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Community Development Agency, Transportation Division, recommending the Board take the following actions related to the Supplement to the Diamond Springs Parkway Project 2011 Environmental Impact Report for Phase1B Design Modification, Project 72334:
1) Adopt the California Environmental Quality Act Supplement to the 2011 Environmental Impact Report; and
2) Approve the Project as described in the California Environmental Quality Act document.
FUNDING: The Project is funded by Local Tribe Funds (61%), Master Circulation & Funding Plan Financing (22%), Utility Agencies (12%), and Traffic Impact Mitigation Fees (5%). (No Federal Funds).
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DEPARTMENT RECOMMENDATION
Community Development Agency, Transportation Division (Transportation) recommends the Board approve the proposed modification as described in the attached Supplement to the Diamond Springs Parkway Project 2011 Environmental Impact Report for Phase 1B Design Modification (SEIR) document and summarized below.
The recommended Board actions are based on the following Findings which are supported by the attached Findings of Fact (Attachment D):
1) The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) document on file with the Clerk of the Board, and on the Transportation’s website, http://www.edcgov.us/DOT/index.html, was prepared pursuant to Public Resources Code §21000 et seq., and the State CEQA Guidelines.
2) There is no substantial evidence that the Diamond Springs Parkway Project, as mitigated, will have a significant effect on the environment.
3) The SEIR reflects the lead agency’s independent judgment and analysis.
DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
The Diamond Springs Parkway Project (Project) was initiated to provide improved traffic circulation and safety through and around the historic town of Diamond Springs. The County conducted environmental review of the Project and certified a Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) on May 24, 2011. The Project is included in Transportation’s 2015 Capital Improvement Program as adopted by the Board on June 16, 2015 (Item No. 40).
The County is proposing modifications to the vertical profile of the eastern portion of Phase 1B of the Project. Phase 1A of the Project, which realigns SR-49/Diamond Road from Pleasant Valley Road to north of Lime Kiln Road, is not affected by the proposed modification.
Phase 1B will construct a new four-lane arterial roadway from Missouri Flat Road east of Golden Center Drive to a new T-intersection with SR-49 south of Bradley Drive. During design of the Phase 1B portion of the Project, Transportation determined that modifications to the vertical profile of the eastern portion of Diamond Springs Parkway would provide benefits that include reduced rights-of-way acquisition and construction costs. The modified vertical profile (i.e., elevation) would be more similar to the existing ground surface grade, resulting in a vertical profile as much as 15 feet lower than the approved Project. The proposed modification would require less fill material and would reduce the footprint of fill slopes in this portion of the Project site. As a result, the proposed modification will allow for an intersection at Bradley Drive and Throwita Way, eliminating the need for a connector road between Bradley Drive and Truck Street. See Figure 3 in the attached SEIR along with a more detailed description of the proposed modification.
Additionally, as described in the SEIR, a lower vertical profile alternative was determined to be the Environmentally Superior Alternative in the 2011 EIR for the Diamond Springs Parkway Project.
CEQA requires that if substantial changes are proposed to a project after an EIR is certified, the lead agency must evaluate the potential for those changes to result in new significant environmental effects or a substantial increase in the severity of previously identified significant effects. Although the proposed Phase 1B design modification may not represent a substantial change to the Project, the County decided to evaluate and document the potential for new or increased significant effects to ensure full compliance with CEQA. The Final SEIR concludes that no additional or increased environmental impacts would occur as a result of the Phase 1B design modification.
Public Involvement: The Draft SEIR was circulated for public and agency review and comment for a 45-day period between January 11, 2016 and February 24, 2016. A public notice requesting comment on the Draft SEIR was sent to the 497 individual property owners within an approximate one-mile radius of the Project and was posted in the Mountain Democrat on January 11, 2016. Copies of the Draft SEIR were provided to state agencies for review through the State Clearinghouse (State Clearinghouse No. 2007122033) and were available for review at the County Library in Placerville, as well as at the public counter of the Community Development Agency. The document was also available on the Transportation website.
Two comment letters were received during the Draft SEIR review period. The County has reviewed all comments and provided responses to the comments in Section 2 of the Final SEIR. No changes to the text of the Draft SEIR were required to address the comments.
ALTERNATIVES
If the Board chooses not to approve the SEIR, Diamond Springs Phase 1B will move forward using the original vertical profile as determined in the 2011 EIR at a higher cost to construct the Project.
OTHER DEPARTMENT / AGENCY INVOLVEMENT
County Counsel has reviewed and approved these documents.
CAO RECOMMENDATION
Chief Administrative Office concurs with staff's recommendations.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
No additional funding is being requested. The design changes proposed as part of the SEIR will result in a reduced construction cost for the Project due to a reduction in required earthwork.
Funding for the Project is budgeted in the adopted 2015 Capital Improvement Program and is provided by Local Tribe Funds (61%), Master Circulation & Funding Plan Financing (22%), Utility Agencies (12%), and Traffic Impact Mitigation Fees (5%).
CLERK OF THE BOARD FOLLOW UP ACTIONS
N/A
STRATEGIC PLAN COMPONENT
Infrastructure
CONTACT
Matthew Smeltzer, Deputy Director, Engineering
Community Development Agency, Transportation Division