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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAppendix O - VMT Screening 14713-03 VMT.docx October 18, 2022 Mr. J. Robert Meserve NH Southridge LLC 500 Newport Center Drive, Suite 570 Newport Beach, CA 92660 SOUTHRIDGE FONTANA VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED (VMT) SCREENING EVALUATION Mr. J. Robert Meserve, Urban Crossroads, Inc. is pleased to provide the following Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) Screening Evaluation for Southridge Fontana development (Project), which is located south of Village Drive and east of Live Oak Avenue in the City of Fontana. PROJECT OVERVIEW Proposed Project The Project is proposing to develop 255 single family attached residential dwelling units. A preliminary site plan can be found on Exhibit 1. EXHIBIT 1: PRELIMINARY SITE PLAN Mr. J. Robert Meserve NH Southridge LLC October 18, 2022 Page 2 of 5 14713-03 VMT.docx BACKGROUND Changes to California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines were adopted in December 2018, which require all lead agencies to adopt VMT as a replacement for automobile delay-based level of service (LOS) as the measure for identifying transportation impacts for land use projects. This statewide mandate went into effect July 1, 2020. To aid in this transition, the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR) released a Technical Advisory on Evaluating Transportation Impacts in CEQA (December of 2018) (Technical Advisory) (1). Based on OPR’s Technical Advisory, specific procedures for complying with the new CEQA requirements for VMT analysis, the City of Fontana adopted Traffic Impact Analysis Guidelines for Vehicle Miles Traveled and Level of Service Assessment (City Guidelines) (2). The City Guidelines documents the City’s VMT analysis methodology and adopted VMT impact thresholds. The VMT screening evaluation presented in this report has been developed based on these City Guidelines. VMT SCREENING The City Guidelines describe specific “screening thresholds” that can be used to identify when a proposed land use project is anticipated to result in a less than significant impact without conducting a more detailed project level VMT analysis. For the purposes of this analysis, the initial VMT screening process has been conducted with the SBCTA VMT Screening Tool (Screening Tool), which uses screening criteria consistent with the screening thresholds recommended in the City Guidelines. Screening thresholds are described in the following four steps: • Step 1: Transit Priority Area (TPA) Screening • Step 2: Low VMT Area Screening • Step 3: Low (Local Serving) Project Type Screening • Step 4: Project net daily trips less than 500 ADT Consistent with City Guidelines, a land use project needs only to satisfy one of the above screening thresholds to result in a less than significant impact. STEP 1: TPA SCREENING Consistent with guidance identified in the City Guidelines, projects located within a Transit Priority Area (TPA) (i.e., within ½ mile of an existing “major transit stop”1 or an existing stop along a “high- quality transit corridor”2) may be presumed to have a less than significant impact absent 1 Pub. Resources Code, § 21064.3 (“‘Major transit stop’ means a site containing an existing rail transit station, a ferry terminal served by either a bus or rail transit service, or the intersection of two or more major bus routes with a frequency of service interval of 15 minutes or less during the morning and afternoon peak commute periods.”). 2 Pub. Resources Code, § 21155 (“For purposes of this section, a high-quality transit corridor means a corridor with fixed route bus service with service intervals no longer than 15 minutes during peak commute hours.”). Mr. J. Robert Meserve NH Southridge LLC October 18, 2022 Page 3 of 5 14713-03 VMT.docx substantial evidence to the contrary. However, the presumption may not be appropriate if a project: • Has a Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of less than 0.75; • Includes more parking for use by residents, customers, or employees of the project than required by the jurisdiction (if the jurisdiction requires the project to supply parking); • Is inconsistent with the applicable Sustainable Communities Strategy (as determined by the lead agency, with input from the Metropolitan Planning Organization); or • Replaces affordable residential units with a smaller number of moderate- or high-income residential units. Based on the Screening Tool results presented in Attachment A, the Project site is not located within ½ mile of an existing major transit stop, or along a high-quality transit corridor. TPA screening criteria is not met. STEP 2: LOW VMT AREA SCREENING As noted in the City Guidelines, “Residential and office projects located within a low VMT- generating area may be presumed to have a less than significant impact absent substantial evidence to the contrary. In addition, other employment-related and mixed-use land use projects may qualify for the use of screening if the project can reasonably be expected to generate VMT per resident, per worker, or per service population that is similar to the existing land uses in the low VMT area”3. The Screening Tool uses the sub-regional San Bernardino County Transportation Analysis Model (SBTAM) to measure VMT performance within San Bernardino County for individual traffic analysis zones (TAZ’s) within each city. The Project’s physical location is selected by the Screening Tool to determine the VMT generated within the respective TAZ as compared to the jurisdictional average inclusive of a particular threshold (i.e., 15% below baseline County of San Bernardino VMT per service population (SP) or 28.3 VMT per SP). Based on the Screening Tool results, the Project is located in TAZ 53719401 and the Project’s TAZ has a VMT per SP of 28.3. Therefore, the Project is not located in a low VMT area and does not have a VMT per SP below the City’s adopted threshold of 15% below baseline County of San Bernardino VMT per service population (See Attachment A). Low VMT Area screening criteria is not met. STEP 3: LOW (LOCAL SERVING) PROJECT TYPE SCREENING The City Guidelines identify that local serving retail with buildings less than 50,000 square feet or other local serving essential services (e.g., day care centers, public schools, medical/dental office buildings, etc.) are presumed to have a less than significant impact absent substantial evidence to the contrary. The proposed Project is not considered a local serving use based on the examples 3 City Guidelines; Page 12. Mr. J. Robert Meserve NH Southridge LLC October 18, 2022 Page 4 of 5 14713-03 VMT.docx provided in the City Guidelines.4 The Project does not intend to develop local serving retail or local serving essential services land use types. Low (Local Serving) Project Type screening criteria is not met. STEP 4: PROJECT NET DAILY TRIPS LESS THAN 500 ADT SCREENING Projects that generate fewer than 500 net average daily trips (ADT) (stated in actual vehicles) are deemed to not cause a substantial increase in the total citywide or regional VMT and are therefore presumed to have a less than significant impact on VMT. Substantial evidence in support of the daily trip threshold is documented in the City Guidelines.5 The trip generation rates used for the proposed Project are based on the trip generation statistics published in the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Trip Generation Manual (11th Edition, 2021) (3). The 39.2-acre Project site is located in the original Southridge Village Specific Plan (SVSP). The 1982 SVSP EIR (Original Specific Plan) analyzed the development of 8,800 residential units within the entire SVSP area. TABLE 1: SVSP CAPACITIES AT BUILDOUT Dwelling Units Original Specific Plan 8,800 Proposed Project 7,999 The Proposed Project intends to develop 255 units on the 39.2-acre site (Planning Areas 66A, 66B, and 56). The Proposed Project is within the remaining development capacity of SVSP. Of the 255 units, 92 units were assumed to occur on the site and 163 would be transferred from the overall remaining capacity, which is permitted by the SVSP. Therefore, buildout of the SVSP as modified by the Project is assumed to be 7,999 units. Table 2 presents a trip generation comparison between the original SVSP and the Currently Proposed Project. 4 City Guidelines; Page 13. 5 City Guidelines; Appendix B. Mr. J. Robert Meserve NH Southridge LLC October 18, 2022 Page 5 of 5 14713-03 VMT.docx TABLE 2: TRIP GENERATION COMPARISON The Currently Proposed Project is estimated to generate a net reduction of 8,122 daily vehicle trips as compared to the Original Specific Plan, which would not exceed the City’s screening threshold of 500 daily vehicle trips. Project net daily trips less than 500 ADT screening criteria is met. CONCLUSION In summary, the Project was evaluated consistent with the City’s available screening criteria. The Project was found to meet the Project Net Daily Trips Less than 500 ADT screening criteria and is presumed to result in a less than significant impact for VMT; no further VMT analysis required. If you have any questions, please contact me directly at aso@urbanxroads.com. Respectfully submitted, URBAN CROSSROADS, INC. Alexander So Senior Associate Land Use QuantityUnits1 In Out Total In Out Total Daily Original Specific Plan: Single Family Detached 8,046 DU 1,464 4,168 5,632 4,765 2,798 7,563 75,874 Multifamily (Low-Rise) Residential 754 DU 72 229 301 242 142 384 5,082 Original SP Total 1,536 4,397 5,933 5,007 2,940 7,947 80,956 Currently Proposed: Single Family Detached 6,990 DU 1,272 3,621 4,893 4,139 2,431 6,570 65,916 Proposed: Southridge Fontana 255 DU 38 84 122 83 63 145 1,836 Multifamily (Low-Rise) Residential 754 DU 72 229 301 242 142 384 5,082 Currently Proposed Total 1,382 3,934 5,316 4,464 2,636 7,099 72,834 Trip Generation Comparison (Current - Original)-154 -463 -617 -543 -304 -848 -8,122 1 DU = dwelling units; TSF = Thousand Square Feet AM Peak Hour PM Peak Hour 14713-03 VMT.docx REFERENCES 1. Office of Planning and Research. Technical Advisory on Evaluating Transportation Impacts in CEQA. State of California : s.n., December 2018. 2. City of Fontana Traffic Engineering Division. Traffic Impact Analysis Guidelines for Vehicle Miles Traveled and Level of Service Assessment. City of Fontana : s.n., October 2020. 3. Institute of Transportation Engineers. Trip Generation Manual. 11th Edition. 2021. 14713-03 VMT.docx ATTACHMENT A SBCTA SCREENING TOOL 14713-03 VMT.docx