RES 2026023 - Laserfiche WebLink

Sequoia Ecological Consulting, Inc. CalVTP Project-Specific Analysis and Addendum Augustin Bernal Community Park Fuel Reduction November 2025 4-87 4.14.1.3. Impact TRAN-3 The project treatments could temporarily increase VMT above baseline conditions because the project access locations are in residential areas with small, local roadways, requiring vehicle trips to access the treatment areas. Project-related traffic would include heavy-vehicle trips to haul equipment and materials as well as worker commute trips to and from the treatment areas. The number of truck trips and worker vehicle trips to and from the project area would vary based on the size of the area being treated, the type of treatment being implemented, and the duration of the vegetation treatments. Should vehicles be given landowner consent to stage on-site or in close proximity, the most VMT would occur at the beginning and end of the Project to haul equipment in and out of the project area. Daily VMT would largely consist of crew transportation to and from the site and, potentially, hauling removed material. This impact was identified as potentially significant and unavoidable in the PEIR because implementation of the CalVTP would result in a net increase in VMT. However, as stated in Impact TRAN-3 of the PEIR, individual projects under the CalVTP are likely to generate fewer than 110 trips per day, which is expected to cause a less- than-significant transportation impact for specific later activities, as described in the Technical Advisory on Evaluating Transportation Impacts published by the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (Governor’s Office of Planning and Research 2018). According to the analysis methodologies presented in the PEIR, projects that generate or attract fewer than 110 trips per day generally may be assumed to cause a less-than-significant transportation impact. As presented in the PEIR, this amount would allow for up to 50 vehicles bringing crews and equipment to and from the project site and hauling materials away in a single day. Because of the small sizes of the crews needed for the proposed project (not more than 45 workers), the limited equipment needed, and the limited materials to be hauled in any one day, the total VMT would not exceed 110 trips per day. Initial treatment would likely involve more vehicle trips than subsequent maintenance. Additionally, vehicle trips for commuting workers would be dispersed across multiple roadways, particularly as distance increases from the project site. Hiring local contractors would be encouraged where feasible to reduce the amount of VMT. Although the PEIR determined that individual vegetation treatments would likely be less than significant, the overall impact was identified as potentially significant in the PEIR because implementation of the CalVTP would result in a net increase in VMT attributable to the program as a whole. Because the Project would generate VMT during implementation, it would contribute to the environmental significance conclusion in the PEIR; therefore, this impact is considered significant and unavoidable. No SPRs apply to this impact. As discussed for Impact AQ-1 in Section 4.3, Air Quality, the City would implement MM AQ-1 to the extent feasible. MM AQ-1 would reduce the impact by encouraging workers to carpool and/or use public transportation. However, due to the required equipment and number of employees (i.e., the primary trip-generators associated with vegetation treatments) associated with the Project, it would not be feasible to reduce VMT substantially. Therefore, the impact would remain significant and unavoidable.