Title
Scoping Meeting for the Proposed Bay Fair Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Specific Plan (as required under the California Environmental Quality Act)
Staffreport
SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATION
The City of San Leandro’s Proposed Bay Fair Transit-Oriented Development Specific Plan (Plan) requires the preparation of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR). The City of San Leandro is providing the public scoping meeting at tonight’s Planning Commission to allow agencies and the general public an opportunity to provide input on issues that should be included in the environmental evaluation of the proposed Plan.
Staff recommends that the Planning Commission conduct a public meeting and allow public comment on the items to be analyzed in the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the proposed Plan.
BACKGROUND
The Bay Fair TOD Plan Area encompasses 154 acres and is generally bound by E. 14 Street to the northeast, Hesperian Boulevard to the west, and the border between the City and unincorporated Alameda County to the south and southeast. The Plan Area also includes the Bay Fair BART station and parking lots.
The proposed Plan provides a vision for a sustainable, vibrant, and safe transit-oriented village with a diversity of land uses serving local and regional populations. It will include goals and policies related to land use, circulation, infrastructure, and design to fulfill the vision for the Plan Area. The proposed Plan would also establish uses and development standards for the Plan Area.
For the purposes of the environmental analysis, a reasonable and conservative estimate of buildout associated with the proposed Plan through 2035 would include development of 2,540 housing units and 300,000 square feet of office space, as well as the removal of an estimated 161,000 square feet of retail space. These buildout estimates are consistent with the Plan’s planning concepts and regulations, as well as with economic analysis of anticipated development in the area, and past development activity seen in other nearby TOD areas such as Downtown San Leandro. Under CEQA Guidelines Section 15206(b)(2)(A), the proposed Plan is classified as a project of “regional significance” because it includes more than 500 housing units.
The City of San Leandro and its planning consulting team are beginning the process of preparing the Draft Plan and Draft EIR. The Draft Plan and EIR are anticipated to be available for public review in Spring/Summer 2017. The Final EIR and Plan are anticipated to be reviewed by Planning Commission and City Council in Fall/Winter 2017.
DRAFT EIR SCOPING ISSUES
Tonight’s public scoping meeting is focused on the environmental categories under CEQA to be considered in the EIR for the proposed Plan. The proposed Plan could potentially affect the following environmental factors and each is likely to be addressed in the EIR:
• Aesthetics
• Air Quality
• Biological Resources
• Cultural Resources
• Geology/Soils
• Greenhouse Gas Emissions
• Hazards and Hazardous Materials
• Hydrology/Water Quality
• Land Use and Planning
• Noise
• Population and Housing
• Public Services, Schools, and Recreation
• Transportation and Traffic
• Utilities and Service System
The following topics are likely to be associated with less-than-significant impacts and are not expected to be evaluated in detail in the EIR for the Plan:
• Agriculture and Forestry Resources
• Mineral Resources
The list of environmental issues to be studied the Plan’s EIR will be finalized after the scoping process and preliminary staff/planning team review of each environmental issue.
GENERAL PLAN CONFORMITY
The City of San Leandro 2035 General Plan, adopted September 2016, designates the Plan Area as “Bay Fair Transit Oriented Development.” According to the 2035 General Plan Land Use Element, the intent of this designation is to “create a new vision for this area, including retail, office, higher density housing, open space, and public land uses. A more urban development form is envisioned, with pedestrian-scaled streets and an orientation toward BART access and transit use.” Under Government Code Section 65450 et seq., a specific plan implements, and must be consistent with, the governing general plan. However, a specific plan is a separate document from the general plan and contains a greater degree of detail, including functions of zoning, land use regulations, design standards, and capital improvement plans. The proposed Specific Plan would implement the vision for the Plan Area established in the City’s 2035 General Plan.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS
The Bay Fair TOD Plan requires the preparation of an Environmental Impact Report. The City of San Leandro will be the Lead Agency and is seeking the views of regulatory agencies and the general public as to the scope and content of the environmental information germane to both these agencies’ statutory responsibilities and the general public concerns regarding the potential impacts in connection with the proposed Plan.
The City distributed a Notice of Preparation with a review period of 30 days that began on March 3, 2017 and ends on April 3, 2017. During this period, individuals and agencies may offer comments on the content of the Environmental Impact Report.
PUBLIC OUTREACH
A legal ad was published in the Daily Review on March 3, 2017 noticing the issuance of the NOP, initiation of the 30 day public comment period, and tonight’s scoping meeting. The NOP was also posted in the Alameda County Clerk’s Office on March 3, 2017. The Notice of Preparation was mailed to the State Clearinghouse, interested public agencies, all San Leandro homeowner associations and over 1,400 businesses and property owners within a 500 foot radius from the Plan Area. The NOP and public notice were also posted on the City website at <http://www.sanleandro.org/depts/cd/bftod/default.asp> and at City Hall (in the Community Development Department) and Main Library. An email of the NOP and public notice was sent to over 350 people representing local businesses, nonprofits, City boards and commissions, public service providers, and public agencies. The NOP was also posted on the neighborhood online resource, NextDoor, and forwarded to the offices of Alameda County Supervisors Wilma Chan and Nate Miley to distribute to constituents whose properties are near the Plan Area.
ATTACHMENT
• Notice of Preparation (NOP)
• Scoping Meeting Powerpoint for March 16, 2017 Planning Commission meeting
PREPARED BY: Tom Liao, Deputy Community Development Director