HomeMy WebLinkAboutAppendix K - Vehicle Miles Traveled Screening Memo
This technical memorandum provides an evaluation of the proposed residential project located southeast of
the intersection of Orlando Drive and Baseline Avenue in the city of Fontana, identified by Assessor’s Parcel
Number (APN) 1110-171-02. The proposed Project spans 3.33 acres and proposes the development of 54
attached residential dwellings, resulting in a net density of 16.22 dwelling units per acre (du/ac). The current
site is vacant and undeveloped. 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 proposed Project spans 3.33 acres and proposes the development of 54 attached residential dwellings,
resulting in a net density of 16.22 dwelling units per acre (du/ac). The current site is vacant and undeveloped.
The proposed Project is designated under the General Plan Land Use as a Residential Planned Community
(R-PC) (3.0-6.4 dwelling units per acre). It falls within the zoning of the Rancho Fontana Specific Plan, with a
Specific Plan land use designation of Low Density Residential. According to Section 6.3.10 of the Specific
Plan, low-density residential development is characterized by areas where the gross density does not exceed
six dwelling units per acre. As currently proposed, the Project is inconsistent with the allowed density for the
site, therefore, the project includes a Specific Plan Amendment to increase the density for the site.
Project Trip Generation
A project trip generation analysis was prepared to determine the estimated change in site trip generation
resulting from the project. The analysis includes the proposed residential trip generation using 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. As shown in Table 1, the proposed Project is forecast to
generate 364 daily trips including 21 trips during the AM peak hour and 27 trips during the PM peak hour.
Table 1: Project Trip Generation
To: City of Fontana
From: Maryam Javanmardi, Chad Karns, EPD Solutions, Inc.
Date: 1/21/2025
Site: Southeast of the intersection of Baseline Ave and Orlando Dr
in City of Fontana
Subject: Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) Screening Analysis
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Trip Generation and VMT Screening Analysis
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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 CEQA Guidelines to provide an alternative to LOS for evaluating
transportation impacts, aiming to promote the reduction of greenhouse gas 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 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 in 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.
Screening Criteria 2 - Low VMT Area Screening: The City’s guidelines include a screening threshold for
projects located in a low VMT generating area. 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
53716101) is 23.9. The VMT/service population of the project zone is 28.62% below the County average.
Therefore, the proposed Project would 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
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.
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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 average daily trips (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 364 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 and is not classified as a local serving use; therefore, the
Project would not meet Screening Criteria 1 or 3. However, the proposed Project is located in a low VMT
area and generates 364 ADT, which is below the 500 ADT threshold specified in Screening Criteria 4.
Consequently, the proposed Project meets Screening Criteria 2 and 4, and it is 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: Project Site Plan
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Figure 2: SBCTA VMT Screening