet the Project objectives for increased roadway capacity along the street segments. Each roadway segment would continue to fail (equivalent to LOS F) with this alternative under both the near-term and future scenarios. Alternative 4A – Four-lane Intersection Alternative 4A generally would have maintained Espola Road as a two-lane collector beginning approximately 1,000 feet south of the intersection of Espola Road and Titan Way and ending 200 feet south of the crossing of Rattlesnake Creek. Improvements would have consisted of the necessary traffic safety, drainage, sidewalk and pathway upgrades, and landscaping improvements described for Alternative 1. A striped or raised median (12 feet wide) would have been included for the entire length of the roadway widening. Although the roadway would have been maintained as a two-lane collector, intersections would have been improved by adding one additional through lane (for a total of two new lane segments) in each direction to Espola Road at its intersection with Durhullen Drive/Golden Sunset Lane and High Valley Road/Del Poniente Road. Similar to the proposed Project, one traffic signal Executive Summary Espola Road Improvement Project Final EIR ES-14 May 2013 would have been upgraded (at the intersection of Espola Road with High Valley Road), and one new signal would have been constructed at the intersection of Espola Road and Golden Sunset Lane. At each of these intersections, the alternative would retain turn pockets for north- and southbound traffic. This alternative was eliminated from further evaluation because it was unable to meet the Project objectives in their entirety. Improvements provided by the alternative would not adequately meet the Project objectives for safety or increased roadway capacity along the street segments. With capacity enhancements (two through lanes in each direction) only at two intersections, vehicles traveling through the improved intersections would have to immediately merge back into a single travel lane in each direction between the signalized four-lane intersections and the two-lane roadway segments. These conflict points would result in adverse effects on safety as vehicles merge back onto the narrower roadway segments. A slight increase in roadway capacity would have been realized from the additional lanes at the two intersections and the addition of a raised median as discussed above but each roadway segment would continue to fail with this alternative under both the near-term and future scenarios. Alternative 5 – Roundabout Alternative 5 also would have maintained Espola Road as a two-lane collector beginning at approximately 1,000 feet south of the intersection of Espola Road and Titan Way and ending 200 feet south of the crossing of Rattlesnake Creek. Improvements would have consisted of the traffic safety, drainage, sidewalks and pathways, and landscaping improvements described for Alternative 1. A striped or raised median approximately 14 feet in width would have been included for the entire length of the roadway widening. Although the roadway would have been maintained as a two-lane collector, intersections would have been improved by adding a two-lane roundabout at the intersection of Espola Road and Twin Peaks Road, and single-lane roundabouts at the intersections of Espola Road with Durhullen Drive/Golden Sunset and Del Poniente Road/High Valley Road, to provide continuous traffic flow through these intersections. This alternative was rejected due to its inability to meet Project objectives with regard to traffic flow, as well as increased private property acquisition for necessary road right-of-way at the Espola Road and Twin Peaks Road two-lane roundabout locale. Environmentally Superior Alternative Although the No Project Alternative would result in minimal or substantially reduced environmental impacts, Section 15126.6(e)(2) of the State CEQA Guidelines requires identification of an alternative other than the No Project Alternative as the environmentally superior alternative. Accordingly, the proposed Project is considered to be the environmentally superior alternative for the widening of Espola Road. As opposed to the other build alternatives analyzed in detail, which would widen Espola Road to a four-lane secondary arterial, the proposed Project would only widen the road to three lanes, thereby resulting in reduced impacts to visual/aesthetics, biological and cultural resources, and geology/soils. In addition, the Executive Summary Espola Road Improvement Project Final EIR ES-15 May 2013 proposed Project would not result in any additional impacts not assessed for the four-lane build alternatives. Also, as discussed in Section 6.3.3, the additional design alternatives that involved reduced roadway improvements were rejected because they would not have met the basic Project objectives of improving traffic to operate within design capacity thresholds. Executive Summary Es p o l a R o a d I m p r o v e m e n t P r o j e c t F i n a l E I R ES-16 Ma y 2 0 1 3 Ta b l e E S - 2 SI G N I F I C A N T I M P A C T S A N D P R O P O S E D M I T I G A T I O N Si g n i f i c a n t I m p a c t M i t i g a t i o n M e a s u r e s Analysis of Significance After Mitigation La n d U s e Ci t y p o l i c i e s s u p p o r t a s a f e a n d pl e a s a n t a c o u s t i c a l e n v i r o n m e n t fo r C i t y r e s i d e n t s . C e r t a i n re s i d e n t i a l p r o p e r t i e s a l o n g E s p o l a Ro a d w o u l d e x p e r i e n c e p o t e n t i a l ad v e r s e n o i s e e f f e c t s d u e t o ex i s t i n g o r p r o j e c t e d t r a f f i c vo l u m e s . R e s t r i c t i o n o f s o u n d wa l l s t o e i g h t f e e t i n h e i g h t i s co m m o n l y n o t e d i n C i t y p l a n n i n g do c u m e n t s ( e . g . , P u b l i c S a f e t y Ma s t e r E l e m e n t S t r a t e g y 8 ) . Mi t i g a t i o n m e a s u r e s r e l a t e d t o n o i s e , w h i c h a r e f o u n d i n S e c t i o n 2 . 3 , w o u l d b e im p l e m e n t e d . ( T h e r e a d e r i s r e f e r r e d t o t h is s e c t i o n f o r s p e c i f i c s . ) P o t e n t i a l a d v e r s e im p a c t s t o l a n d u s e p o l i c y c o n s i s t e n c y f o r n o i se c o u l d b e a d e q u a t e l y m i t i g a t e d t h r o u g h im p l e m e n t a t i o n o f a l l n o i s e m e a s u r e s a n d n o ad d i t i o n a l m i t i g a t i o n wo u l d b e r e q u i r e d fo r n o i s e . No n e t h e l e s s , a c o n s e r v a t i v e f i n d i n g i s m a d e r e l a t i v e t o p o l i c y c o n f o r m a n c e f o r t w o so u n d w a l l - r e l a t e d i s s u e s : ( 1 ) a l l s o u n d w a l l s m a y n o t b e c o n s t r u c t e d (s e e S e c t i o n 2 . 1 . 3 an d d e t a i l s i n S e c t i o n 2 . 3 . 4 o f t h i s E I R ) in w h i c h c a s e t h e P r o j e c t w o u l d n o t c o m p l y wi t h C i t y t r a n s p o r t a t i o n n o i s e s t a n d a r d s ; or ( 2 ) a l t e r n a t i v e l y , a l l r e c o m m e n d e d s o u n d wa l l s w o u l d b e b u i l t , a n d a n in c o n s i s t e n c y w o u l d o c c u r w i t h r e g a r d t o w a l l h e i g h t a n d po t e n t i a l v i s u a l e f f e c t s . Ro u t i n e m i t i g a t i o n f o r l a n d u s e p o l i c y i n c o n s i s te n c i e s i s a n a m e n d m e n t t o t h e r e l e v a n t po l i c y b y t h e p l a n n i n g j u r i s d i c t i o n . Th e C i t y d o e s n o t p r o p o s e t o a m e n d C i t y -w i d e p o l i c i e s f o r t h e s e i s o l a t e d ( l i m i t e d lo c a t i o n s o n a n a p p r o x i m a t e l y o n e - m i l e s t re t c h o f o n e s p e c i f i c a r t e r i a l ) a n d o n l y po t e n t i a l oc c u r r e n c e s . A s a r e s u l t , c o n s e r v a t i v e as s e s s m e n t s o f l i m i t e d s i g n i f i c a n t a n d un m i t i g a t e d i m p a c t s a r e m a d e r e l a t i v e t o s ou n d w a l l e f f i c a c y a n d h e i g h t p o l i c i e s . Significant Executive Summary Es p o l a R o a d I m p r o v e m e n t P r o j e c t F i n a l E I R ES-17 Ma y 2 0 1 3 Ta b l e E S - 2 ( c o n t . ) SI G N I F I C A N T I M P A C T S A N D P R O P O S E D M I T I G A T I O N Si g n i f i c a n t I m p a c t M i t i g a t i o n M e a s u r e s Analysis of Significance After Mitigation Vi s u a l / A e s t h e t i c s Th e i m p l e m e n t a t i o n o f t w o s o u n d wa l l s w i t h r e t a i n i n g w a l l s o n t o p of t h e m i s i n c o n s i s t e n t i n s c a l e an d n a t u r e w i t h a n y o t h e r w a l l fe a t u r e a l o n g t h i s s t r e t c h o f Es p o l a R o a d . F o r a p p r o x i m a t e l y 33 0 f e e t n o r t h o f J e r o m e D r i v e an d s o u t h o f H i g h V a l l e y R o a d o n th e e a s t s i d e o f t h e r o a d , a si g n i f i c a n t v i s u a l i m p a c t i s id e n t i f i e d f o r t h i s c o m b i n a t i o n o f fe a t u r e s t h a t w o u l d n o t b e mi t i g a t e d e v e n w i t h 1 0 0 p e r c e n t ve g e t a t i v e c o v e r a g e r e q u i r e d i n th e m i t i g a t i o n m e a s u r e b e l o w . Th i s s i g n i f i c a n t i m p a c t c o u l d b e m i t i g a t e d th r o u g h a d d i t i o n a l s l o p e m o d i f i c a t i o n , w i t h ad d i t i o n a l i n c u r s i o n i n t o p r i v a t e l o t s a n d C i ty p u r c h a s e o f p r i v a t e p r o p e r t y . E v e n i f po t e n t i a l s l o p e m o d i f i c a t i o n w o u l d e l i m i n a t e n e e d f o r a r e t a i n i n g w a l l , s o u n d w a l l s wo u l d s t i l l b e r e q u i r e d . Th e C i t y h a s w e i g h e d t h e v i s u a l e f f e c t o f m o d i f i e d s l o p e s a n d s o u n d w a l l s c o m b i n e d wi t h t h e i n t e r e s t s o f t h e i n d i v i d u a l p r o p e r ty o w n e r a g a i n s t t h e v i s u a l i m p a c t o f t w o wa l l s e g m e n t s o f v a r y i n g h e i g h t s f o r a p p r o x i m a t e l y 3 3 0 f e e t . Al t e r a t i o n o f P r o j e c t d e s i g n w o u l d r e q u i r e g r e a t e r n e e d f o r u s e o f p r i v a t e p r o p e r t y . Th e C i t y w i l l c o n t i n u e t o m i n i m i z e i m p a c t s i n t o p r i v a t e p r o p e r t y . A f i n d i n g o f si g n i f i c a n t a n d u n m i t i g a t e d i m p a c t r e l a t i v e t o t h e c o m b i n e d w a l l d e s i g n i n t h i s s i n g l e ar e a i s i d e n t i f i e d . Significant Executive Summary Es p o l a R o a d I m p r o v e m e n t P r o j e c t F i n a l E I R ES-18 Ma y 2 0 1 3 Ta b l e E S - 2 ( c o n t . ) SI G N I F I C A N T I M P A C T S A N D P R O P O S E D M I T I G A T I O N Si g n i f i c a n t I m p a c t M i t i g a t i o n M e a s u r e s Analysis of Significance After Mitigation Vi s u a l / A e s t h e t i c s ( c o n t . ) Pr o j e c t d e s i g n w o u l d l a r g e l y mi t i g a t e v i s u a l i m p a c t s t h r o u g h la n d s c a p e d i n t e r s e c t i o n f o c a l po i n t s , s t r e e t s c a p e , h y d r o s e e d i n g of m o d i f i e d s l o p e s a n d p l a n t i n g o f wa l l - s c r e e n i n g v i n e s . A n y m a t u r e oa k o r s y c a m o r e t o b e r e m o v e d by t h e P r o j e c t w o u l d b e me a s u r e d . I f m e a s u r e d t r e e s ex c e e d t h r e e i n c h e s i n d i a m e t e r at b r e a s t h e i g h t , t h e t r e e w o u l d b e re p l a c e d i n c o n f o r m a n c e w i t h Ci t y p o l i c y a s a m a t t e r o f P r o j e c t de s i g n . S o u n d w a l l l a n d s c a p i n g (c o v e r a g e w i t h v i n e s ) c o u l d r e s u l t in i n c o m p l e t e o r i n c o n s i s t e n t co v e r a g e d u e t o c l u m p i n g w i t h o u t en h a n c e d m a i n t e n a n c e . In o r d e r t o l o w e r r e m a i n i n g l a n d s c a p i n g - a s s o c i a t ed a d v e r s e v i s u a l i m p a c t s t o l e s s t h a n si g n i f i c a n t l e v e l s , f o r a l l s t a n d - a l o n e re t a i n i n g o r s o u n d w a l l s , a n e n h a n c e d ma i n t e n a n c e a n d m o n i t o r i n g p r o g r a m s h a l l b e im p l e m e n t e d b y t h e C i t y t o e n s u r e t h a t 10 0 p e r c e n t v e g e t a t i v e c o v e r i s o b t a i n e d . T h i s p r o g r a m s h a l l r e q u i r e t h a t :  Vi n e s p l a n t e d i n c u t - o u t s a l o n g s i d e w a l k a r e a s f r o n t i n g s o u n d w a l l s w i l l b e es p a l i e r e d t o c o v e r t h e w a l l s ( r a t h e r t h a n a l l o w i n g t h e m t o g r o w i n a v e r t i c a l bu s h f o r m ) Less than Significant Executive Summary Es p o l a R o a d I m p r o v e m e n t P r o j e c t F i n a l E I R ES-19 Ma y 2 0 1 3 Ta b l e E S - 2 ( c o n t . ) SI G N I F I C A N T I M P A C T S A N D P R O P O S E D M I T I G A T I O N Si g n i f i c a n t I m p a c t M i t i g a t i o n M e a s u r e s Analysis of Significance After Mitigation No i s e Fo l l o w i n g c o n s t r u c t i o n , E s p o l a Ro a d t r a n s p o r t a t i o n n o i s e w o u l d ex c e e d ( o r c o n t i n u e t o e x c e e d ) de c i b e l l e v e l s e s t a b l i s h e d b y t h e Ci t y a t a n u m b e r o f r e c e i v e r s wi t h p r o t e c t e d o u t d o o r u s e a r e a s . Pr e l i m i n a r y i n f o r m a t i o n o n t h e p o t e n t i a l p h ys i c a l l o c a t i o n a n d h e i g h t o f r e c o m m e n d e d no i s e b a r r i e r s i s p r o v i d e d i n T a b l e 2 . 3 - 3 . S o u n d b a r r i e r s o f v a r i o u s h e i g h t s a r e pr o p o s e d b a s e d o n w h i c h o f t h e c r i t e r i a t h e r ec e i v e r f a l l s w i t h i n ( c u r r e n t l y u n d e r 6 0 dB A , b e t w e e n 6 0 a n d 6 5 d B A , o r o v e r 6 5 d B A) , a s d e s c r i b e d i n S e c t i o n 2 . 3 . 1 . I n ge n e r a l , s o u n d w a l l s o f s i x t o e i g h t f e e t in h e i g h t a r e p r o p o s e d t o a d d r e s s t h e c u r r e n t an d i n c r e a s e d n o i s e a l o n g E s p o l a R o a d . A f e w w a l l s m a y e x c e e d t h o s e h e i g h t s , a s in d i c a t e d o n T a b l e 2 . 3 - 3 . F i g u r e 2 . 3 - 2 s c h e m a t i c a l l y i n d i c a t e s t h e p r o p o s e d w a l l lo c a t i o n s . Fi n a l d e s i g n a n d p l a c e m e n t o f n o i s e w a l l s w ou l d r e q u i r e a d d i t i o n a l e n g i n e e r i n g i n p u t , in c l u d i n g c o n s i d e r a t i o n o f s i t e - s p e c i f i c c o n d it i o n s a n d f u r t h e r n o i s e m o d e l i n g . F u t u r e mo d e l i n g r e q u i r e d a s p a r t o f t h e N E P A c o m p li a n c e a n d f u n d i n g e f f o r t f o r t h e P r o j e c t , as w e l l a s i n p u t f r o m p r o p e r t y o w n e r s ( w h o ma y n o t d e s i r e w a l l s ) c o u l d r e s u l t t o ch a n g e s t o w a l l p a r a m e t e r s . I f p e r t i n e n t e ng i n e e r i n g p a r a m e t e r s ch a n g e s u b s t a n t i a l l y du r i n g t h e f i n a l P r o j e c t d e s i g n , o r i f p r o p e r ty o w n e r s r e j e c t p r o p o s e d w a l l s l o c a t e d o n th e i r p r i v a t e p r o p e r t y , p r e l i m i n a r y n o i s e b a r r i e r d e s i g n s m a y b e m o d i f i e d ( i n h e i g h t o r ex t e n t ) o r e l i m i n a t e d f r o m t h e f i n a l P r o j e c t . B e c a u s e o f t h i s p o t e n t i a l , t h e C i t y i s ma k i n g a c o n s e r v a t i v e a s s e s s m e n t o f s i g n i f i ca n t a n d u n m i t i g a t e d i m p a c t f o r t h i s i s s u e in t h e P r o j e c t S O C . Potentially Significant Executive Summary Es p o l a R o a d I m p r o v e m e n t P r o j e c t F i n a l E I R ES-20 Ma y 2 0 1 3 Ta b l e E S - 2 ( c o n t . ) SI G N I F I C A N T I M P A C T S A N D P R O P O S E D M I T I G A T I O N Si g n i f i c a n t I m p a c t M i t i g a t i o n M e a s u r e s Analysis of Significance After Mitigation No i s e ( c o n t . ) Al t h o u g h s h o r t - t e r m c o n s t r u c t i o n - pe r i o d i m p a c t s w o u l d b e l e s s th a n s i g n i f i c a n t , n o i s e - s e n s i t i v e lo c a t i o n s w o u l d b e a f f e c t e d du r i n g P r o j e c t c o n s t r u c t i o n . Th e C i t y i s r e c o m m e n d i n g t h e f o l l o w i n g c o n s t r u c t i o n n o i s e c o n t r o l m e a s u r e s t o f u r t h e r mi n i m i z e n o i s e e f f e c t s a t n o i s e - s e n s i t i v e l o c a t i o n s d u r i n g P r o j e c t c o n s t r u c t i o n :  Ea c h i n t e r n a l c o m b u s t i o n e n g i n e , u s e d f o r a n y p u r p o s e o n t h e j o b o r r e l a t e d t o th e j o b , s h a l l b e e q u i p p e d w i t h a m u f f l e r o f a t y p e r e c o m m e n d e d b y t h e ma n u f a c t u r e r . N o i n t e r n a l c o m b u s t i o n e ng i n e s h a l l b e o p e r a t e d o n t h e P r o j e c t wi t h o u t s a i d m u f f l e r .  Th e n o i s e l e v e l r e q u i r e m e n t s h a l l a p p l y t o t h e e q u i p m e n t o n t h e j o b o r r e l a t e d to t h e j o b , i n c l u d i n g b u t n o t l i m i t e d t o t r u c k s , t r a n s i t m i x e r o r t r a n s i e n t eq u i p m e n t t h a t m a y o r m a y n o t b e o w n e d b y t h e c o n t r a c t o r .  Th e u s e o f l o u d s i g n a l s s h a l l b e a v o i d e d i n f a v o r o f l i g h t w a r n i n g s e x c e p t t h o s e re q u i r e d b y s a f e t y l a w s f o r t h e p r o t e c t i o n o f p e r s o n n e l .  Un n e c e s s a r y i d l i n g o f i n t e r n a l c o m b u s t i o n e n g i n e s w i t h i n 1 0 0 f e e t o f re s i d e n c e s s h o u l d b e s t r i c t l y p r o h i b i t e d .  St a g i n g o f c o n s t r u c t i o n e q ui p m e n t b e y o n d 2 0 0 f e e t o f r e s i d e n c e s a n d l o c a t i o n of a l l s t a t i o n a r y n o i s e - g e n e r a t i n g c on s t r u c t i o n e q u i p m e n t , s u c h a s a i r co m p r e s s o r s a n d p o r t a b l e p o w e r g e n e r a t o r s , s h a l l o c c u r a s f a r a s p r a c t i c a l f r o m no i s e s e n s i t i v e r e s i d e n c e s . T h e c o n t r a c t o r w i l l p l a c e a l l s t a t i o n a r y c o n s t r u c t i o n eq u i p m e n t s o t h a t e m i t t e d n o i s e i s d i r e c t e d a w a y f r o m s e n s i t i v e r e c e p t o r s (r e s i d e n c e s ) .  As d i r e c t e d b y t h e C i t y , t h e c o n t r a c t or w i l l i m p l e m e n t a p p r o p r i a t e a d d i t i o n a l no i s e m i t i g a t i o n m e a s u r e s , i n c l u d i n g c h a n g i n g t h e l o c a t i o n o f s t a t i o n a r y co n s t r u c t i o n e q u i p m e n t , t u r n i n g o f f i d l i ng e q u i p m e n t , r e s c h e d u l i n g c o n s t r u c t i o n ac t i v i t y , n o t i f y i n g a d j a c e n t r e s i d e n t s i n a d v a n c e o f c o n s t r u c t i o n w o r k , a n d in s t a l l i n g a c o u s t i c b a r r i e r s a r o u n d s t a ti o n a r y c o n s t r u c t i o n n o i s e s o u r c e s . Less than Significant Executive Summary Es p o l a R o a d I m p r o v e m e n t P r o j e c t F i n a l E I R ES-21 Ma y 2 0 1 3 Ta b l e E S - 2 ( c o n t . ) SI G N I F I C A N T I M P A C T S A N D P R O P O S E D M I T I G A T I O N Si g n i f i c a n t I m p a c t M i t i g a t i o n M e a s u r e s Analysis of Significance After Mitigation Bi o l o g i c a l R e s o u r c e s Th e P r o j e c t w o u l d r e s u l t i n si g n i f i c a n t d i r e c t i m p a c t s t o so u t h e r n w i l l o w r i p a r i a n f o r e s t ( a Ca l i f o r n i a D e p a r t m e n t o f F i s h an d W i l d l i f e j u r i s d i c t i o n a l ha b i t a t ) , D i e g a n c o a s t a l s a g e sc r u b , s o u t h e r n m i x e d c h a p a r r a l (i n c l u d i n g d i s t u r b e d ) a n d n o n - na t i v e g r a s s l a n d . Mi t i g a t i o n r a t i o s f o r s i g n i f i c a n t i m p a c t s t o se n s i t i v e b i o l o g i c a l h a b i t a t s a n d r e s o u r c e s ar e b a s e d o n t h e C i t y ’ s S u b a r e a H a b i t a t Co n s e r v a t i o n P l a n ( H C P ) a n d w i l l b e co n f i r m e d b y t h e r e s o u r c e a g e n c i e s . A l l m i t i g at i o n s h a l l o c c u r p r i o r t o o r c o n c u r r e n t wi t h i m p a c t s . Co m p e n s a t o r y m i t i g a t i o n f o r i m p a c t s t o s ou t h e r n w i l l o w r i p a r i a n f o r e s t w i l l b e ob t a i n e d t h r o u g h p u r c h a s e o f w e t l a n d c r e d i t s a t a l o c a t i o n a c c e p t a b l e t o t h e C i t y a n d re s o u r c e a g e n c i e s i n c o m p l i a n c e w i t h t h e a p p r o v e d C i t y H C P , o r t h r o u g h i n - l i e u pa y m e n t a c c e p t a b l e t o t h e C i t y a n d r e s o u r c e ag e n c i e s i n c o m p l i a n c e w i t h t h e a p p r o v e d Ci t y H C P . C r e d i t s o r i n - l i e u p a y m e n t s h a ll s u p p o r t s o u t h e r n w i l l o w r i p a r i a n f o r e s t re p l a c e m e n t a t a 3 : 1 r a t i o b y a c o m b i n a t i o n o f c r e a t i o n ( a t l e a s t 1 : 1 o r 0 . 0 2 a c r e ) a n d en h a n c e m e n t ( u p t o 2 : 1 o r 0 . 0 4 a c r e ) , f o r a t o t a l o f 0 . 0 6 a c r e . Up l a n d m i t i g a t i o n w i l l o c c u r a t V a n D a m P e a k o n a C i t y - o w n e d p a r c e l w i t h i n t h e Ci t y ’ s S u b a r e a H C P . T h e f o l l o w i n g m i t i g a t i on w i l l r e d u c e i m p a c t s t o b e l o w a l e v e l o f si g n i f i c a n c e :  Di e g a n c o a s t a l s a g e s c r u b t o b e m i t i g a t e d a t 2 : 1 i n - k i n d , f o r a t o t a l o f 0 . 0 8 a c r e  So u t h e r n m i x e d c h a p a r r a l t o b e m i t i g a t e d a t 1 : 1 i n - k i n d , f o r a t o t a l o f 0 . 1 9 a c r e  So u t h e r n m i x e d c h a p a r r a l – d i s t u r b e d t o b e m i t i g a t e d a t 1 : 1 i n - k i n d , f o r a t o t a l of 0 . 0 5 a c r e  No n - n a t i v e g r a s s l a n d t o b e m i t i g a t e d a t 1 : 1 o u t - o f - k i n d ( D i e g a n c o a s t a l s a g e sc r u b ) , f o r a t o t a l o f 0 . 1 1 a c r e Wi t h r e g a r d t o s o u t h e r n m i x e d c h a p a r r a l (i n c l u d i n g d i s t u r b e d ) , a j u r i s d i c t i o n m a y re q u i r e m i t i g a t i o n o r l e v y a n i n - l i e u m i t i g a t i o n f e e f o r i m p a c t s i f i t f i n d s t h a t s u c h ac t i o n s a r e n e c e s s a r y t o m e e t M u l t i p l e S p e c i e s C o n s e r v a t i o n P r o g r a m ( M S C P ) o r Po w a y S u b a r e a H C P g o a l s . W h e n l i s t e d s p e c i es o c c u r , r e p l a c e m e n t r a t i o b e c o m e s 2 : 1 . Less than Significant Executive Summary Es p o l a R o a d I m p r o v e m e n t P r o j e c t F i n a l E I R ES-22 Ma y 2 0 1 3 Ta b l e E S - 2 ( c o n t . ) SI G N I F I C A N T I M P A C T S A N D P R O P O S E D M I T I G A T I O N Si g n i f i c a n t I m p a c t M i t i g a t i o n M e a s u r e s Analysis of Significance After Mitigation Bi o l o g i c a l R e s o u r c e s ( c o n t . ) Th e P r o j e c t w o u l d r e s u l t i n pe r m a n e n t i m p a c t s t o 0 . 0 4 a c r e of D i e g a n c o a s t a l s a g e s c r u b , t h e ha b i t a t o f t h e o r a n g e - t h r o a t e d wh i p t a i l , a s t a t e s p e c i e s o f s p e c i a l co n c e r n c o v e r e d u n d e r t h e P o w a y Su b a r e a H C P . Im p a c t s t o t h e h a b i t a t o f t h e o r a n g e - t h r o a te d w h i p t a i l s h a l l b e m i t i g a t e d t h r o u g h t h e pr e s e r v a t i o n o f D i e g a n c o a s t a l s a g e s c r u b h a b i t a t o c c u p i e d b y t h e o r a n g e - t h r o a t e d wh i p t a i l , a s p a r t o f t h e 0 . 0 8 a c r e o f D i e g a n c o a s t a l s a g e s c r u b m i t i g a t i o n a t V a n D a m Pe a k ( d i s c u s s e d a b o v e ) . Less than Significant Ra p t o r s a n d m i g r a t o r y b i r d s h a v e th e p o t e n t i a l t o n e s t i n v e g e t a t i o n wi t h i n t h e P r o j e c t l i m i t s , in c l u d i n g e u c a l y p t u s t r e e s . Co n s t r u c t i o n o f t h e P r o j e c t c o u l d re s u l t i n s i g n i f i c a n t i m p a c t s t o ne s t i n g r a p t o r s a n d / o r m i g r a t o r y bi r d s . Po t e n t i a l i m p a c t s t o a c t i v e n e s t s s h a l l b e a vo i d e d b y e i t h e r ( 1 ) r e m o v a l o f v e g e t a t i o n in c l u d i n g e u c a l y p t u s a n d o t h e r n o n - n a t i v e t r e e s o u t s i d e o f t h e b r e e d i n g s e a s o n f o r m o s t mi g r a t o r y b i r d s ( F e b r u a r y 1 5 t h r o u g h A u g u s t 3 1 ) o r ( 2 ) s u r v e y s b y a q u a l i f i e d bi o l o g i s t p r i o r t o r e m o v a l t o e n s u r e t h a t n o r a p t o r s o r m i g r a t o r y b i r d s a r e n e s t i n g . I f ne s t i n g b i r d s a r e i d e n t i f i e d , t h e t r e e ( s ) s h a l l re m a i n i n p l a c e u n t i l a l l c h i c k s a r e f l e d g e d . Co n s t r u c t i o n a c t i v i t i e s w i l l b e p r e c l u d e d w i t h in 5 0 f e e t o f a n y a c t i v e m i g r a t o r y b i r d ne s t a n d 3 0 0 f e e t o f a n y a c t i v e r a p t o r n e s t . Less than Significant Al t h o u g h n o t a n t i c i p a t e d t o o c c u r wi t h i n 3 0 0 f e e t o f t h e P r o j e c t co n s t r u c t i o n a r e a , i f c o a s t a l Ca l i f o r n i a g n a t c a t c h e r s a r e pr e s e n t i n t h e a r e a , a s i g n i f i c a n t im p a c t c o u l d o c c u r . Pr e - c o n s t r u c t i o n s u r v e y s f o r t h e c o a s t a l C a l i f or n i a g n a t c a t c h e r s h a l l b e c o n d u c t e d i n a l l co a s t a l s a g e s c r u b h a b i t a t a r e a s w i t h i n t h e P r oj e c t l i m i t s . I f b i r d s a r e p r e s e n t ( n o t ex p e c t e d ) , E s p o l a R o a d c o n s t r u c t i o n a c t i v i t i e s sh a l l b e l i m i t e d t o p e r i o d s o u t s i d e t h e br e e d i n g / n e s t i n g s e a s o n i n t h e a b u t t i n g p o r t i o n o f t h e r o a d . Less than Significant Executive Summary Es p o l a R o a d I m p r o v e m e n t P r o j e c t F i n a l E I R ES-23 Ma y 2 0 1 3 Ta b l e E S - 2 ( c o n t . ) SI G N I F I C A N T I M P A C T S A N D P R O P O S E D M I T I G A T I O N Si g n i f i c a n t I m p a c t M i t i g a t i o n M e a s u r e s Analysis of Significance After Mitigation Cu l t u r a l R e s o u r c e s Th e P r o j e c t c o u l d r e s u l t i n si g n i f i c a n t p e r m a n e n t i m p a c t s t o ar c h a e o l o g i c a l r e s o u r c e s a n d / o r hu m a n r e m a i n s , i f s u c h i t e m s a r e en c o u n t e r e d d u r i n g g r a d i n g ac t i v i t i e s . Du e t o t h e p r e s e n c e o f a l l u v i a l a n d c o l l u v i a l s o i l s w i t h i n t h e P r o j e c t a r e a b e t w e e n D e l Po n i e n t e R o a d a n d a p p r o x i m a t e l y 2 1 0 f e e t to t h e n o r t h , a p r o f e s s i o n a l a r c h a e o l o g i s t th a t m e e t s t h e s t a n d a r d s s e t f o r t h a t 3 6 C F R § 8 0 0 . 2 ( a ) ( 1 ) s h a l l m o n i t o r t h e g r o u n d di s t u r b a n c e d u r i n g t r e n c h i n g i m m e d i a t e l y n o r t h o f D e l P o n i e n t e R o a d t o o b s e r v e wh e t h e r a r c h a e o l o g i c a l d e p o s i t s a n d / o r h u m a n r e m a i n s a r e p r e s e n t . I f a r c h a e o l o g i c a l de p o s i t s a r e f o u n d , t h e C i t y s h a l l c o m p l y w i t h 3 6 C F R § 8 0 0 . 1 3 ( b ) ( 3 ) ; i . e . , t h e C i t y sh a l l u n d e r t a k e r e a s o n a b l e e f f o r t s t o a v o i d , m i n i m i z e o r m i t i g a t e a d v e r s e e f f e c t s t o su c h p r o p e r t i e s , i n c l u d i n g d e t e r m i n a t i o n o f a c t i o n s t o r e s o l v e a d v e r s e e f f e c t s , a n d no t i f i c a t i o n o f t h e S t a t e H i s t o r i c P r e s e r v a t i o n O f f i c e r ( S H P O ) a n d / o r a p p r o p r i a t e Tr i b a l H i s t o r i c P r e s e r v a t i o n O f f i c e r ( T H P O ) , a n y I n d i a n t r i b e t h a t m i g h t a t t a c h re l i g i o u s a n d c u l t u r a l s i g n i f i c a n c e t o t h e a ff e c t e d p r o p e r t y , a n d t h e A d v i s o r y C o u n c i l on H i s t o r i c P r e s e r v a t i o n w i t h i n 4 8 h o u r s o f t h e d i s c o v e r y . T h e n o t i f i c a t i o n s h a l l de s c r i b e t h e C i t y ’ s a s s e s s m e n t o f N a t i o n a l Re g i s t e r e l i g i b i l i t y o f t h e p r o p e r t y a n d pr o p o s e d a c t i o n s t o r e s o l v e t h e a d v e r s e e f f e c t s. T h e S H P O / T H P O , t h e I n d i a n t r i b e a n d th e C o u n c i l s h a l l r e s p o n d w i t h i n t w o w o r k d a ys o f t h e n o t i f i c a t i o n . T h e a g e n c y of f i c i a l s h a l l t a k e i n t o a c c o u n t t h e i r r ec o m m e n d a t i o n s r e g a r d i n g N a t i o n a l R e g i s t e r el i g i b i l i t y a n d p r o p o s e d a c t i o n s , a n d t h e n c a rr y o u t a p p r o p r i a t e a c t i o n s . T h e a g e n c y of f i c i a l s h a l l p r o v i d e t h e S H P O / T H P O , t h e t r i b e a n d t h e C o u n c i l ( a s a p p r o p r i a t e ) a re p o r t o f t h e a c t i o n s w h e n t h e y a r e c o m p l e t e d . If a n y h u m a n b o n e s a r e d i s c o v e r e d , t h e C o u n t y C o r o n e r s h a l l b e c o n t a c t e d . I n t h e ev e n t t h a t t h e r e m a i n s a r e d e t e r m i n e d t o b e of N a t i v e A m e r i c a n o r i g i n , t h e M o s t L i k e l y De s c e n d a n t , a s i d e n t i f i e d b y t h e N a t i v e A m e r i c a n H e r i t a g e C o m m i s s i o n , s h a l l b e co n t a c t e d i n o r d e r t o d e t e r m i n e p r o p e r t r ea t m e n t a n d d i s p o s i t i o n o f t h e r e m a i n s . Less than Significant Executive Summary Es p o l a R o a d I m p r o v e m e n t P r o j e c t F i n a l E I R ES-24 Ma y 2 0 1 3 Ta b l e E S - 2 ( c o n t . ) SI G N I F I C A N T I M P A C T S A N D P R O P O S E D M I T I G A T I O N Si g n i f i c a n t I m p a c t M i t i g a t i o n M e a s u r e s Analysis of Significance After Mitigation Ge o l o g y a n d S o i l s Ba s e d o n t h e c o n c l u s i o n s pr o v i d e d i n t h e P r o j e c t Ge o t e c h n i c a l D e s i g n R e p o r t a n d th e r e l a t i v e u n c e r t a i n t y r e g a r d i n g th e p r e s e n c e a n d e x t e n t o f co r r o s i v e m a t e r i a l s w i t h i n t h e st u d y a r e a , l o n g - t e r m i m p a c t s a r e co n s i d e r e d p o t e n t i a l l y s i g n i f i c a n t . Ot h e r r o a d w a y c o n d i t i o n s a n d de s i g n s p e c i f i c s w o u l d b e co n f i r m e d d u r i n g f i n a l d e s i g n . Ex c l u d i n g c o r r o s i v e s o i l s , a l l i d e n t i f i e d po t e n t i a l g e o t e c h n i c a l i m p a c t s w o u l d b e ap p r o p r i a t e l y a d d r e s s e d t h r o u g h r e q u i r e d re g u l a t o r y c o m p l i a n c e a n d / o r p r o p o s e d Pr o j e c t d e s i g n m e a s u r e s f o l l o w i n g c o n f i r m a t i o n o f r o a d w a y c o n d i t i o n s , d r a i n a g e , e t c . du r i n g f i n a l c o n s t r u c t i on d r a w i n g s r e v i e w . An i n v e s t i g a t i o n o f p o t e n t i a l c o r r o s i o n h a z a r ds w i t h i n t h e P r o j e c t s t u d y a r e a s h a l l b e co n d u c t e d b y a q u a l i f i e d c o r r o s i o n e n g i n e e r pr i o r t o P r o j e c t i m p l e m e n t a t i o n . T h e re s u l t s o f t h i s a n a l y s i s s h a l l b e i n c o r p o r a t e d i n t o f i n a l P r o j e c t d e s i g n , a s a p p r o p r i a t e , t o mi t i g a t e p o t e n t i a l c o r r o s i o n i m p a c t s , a n d m a y in c l u d e ( b u t n o t b e l i m i t e d t o ) m e a s u r e s su c h a s : ( 1 ) e x c a v a t i o n ( o r o v e r e x c a v a t i on ) a n d t r e a t m e n t , a n d / o r r e m o v a l a n d re p l a c e m e n t ( i . e . , w i t h n o n - c o r r o s i v e e n g i n e e r e d f i l l ) o f c o r r o s i v e m a t e r i a l s ; ( 2 ) u s e o f no n - c o r r o s i v e a n d / o r c o r r o s i o n - r e s i s t a n t b u i l d i n g m a t e r i a l s i n a p p r o p r i a t e l o c a t i o n s ; an d ( 3 ) i n s t a l l a t i o n o f c a t h o d i c p r o t e c t i o n d e v i c e s . Less than Significant