HomeMy WebLinkAboutAppendix M - Vehicle Miles Traveld (VMT) Screening Memo
This technical memorandum evaluates the proposed Project located southeast of the intersection of Conifer
Court and Village Drive in the City of Fontana, identified by Assessor’s Parcel Number (APN) 0237-411-27.
The proposed Project site plan is shown in Figure 1. The purpose of this analysis is to determine whether a
vehicle mile traveled (VMT) analysis would be required for the proposed Project. This memo will evaluate
the Project using the City of Fontana Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA) Guidelines (October 21, 2020).
Project Description
The 13.18-acre project site is located in the southern portion of the City of Fontana, southeast of the
intersection of Conifer Court and Village Drive. Regional access to the site is provided by Interstate 10 (I-
10), approximately 1.5 miles to the north, Interstate 15 (I-15), about 4 miles to the west, and State Route
60 (SR-60), approximately 1.6 miles to the south. The proposed self-storage facility will occupy a 7.49-acre
parcel and will include 688 storage units, comprising 594 self-storage units and 94 recreational vehicle (RV)
storage units. A 1,032-square-foot office building is also planned. Construction will occur in two phases, with
Phase 1 expected to take about one year, followed by Phase 2, which will take approximately 6-8 months.
The adjacent 5.67-acre parcel will be developed as a public trail, with the trail being constructed as part
of Phase 1.
The proposed Project site plan is shown in Figure 1, included at the end of this memo.
Project Trip Generation
A trip generation analysis was prepared to determine the estimated change in site trip generation that
would result from the proposed Project. The analysis uses trip rates from the Institute of Transportation
Engineers (ITE), Trip Generation Manual, 11th Edition. Table 1 shows the trip generation estimate for the
proposed Project using the trip generation rate for Mini Warehouse use (Land Use Code 151). As shown in
Table 1, the proposed Project is anticipated to generate approximately 124 daily trips including 8 trips
during the AM peak hour and 12 trips during the PM peak hour.
To: City of Fontana Engineering Department
From: Maryam Javanmardi, Chad Karns, EPD Solutions, Inc.
Date: 10/1/2024
Site: Southeast of the intersection of Conifer Court and Village
Drive in City of Fontana
Subject: Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) Screening Analysis – Conifer Court
Self-Storage Fontana – EPD Project No. 24-066
Conifer Court Self-Storage Fontana
Trip Generation and VMT Screening Analysis
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Table 1: Project Trip Generation
Vehicle Miles Traveled
Senate Bill (SB) 743 was signed by Governor Brown in 2013 and required the Governor’s Office of Planning
and Research (OPR) to amend the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines to provide an
alternative to level of service (LOS) for evaluating transportation impacts, aiming to promote the reduction
of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the development of multimodal transportation networks, and a diversity
of land uses. In response, Section 15064.3, Determining the Significance of Transportation Impacts, was added
to the CEQA Guidelines, which states that VMT is the most appropriate measure of transportation impacts
and shall apply statewide beginning on July 1, 2020.
City of Fontana VMT Screening
Section 12.2 of the City’s TIA Guidelines provides VMT screening thresholds to identify projects that would
be considered to have a less-than-significant impact on VMT and therefore could be screened out from
further analysis. If a project meets one of the following criteria, then the VMT impact of the project would
be considered less-than-significant and no further analysis of VMT would be required:
1. The project is located within a Transit Priority Area (TPA).
2. The project is in a low VMT-generating area.
3. The project type has been identified as low project type.
4. The project net daily trips are less than 500 average daily trips (ADT).
The applicability of each criterion to the project is discussed below:
Screening Criteria 1 – Transit Priority Area Screening (TPA):1 According to the City’s guidelines, projects
located within a TPA may be presumed to have a less-than-significant impact. The proposed Project is not
located within a TPA; therefore, it would not satisfy the requirements of Screening Criteria 1 – TPA screening.
1 A TPA is defined as a half-mile area around an existing major transit stop or an existing stop along a high-quality
transit corridor per the definitions below.
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.
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.
Land Use Units Daily In Out Total In Out Total
Trip Rates
Mini Warehouse1 HSU 17.96 0.62 0.59 1.21 0.84 0.84 1.68
Proposed Project's Trip Generation
Self Storage Facility1 6.88 HSU 124 4 4 8 6 6 12
Total Project Trip 124 4 4 8 6 6 12
HSU = Hundred Storage Units
AM Peak Hour PM Peak Hour
1 Trip rate from the Institute of Transporation Engineers, Trip Generation,11th Edition, 2021 -Mini-Warehousing (100s Storage
Units) - 151
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Screening Criteria 2 - Low VMT Area Screening: The City’s guidelines include a screening threshold for
projects located in a low VMT generating area. A low VMT generating area is defined as traffic analysis
zones (TAZs) with a total daily VMT/service population (service population = employment + population) that
is 15% below the baseline level for the County. The proposed Project’s site was evaluated using the San
Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA) VMT Screening Tool. As shown in Figure 2, the
Countywide VMT/service population is 33.5 and the VMT/service population for the project zone (TAZ
53719401) is 31.2. The VMT/service population of the project zone is 6.88% below the County average,
which is above the threshold of 15% below the County average. Therefore, the proposed Project would not
meet Screening Criteria 2 – Low-VMT Area Screening.
Screening Criteria 3 – Low Project Type: According to the City’s guidelines, projects which propose local-
serving retail (retail projects less than 50,000 square feet) or other local-serving uses would have a less-
than-significant impact on VMT. The types of projects considered local serving include supermarkets, hair/nail
salons, walk-in medical clinics/urgent care, K-12 schools, day care centers, and community institutions such
as libraries, fire stations, etc. The proposed Project does not propose a local serving land use and therefore
would not satisfy the requirements of Screening Criteria 3.
Screening Criteria 4 – Net Daily Trips Less Than 500 ADT: According to the City’s guidelines, projects which
would generate fewer than 500 ADT would not cause a substantial increase in the total citywide or regional
VMT. As shown in Table 1, the proposed Project is expected to generate 124 ADT, which is below the 500
ADT threshold. Therefore, the proposed Project is presumed to have a less-than-significant impact on VMT
under Screening Criteria 4, and no further analysis is necessary.
Summary
The proposed Project is not located within a TPA, is not located within a low VMT area, and is not classified
as a local serving use; therefore, the Project would not meet Screening Criteria 1, 2, or 3. However, the
proposed Project generates 124 ADT, which is below the 500 ADT threshold specified in Screening Criteria
4. Consequently, the proposed Project meets Screening Criteria 4, and it is therefore presumed to have a
less-than-significant impact on VMT, requiring no further analysis.
If you have any questions about this analysis, please contact us at (949) 796-1180 or
techservises@epdsolutions.com.
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Figure 1: Proposed Project Site Plan
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Figure 2: SBCTA VMT Screening