HomeMy WebLinkAboutVehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) Screening Evaluation
DATE: February 28, 2023
TO: Kristen Goddard, T&B Planning, Inc.
FROM: Alex So, Urban Crossroads, Inc.
JOB NO: 15283-01 VMT
ALDER AND MERRILL VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED (VMT) SCREENING
EVALUATION
Urban Crossroads, Inc. is pleased to provide the following Vehicle Miles Traveled
(VMT) Screening Evaluation for the Alder and Merrill (Project), which is located
north of Merrill Avenue, between Alder Avenue and Laurel Avenue in the City of
Fontana.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
The Project consists of a proposed General Plan Amendment (GPA) and a Zone
Change (ZC) for a 6.4-acre property that is located in the City of Fontana north of
Merrill Avenue, between Alder Avenue and Laurel Avenue, and south of Citron
Avenue. The GPA would change the General Plan land use designation of the Project
site from Single Family Residential (R-SF) to Multifamily Medium High-Density
Residential (R-MFMH) and the zoning of the Project site from Single Family
Residential (R-1) to Multifamily Medium/High Density Residential (R-4). The existing
General Plan land use and zoning are shown and the proposed GPA and ZC are
shown in Attachment A. The increased unit count allowance would increase from a
maximum of 32 residential units (6.4 acres x 5.0 units/acre = 32 units) to 249
residential units (6.4 acres x 39 units/acre = 249 units), for a net increase of 217
units assuming maximum development potential under the existing and proposed
designations. No development project is currently proposed, and no physical
disturbance of the Project site is currently proposed.
Only the proposed change to the underlying land use has been evaluated as part
of this evaluation.
BACKGROUND
The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires all lead agencies to adopt
VMT as the measure for identifying transportation impacts for land use projects. To
comply with CEQA, the City of Fontana adopted their Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA)
Guidelines for Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) and Level of Service Assessment
(October 2020) (City Guidelines) (1). This VMT screening evaluation has been
developed based on the adopted City Guidelines.
Kristen Goddard, T&B Planning, Inc.
February 28, 2023
Page 2 of 3
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VMT SCREENING
The City Guidelines lists standardized screening methods for project level VMT analysis that can
be used to identify when a proposed land use development project is anticipated to result in a less
than significant impact, thereby eliminating the need to conduct a full VMT analysis. The screening
steps described in the City Guidelines are listed below and a land use project needs only to satisfy
one of the screening steps to result in a less than significant impact:
Step 1: Transit Priority Area (TPA) Screening
Step 2: Low VMT Area Screening
Step 3: Local Serving Project Type Screening
Step 4: Project net daily trips less than 500 Average Daily Trips (ADT)
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
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.
The Project site is serviced by OmniTrans line 15, however the service frequency exceeds the 15
minute or less as required to be considered a major transit stop. As a result, the Project site is
not located within ½ mile of an existing major transit stop, or along a high-quality transit corridor.
TPA Screening step is not met.
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.”).
Kristen Goddard, T&B Planning, Inc.
February 28, 2023
Page 3 of 3
15283-01 VMT
STEP 2: LOW VMT AREA SCREENING
City Guidelines state that projects located within a low VMT generating zone may be presumed
to have a less than significant VMT impact absent substantial evidence to the contrary. City
Guidelines identify VMT per service population as the appropriate VMT metric for land use
projects and an impact threshold of “15% below the baseline County of San Bernardino per
service population.”3
The San Bernardino Transportation Analysis Model (SBTAM) is used to measure VMT
performance in individual TAZs within the region. The Project’s physical location was identified in
the SBTAM model to determine the TAZ in which the Project will reside. The Project TAZ 53736201
is then calculated using Origin-Destination (OD) trip matrices to obtain total OD VMT. The
resulting total OD VMT is divided by the Project TAZ’s service population (i.e., population and
employment). The Project TAZ 53736201 has a VMT per service population of 20.59, which was
compared to 15% below County of San Bernardino baseline or 28.41 VMT per service
population4. Therefore, the Project is located in a low VMT area.
As the Project is located within a low VMT generating zone and the Project TAZ was found to
contain residential land uses consistent with the proposed Project, there is nothing unique about
the Project that would alter existing travel patterns.
Low VMT Area Screening step is met.
STEP 3: LOCAL SERVING PROJECT TYPE SCREENING
City Guidelines state 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, local parks and other
community institutions) 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 provided in the City Guidelines5.
Local Serving Project Type Screening step is not met.
STEP 4: PROJECT NET DAILY TRIPS LESS THAN 500 ADT SCREENING
City Guidelines identify projects that generate fewer than 500 average daily trips (ADT) as having
a less than significant VMT impact. The Project is estimated to have a net increase of 828 two-way
trips per day as compared to the current General Plan Land Use/Zoning (see Attachment B) and,
therefore, would exceed the City’s 500 ADT threshold.
Project Net Daily Trips Less Than 500 ADT Screening step is not met.
As the Project was found to meet the Low VMT Screening step it is presumed to have a less than
significant VMT impact.
3 City Guidelines; Page 16
4 33.42 Countywide baseline average VMT per service population * 0.85 = 28.41 VMT per service population.
5 City Guidelines; Page 13
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REFERENCES
1. City of Fontana. Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA) Guidelines for Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) and Level
of Service Assessment . City of Fontana : s.n., October 2020.
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ATTACHMENT A
PROPOSED GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT
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A-1: EXISTING GENERAL PLAN LAND USE AND ZONING
A-2: PROPOSED CHANGE OF ZONE
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ATTACHMENT B
TRIP GENERATION DATA
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TABLE B-1: TRIP GENERATION FOR EXISTING GENERAL PLAN LAND USE
TABLE B-2: PROPOSED GENERAL PLAN TRIP GENERATION
TABLE B-3: TRIP GENERATION COMPARISON
ITE LU AM Peak Hour PM Peak Hour
Land Use1 Units2 Code In Out Total In Out Total
Single Family Detached Housing DU 210 0.18 0.52 0.70 0.59 0.35 0.94 9.43
1 Trip Generation Source: Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), Trip Generation Manual, Eleventh Edition (2021).
2 DU = dwelling units
Land Use Quantity Units1 In Out Total In Out Total Daily
Single Family Detached Housing 32 DU 6 17 23 19 11 30 302
1 DU = dwelling units
Daily
AM Peak Hour PM Peak Hour
ITE LU AM Peak Hour PM Peak Hour
Land Use1 Units2 Code In Out Total In Out Total
Multifamily (Mid-Rise) Residential DU 221 0.09 0.28 0.37 0.24 0.15 0.39 4.54
1 Trip Generation Source: Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), Trip Generation Manual, Eleventh Edition (2021).
2 DU = dwelling units
Land Use Quantity Units1 In Out Total In Out Total Daily
Multifamily Residential 249 DU 21 71 92 59 38 97 1,130
1 DU = dwelling units
Daily
AM Peak Hour PM Peak Hour
Land Use In Out Total In Out Total Daily
Current General Plan (C/O-MU)6 17 23 19 11 30 302
Proposed General Plan (C/I-MU)21 71 92 59 38 97 1,130
Net Change in Trips 15 54 69 40 27 67 828
AM Peak Hour PM Peak Hour