San Juan Bautista held the seventh of its public meetings in development of the Environmental Impact Report for the proposed General Plan that will be up for adoption by the City Council in September. A General Plan lays out and guides development decisions in municipalities.
The EIR process began in September 2014. The draft document was presented in March of this year and is now in the public comment period of the process, which is being led by graduate students of California Polytechnical University at San Luis Obispo.
The Environmental Impact Report is a tool to:
- Disclose the environmental impacts of a project
- Prevent, or minimize damage to the environment
- Disclose the agency decision making process
- Enhance public participation
- Improve interagency coordination
To facilitate public input, this meeting was a presentation of the Draft EIR, which indicated 16 areas of potential impact, the level of impact of the new General Plan, and the mitigations that must be undertaken to make the impacts “less than significant.” The public was invited and is encouraged to give their input on the findings of the consulting group.
Impacts are listed as “less than substantial” — meaning “no or little change to the environment,” and “potentially significant” meaning, “substantial, or potentially substantial, adverse change to the environment.” Where there is “potentially significant” impact, the EIR outlines mitigations to reduce the level of impact.
The public has until June 30 to make comments, which will become part of the EIR.
To make comments, email cityplanning@san-juan-bautista.ca.us
For additional information, and to view the images, go to the powerpoint presentation here.
Here are the 16 areas of Potential Impact of the Preferred General Plan, the level of Impact and the Mitigations required to make the Impact “Less than Significant”:
1. Aesthetic
1. Scenic Vistas – Less than Significant
2. State Scenic Highways – Less than Significant
3. Visual Character – Less than Significant Impact
4. Increased Light Pollution – Less than Significant
5. Cumulative Impacts – Less than Significant
2. Agricultural Resources
1. Conversion of Farmland – Potentially Significant
2. Conflict with Williamson Act and/or zoning – Less than Significant
3. Incompatible Land uses next to agriculture – Potentially Significant
Agricultural Mitigations
1. Conversion of Prime agricultural land is unavoidable without no-growth policies or developing on hazardous steep slopes
2. Policies are in place to avoid placing incompatible land uses next to agricultural lands. This will be further addressed in an update to the zoning code following the adoptions of the Plan.
3. Air Quality
1. Conflict with Air Quality Plan – Less than Significant
2. Violate Air Quality Standard – Potentially Significant
3. Increase Criteria Pollutant – Less than Significant
4. Sensitive Land Uses (ie- hospitals, schools) – Less than Significant
5. Objectionable Odors – Potentially Significant
6. Cumulative Impacts – Less than Significant
Air Quality Mitigation
1. Avoid or prohibit the siting of new sensitive land uses within; 500 feet of a freeway, 300 feet of a dry cleaning operation, 300 feet of a large gas station.
2. Site new sensitive land uses to be within CARB screening distances
3. Utilize best management practices to reduce odors
4. Biological Resources
1. Special Status Plants and Animals – Potentially Significant
2. Wetland, Riparian and other sensitive habitats – Potentially Significant
3. State, or Federally protected wetland, or body of water – Potentially Significant
4. Conflict with habitat conservation plan – Less than Significant
5. Conflict with local policies and ordinances – Less than Significant
Biological Resources Mitigation
1. Construction workers in ground disturbing actives will participate in environmental awareness training and Best Management Practices
2. Maintain 100-foot setbacks along streams and riparian areas inside planning area to protect from construction related activities. Retain creeks and wetlands in their natural areas
3. Create 250 no disturbance buffer around vernal pools and obtain all appropriate permits for those areas deemed jurisdictional
5. Cultural Resources
1. Historical Resources – Potentially Significant
2. Archeological Resources – Potentially Significant
3. Paleontological Resources – Potentially Significant
4. Human Remains – Potentially Significant
5. Cumulative Impacts – Potentially Significant
Cultural Resources Mitigation Measures
1. Establish and adopt mandatory guidelines for use during the planning and building review processes to identify and protect historic and cultural resources
2. Maintain an integrated network of open space lands that support natural resources, recreation, historical and cultural resources, tribal resources, wildlife habitat, water management, scenic quality, and other beneficial uses
3. Establish policies and procedures that stipulate the avoidance of, or clustering of new development near sensitive areas.
6. Geology and Soils
1. Threat to life and property due to fault lines – Less than Significant Impact
2. Ground shaking due to earthquakes – Potentially Significant
3. Soil Liquifaction due to earthquakes – Potentially Significant
4. Threat to life and property due to landslides – Less than Significant Impact
5. Loss of soil through erosion – Potentially Significant
6. Location on unstable soils – Potentially Significant
7. Expansive soils as defined by the Uniform Building Code – Potentially Significant
8. Soils capable of supporting waste disposal systems (i.e. septic tanks) – Less than Significant
Geology and Soils Mitigation
1. Preparation of geotechnical reports which include measures to minimize risk.
2. Assessment of liquefaction risks as a part of the local development review process for all new development proposals.
7. Greenhouse Gas Emissions
1. Generation of Green House Gas – Less than Significant
2. Conflict with Plan, Policy or Regulation Relating to reducing GHG emissions – Less than Significant
8. Hazards and Hazardous Materials
1. Routine Transport of Hazardous Materials (hazmat)- Less than Significant
2. Hazmat release due to accidents – Less than Significant
3. School within 1/4 mile of proposed or existing Hazmat – Less than Significant
4. Located on a hazardous site – Less than Significant
5. Within 2 miles of airport – Less than Significant
6. Within vicinity of private airstrip – Less than Significant
7. Conflict with emergency response and evacuation plans – Less than Significant
8. Wildland fires – Less than Significant
9. Hydrology and Water Quality
1. Violate Water Quality Standards or discharge requirements – Potentially Significant
2. Lower Groundwater table – Potentially Significant
3. Erosion or siltation – Potentially Significant
4. Surface runoff which contributes to flooding – Potentially Significant
5. Exceed capacity of storm drain systems – Potentially Significant
6. Otherwise degrade water quality – Less than Significant
7. Housing within a 100-year flood zone – Potentially Significant
8. Impede/Redirect 100-year flood flows – Potentially Significant
9. Threat to life and property due to flooding – Less than Significant
10. Threat to life and property due to seiche, tsunami, or mudflow – Less than Significant
Hydrology and Water Quality Mitigation
1. Implement on site rain water catchment cisterns
2. Complete the patchwork of curb and gutter systems to create a coordinated stormwater management system.
3. Impede/redirect 100 year flood flows
10. Land Use Planning
1. Physically divide a community – Less than Significant
2. Conflict with applicable land use plan, policy or regulation – Potentially Significant
3. Conflict with applicable conservation plan – Less than Significant
4. Cumulative Impacts – Less than Significant
Land Use Planning Mitigations
1. Update zoning code to be consistent with the General Plan
11. Mineral Resources
1. Loss of mineral resources – Less than Significant
2. Loss of mineral resource recovery site as designated by a local plan – Less than Significant
12. Noise
1. Noise level in excess of applicable standards, local general plan, noise ordinance – Potentially Significant
2. Ground borne noise/vibrations – Potentially Significant
3. Permanently increase ambient noise – Potentially Significant
4. Construction Noise – Less than Significant
5. Within an airport land use, or within 2 miles of an airport – Less than Significant
6. Vicinity of a private airstrip – Less than Significant
Noise Mitigations
1. Require an acoustical analysis to be performed prior to development approval where proposed land uses may produce or be exposed to noise levels exceeding the “normally acceptable” levels
2. Avoid approving new developments which place sensitive land uses near noise generators
13. Population and Housing
1. Population Growth – Less than Significant
2. Displace existing housing – Less than Significant
3. Displace people – Less than Significant
4. Cumulative Impacts – Less than Significant
14. Public Services and Recreation
1. Fire Protection Facilities – Potentially Significant
2. Fire Protection Services – Less than Significant
3. Police Facilities – Less than Significant
4. Law Enforcement Facilities – Potentially Significant
5. Alter, or require a new school – Less than Significant
6. Cumulative impacts in regards to school districts and schools – Less than Significant
7. Ratio of parkland per thousand residents – Less than Significant
8. Increase of use of regional parks/recreation facilities that result in deterioration – Less than Significant
9. Proposed recreation facility with impacts – Less than Significant
10. Cumulative impacts in regards to parks & recreational facilities – Less than Significant
11. Alter, or require a new library – Less than Significant
12. Cumulative impacts in regards to libraries – Less than Significant
Public Services and Recreation Mitigations
1. Maintain mutual aid agreements with the City of Hollister and County of San Benito, and maintain fire service responsibilities as outline by those contracts.
2. Levy police impact fees on new development to ensure that the City can maintain at least one police officer per 1,000 people, and strive to provide 1.5 officers per 1,000 people when feasible.
15. Transportation and Traffic
1. Reduction of level of service at some intersections – Potentially Significant
2. Congestion Management programs conflict with general plan – Less than Significant
3. Increase air traffic patterns and/or change in location that results in safety risks – Less than Significant
4. Increase hazards through design (i.e. sharp curves) – Less than Significant
5. Inadequate emergency access – Less than Significant
6.. Affect plans, policies, and programs in regards to public transit, bicycle, or pedestrian facilities – Less than Significant
7. Cumulative impacts in regards to transportation and traffic – Less than Significant
Transportation and Traffic Mitigations
1. New developments will have to conduct travel impact studies to determine increases in traffic volumes attributable to specific developments. If the studies project unacceptable levels of service, then mitigation measures should be put in place. Some measures would create travel environments to enable users switch to non- motorized modes, such as walking and biking.
16. Utilities and Service Systems
1. Water Supplies – Less than Significant
2. Water facilities – Potentially Significant
3. Cumulative impacts in regards to water supply – Less than Significant
4. Wastewater treatment requirements of Control Board – Potentially Significant
5. Results in need for new, or expanded wastewater treatment facilities – Potentially Significant
6. Adequate wastewater treatment capacity – Less than Significant
7. Cumulative effects in regards to wastewater – Potentially Significant
8. Results in the need for new, or expanded storm-water drainage facilities – Less than Significant
9. Cumulative effects in regards to storm-water – Less than Significant
10. Solid Waste disposal capacity – Less than Significant
11. All regulations i regards to solid waste – Less than Significant
12. Cumulative effects in regards to solid waste – Less than Significant
Utilities and Service Systems Mitigations
1. Construction of new utilities will only be undertaken when sufficient financial resources and technological expertise to meet any obligations placed upon them by the State of California and its permitting agencies