HomeMy WebLinkAboutAppendix J - VMT Screening MemoRevised on:
This technical memorandum evaluates the proposed Project located at 7844 Citrus Avenue in Fontana and
includes Assessor's Parcel Numbers (APN) 111-036-110. 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 Project proposes the construction of a 37-unit single-family detached residential development with
associated onsite recreational amenities on a 5.3-acre site (230,837 square feet). The site has a General Plan
land use designation of Walkable Mixed-Use Corridor & Downtown (WMXU-1) which allows for a variety of
residential and is zoned as Form-Based Code (FBC)-Neighborhood District. Access would be provided from
Tokay and Citrus Avenue. Parking supply includes 74 garage spaces, 44 driveway spaces, 15 additional on-
lot stalls, 34 guest stalls. The proposed Project site plan is shown in Figure 1.
Project Trip Generation
A trip generation analysis was conducted to estimate the trips generated by the proposed Project. The
analysis used trip rates from the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Trip Generation Manual, 11th
Edition. Based on the proposed residential unit type, Single-Family Detached Housing (Land Use Code 210)
was applied. As shown in Table 1, the proposed Project is anticipated to generate 349 daily trips, with 26
trips occurring during the AM peak hour and 35 trips occurring during the PM peak hour.
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
Submitted on:
To:
From:
Site:
Subject:
8/15/2025
5/9/2025
City of Fontana Engineering Department
Maryam Javanmardi, Chad Karns, EPD Solutions, Inc.
7844 Citrus Avenue, Fontana
Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) Screening Analysis
7844 Citrus Avenue, Fontana – EPD Project No. 25-023
7844 Citrus Avenue, Fontana
VMT Screening Analysis
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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 a 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 – TPA Screening:1 Per the City’s VMT screening criteria, projects located within a Transit
Priority Area (TPA) may be presumed to result in a less than significant VMT impact. As shown in Figure 2,
the proposed Project is located within a TPA. As for the four criteria to qualify for the TPA screening:
• The proposed building will have a net total floor area of 61,948 square feet on the approximately
230,837-square-foot Project site, resulting in a Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of 0.27, which is below the 0.75
threshold.
• The Project does not include parking in excess of the amount required. Parking supply includes 74
garage spaces, 44 driveway spaces, 15 additional on-lot stalls, and 34 guest stalls, which meets the
Project’s parking requirement.
• The Project is consistent with the SCAG Connect SoCal 2024 Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable
Communities Strategy, which promotes infill development and higher-density residential uses within
mixed-use areas served by transit.
• The Project does not involve the removal or displacement of existing affordable residential units.
Therefore, since the project does not meet the 0.75 FAR threshold, the Project does not meet Screening
Criteria 1.
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)
1 A Transit Priority Area (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.
7844 Citrus Avenue, Fontana
VMT Screening Analysis
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VMT Screening Tool. As shown in Figure 2, the Countywide VMT/service population is 33.6 and the
VMT/service population for the project zone (TAZ 53716201) is 28.6. The VMT/service population of the
project zone is 15.06% 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
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 that
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 349 ADT, which is below the 500
ADT threshold. Therefore, the proposed Project would meet Screening Criteria 4.
Summary
The proposed Project is located in a low VMT area and generates 349 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
techservices@epdsolutions.com.
7844 Citrus Avenue, Fontana
VMT Screening Analysis
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Figure 1: Proposed Project Site Plan
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Figure 2: SBCTA VMT Screening