Notice of Preparation
Notice of Preparation
To: From:
(Address) (Address)
Subject: Notice of Preparation of a Draft Environmental Impact Report ________________________________________willbetheLeadAgencyandwillprepareanenvironmental impact report for the project identified below. We need to know the views of your agency as to the scope and content of the environmental information which is germane to your agency's statutory responsibilities in connection with the proposed project. Your agency will need to use the EIR prepared by our agency when considering your permit or other approval for the project.
The project description, location, and the potential environmental effects are contained in the attached materials. A copy of the Initial Study ( is is not ) attached.
Due to the time limits mandated by State law, your response must be sent at the earliest possible date but not later than 30 days after receipt of this notice.
Please send your response to _______________________________________________ at the address shown above. We will need the name for a contact person in your agency.
Project Title:
Project Applicant, if any:
Date Signature
Title
Telephone
Reference: California Code of Regulations, Title 14, (CEQA Guidelines) Sections 15082(a), 15103, 15375.
Tess Byler
sfcjpa.org
SAFER Bay 1 ESA / D211919
Notice of Preparation April 22, 2022
NOTICE OF PREPARATION
Strategy to Advance Flood Protection,
Ecosystems and Recreation along San Francisco
Bay Project Environmental Impact Report
Introduction
In accordance with the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the CEQA Guidelines, the San Francisquito Creek Joint Powers Authority (SFCJPA), as CEQA Lead Agency, is preparing an environmental impact report (EIR) for the proposed Strategy to Advance Flood Protection, Ecosystems and Recreation along San Francisco (SAFER) Bay Project (SAFER Bay Project or Project), which consists of engineered and natural flood protection features, habitat restoration, and recreation improvements.
The SFCJPA has prepared this Notice of Preparation (NOP) of an EIR in connection with the Project to inform the public, responsible and trustee agencies, and interested parties about the Project and the intent to prepare an EIR. The purpose of an NOP is to provide sufficient information describing the Project and the potential environmental effects to enable the responsible agencies to make a meaningful response related to the scope and content of the EIR (CEQA Guidelines Section 15082). The purpose of the EIR is to provide information about potential significant physical environmental effects of the Project, to identify possible ways to minimize the significant effects, and to describe and analyze possible alternatives to the Projects.
The SFCJPA is seeking your views regarding the scope and content of the EIR in connection with the Project.
Project Background
San Francisquito Creek Joint Powers Authority
The SFCJPA is a regional government agency composed of the cities of East Palo Alto, Menlo Park, and Palo Alto, the San Mateo County Flood and Sea Level Rise Resiliency District and Santa Clara Valley Water District. The SFCJPA plans, designs and implements multi-benefit projects across jurisdictional boundaries to protect communities from flooding, including flooding from high creek flows, coastal flooding, and sea level rise, that enhance and restore ecosystems and improve trails in Project areas.
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Notice of Preparation April 22, 2022
SAFER Bay Project Feasibility Report
In 2016 the SFCJPA released a public draft Feasibility Study that evaluated options to address current tidal flooding and projected sea level rise, known as the Strategy to Advance Flood Protection, Ecosystems and Recreation along San Francisco Bay – East Palo Alto and Menlo Park Public Draft Feasibility Study (Feasibility Report).1 The overall purpose of the Feasibility Report was to evaluate flood protection alternatives along the San Francisco Bay shoreline. The Feasibility Report was provided to stakeholders and agencies and the SFCJPA conducted six public engagement events. The proposed Project described in this NOP has been updated from the 2016 Feasibility Report based on stakeholder input and studies in the area prepared by others, including the June 2020 Dumbarton Bridge West Approach + Adjacent Communities Resilience Study, 2019 San Francisco Bay Shoreline Adaptation Atlas, and the 2017 Resilient by Design challenge.2 Project Description
Project Location
The SAFER Bay Project site is located immediately west of San Francisco Bay along approximately 7 miles of the shoreline from the Menlo Park/Redwood city border south along East Palo Alto to East Palo Alto/Palo Alto border. The Project connects to and is consistent with design criteria for the SFCJPA’s completed San Francisquito Creek flood protection and ecosystem restoration project (Figure 1, at the end of this document). The project has been divided into 8 segments as described below from the Redwood City border to City of Palo Alto border, shown on Figure 1.
• Marsh Road (Marsh Rd)
• Bedwell Bayfront Park (Bedwell)
• Bayfront Expressway (Bayfront)
• Tech Campus (Tech)
• Substation and Marsh Restoration (R1/R2)
• Dumbarton Approach (Dumbarton)
• North of Bay Road--East Palo Alto (EPA
North)
• South of By Road--East Palo Alto (EPA
South)
The Project site is within the cities of Menlo Park and East Palo Alto, on both public and privately owned property. The Project includes actions within the Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge), including Refuge-managed land in Laumeister and Faber Tract Marshes (owned by City of Palo Alto) and Ravenswood Open Space Preserve (owned by Midpeninsula Open Space District). The Project also includes actions within land owned by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, the Cargill Corporation, and many others; and within the Caltrans State Route 84 right-of-way at the western approach to the Dumbarton Bridge. Appendix NOP-1 lists the Assessor Parcel Numbers of properties that are wholly within, partially within, or within 100 feet of the footprint of the Project site (excluding easements).
1 SFCJPA, 2016. Strategy to Advance Flood Protection, Ecosystems and Recreation along San Francisco Bay – East Palo Alto and Menlo Park Public Draft Feasibility Study. 2 The Dumbarton Bridge West Approach + Adjacent Communities Resilience Study can be found at:
https://mtc.ca.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2021-05/Dumbarton-Bridge-West-Approach-AdjacentCommunities-Resilience-Study-Final-Report.pdf. The San Francisco Bay Shoreline Adaptation Atlas can be found at: https://www.sfei.org/adaptationatlas. The Resilient by Design challenge website can be found at:
http://www.resilientbayarea.org/.
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Project Overview
The SAFER Bay Project will provide resiliency to coastal flooding and sea level rise in East Palo Alto and Menlo Park as well as habitat and recreation improvements. Guidance from the Ocean Protection Council recommends projects now in development should include 3.5 feet of sea level rise resilience.3 The Project will connect to adaptation actions under consideration in Redwood City and unincorporated San Mateo County to the north and in the City of Palo Alto to the south.
The multi-benefit Project includes more than 550 acres of habitat restoration and 1 to 2.5 miles of new or improved trails.
The SFCJPA is collaborating with the South Bay Salt Ponds Restoration Project to restore former salt production ponds, Pond R1 and Pond R2, located in the Ravenswood Complex, as part of the SAFER Bay Project. The restoration scenarios include tidal marsh or a combination of tidal marsh and managed ponds. The Project will construct levees, floodwalls and other flood protection features necessary to enable the restoration of tidal action to these ponds and includes design and construction of the pond restoration itself in order to mitigate for the Project’s impacts to jurisdictional wetlands and aquatic habitats. The Project also proposes to increase the diversity of habitat by building tidal salt marsh-upland transition zone habitat (transition zone habitat) on the bayward slope of appropriate segments of levee adjacent to existing and/or restored tidal salt marsh.
In addition, the Project proposes to enhance recreational access to the shoreline by creating new sections of the Bay Trail and by placing existing sections of the Bay Trail atop new levees where they will be less susceptible to flooding.
Consistent with CEQA, the SAFER Bay Project EIR will contain both project-level and programlevel evaluations.4 Those Project components with sufficient design and construction information will be evaluated at a project level of detail and those lacking sufficient detail will be evaluated programmatically, in accordance with CEQA Guidelines Sections 15161 and 15168. Consistent with CEQA Guidelines Section 15168, the SAFER Bay Project EIR will provide a comprehensive review of the overall nature and magnitude of potential environmental impacts so that the SFCJPA and its member agencies can make informed decisions for the Project while considering impacts and mitigation strategies for the whole Project. Figure 1 indicates those Project components that will be evaluated at a project level of detail and those to be evaluated at a program level of detail.
Project Need, Purpose and Objectives
Need for the Project
Currently, the communities of East Palo Alto and Menlo Park are exposed to coastal flooding from San Francisco Bay, and this situation is expected to worsen with sea level rise. These areas are within the existing 1-percent annual chance (commonly referred to as the 100-year flood event)5 3 Sea-Level Rise Leadership Team, January 2022. State Agency Sea-Level Rise Action Plan for California. 4 CEQA Guidelines Section 15168 provides for the programmatic environmental review of a plan or program with multiple components (projects or actions) that are related either: geographically, as logical parts in the chain of contemplated actions, in connection with the issuance of rules, regulations, plans, or other general criteria to govern the conduct of a continuing program, or as individual activities carried out under the same authorizing statutory or regulatory authority and having generally similar environmental effects that can be mitigated in similar ways. 5 These are areas subject to flooding by the flood event with a 1 percent chance of occurring in any individual year.
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Notice of Preparation April 22, 2022
flood hazard area as mapped by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). With respect to habitat, the San Francisco Bay has lost 95% of historical tidal marsh habitat,6 and with that has been a loss of the ecosystem services that tidal marsh habitat provides, including nesting and foraging habitat and upland refugia for threatened and endangered species such as California Ridgeways rail, western snowy plover, and salt marsh harvest mouse. The SAFER Bay project provides an opportunity to restore critical habitat. In some areas of the Project site, tidal salt marsh habitat cannot be restored until adequate flood protection for landward uses is in place.
Project Purpose and Objectives
The overall purpose of the Project is to protect people, property and infrastructure from current tidal flooding and projected sea level rise through engineered and natural features that enhance shoreline ecosystems and improve recreational opportunities. The specific objectives of the Project include:
• Reduce the risk of flooding within the cities of East Palo Alto and Menlo Park from San Francisco Bay waters, including consideration of up to 3.5 feet of future sea level rise, and support the communities’ objective to be removed from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) floodplain;
• Enable adaptation to our changing climate by using tidal marsh areas for flood protection in ways that sustain marsh habitat and facilitate marsh restoration associated with the South Bay Salt Ponds Restoration Project (SBSPRP) and other restoration efforts; • Expand opportunities for recreation and community connectivity in collaboration with the Bay Trail Program and efforts to enhance local trails;
• Minimize future maintenance requirements; and
• Partner with agencies and organizations pursuing similar goals and objectives and with assets to be protected by the Project.
Design Criteria
The Project is being designed to satisfy current FEMA coastal flood protection requirements (i.e., the existing 100-year event with required freeboard for FEMA accreditation) and an additional 3.5 feet of tidal elevation to account for anticipated sea level rise as well as other applicable FEMA design criteria (e.g., for the evaluation of settlement and structural stability).7 Proposed Shoreline Protection, Restoration and Recreation Proposed integrated shoreline protection, restoration, and recreation features, which vary by reach depending on existing site characteristics, are described below. (A reach is a section or length of bank or waterway.) As shown on Figure 1, the Project is divided into reaches based on local 6 Goals Project, 1999. Baylands Ecosystem Habitat Goals. Prepared by the San Francisco Bay Area Wetlands Ecosystem Goals Project, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, San Francisco, Calif./S.F. Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board. 7 The SFCJPA is using the Ocean Protection Council’s 2018 and 2020 Sea Level Rise Guidance to guide Project design.
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geography.8 The precise routes within some reaches have not been finalized and could depend on funding, land acquisition, and other factors. For example, multiple alignment options are under consideration for the Dumbarton Approach segment (see Figure 1). The SFCJPA will identify a preferred alignment in consultation with regulatory agencies and stakeholders and continuing investigation of engineering, environmental, and regulatory constraints.
Shoreline Protection
The Project includes the following features to provide protection from coastal flooding to parts of Menlo Park and East Palo Alto:
• Levees. A typical levee, composed of engineered fill with geogrid reinforcement, will have 3:1 (horizontal to vertical) side slopes, a final levee crest height of 16 to 17 feet North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88)9, and a base width of about 60 to 100 feet. Habitat transition zones, described in the next section, will be integrated on the water-side of some levee segments. In some cases, levees might be constructed and raised in stages given the longterm impacts of sea level rise and budget limitations. An assessment of high tide refugial habitat functions in the face of sea level rise will be performed in existing high-quality marshes. This assessment will be utilized in collaboration with resource agencies to determine if and where the project would propose construction of transition zone or other types of high tide refugial habitats in existing high-quality marshes. (The issue of emergent groundwater on the landward side of levees will be investigated in the EIR.)
• Floodwalls. Where existing spatial or other constraints do not allow for the construction of a levee, concrete or steel floodwalls could be constructed. Habitat transition zones, described in the next section, will be integrated on the water-side of some floodwalls. • Flood Risk Reduction Structures. There are several existing roadways and drainage ditches that cross the Project site. Where it is impractical to raise roadways to an elevation sufficient to provide flood protection, a passive flood risk reduction structure10 such as a flood gate could be constructed. Additional improvements to infrastructure (e.g., pump stations) in association with the flood risk reduction structures are proposed.
Figures 2 through 5 (at the end of this document) present representative cross-sections of proposed shoreline protection features in combination with habitat restoration.
Habitat Restoration, Creation and Enhancement
Tidal Salt Marsh Restoration
The South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project’s (SBSPRP’s) programmatic environmental impact statement/report (EIS/R) calls for large scale restoration of tidal salt marsh habitat in the vicinity of the SAFER Bay Project site.11 The SBSPRP is currently using an adaptive management process to guide restoration activities and the SFCJPA is coordinating closely to ensure consistency with 8 The Feasibility Report divided the Project site into 9 reaches. The reaches have been refined and consolidated since the Feasibility Report was completed and the nomenclature has been updated with input from local stakeholders. 9 The North American Vertical Datum of 1988 is the official vertical datum of the United States. 10 A passive structure is defined as a feature that can be closed at beginning of a storm event and left alone without any additional management except to reopen at the end of the storm event. 11 U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, et al, 2007. South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement/Report.
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SBSPRP goals and objectives. The SBSPRP EIS/R’s Alternative B-Managed Pond Emphasis includes the restoration of tidal salt marsh in Ponds R1 and R2, which are located in SAFER Bay’s Substation and Marsh Restoration Reaches.
The Project will construct the necessary flood protection to allow tidal restoration of Ponds R1 and R2. That said, some portion of managed pond habitat may be retained to provide shorebird habitat (for western snowy plover in particular) pending further ecological assessment of the appropriate balance of restored marsh to managed pond in collaboration with the SBSPRP’s project management team. The project will implement tidal marsh restoration (and potentially some proportion of managed pond enhancement) at Ponds R1 and R2 early in the construction sequence to reduce the temporal loss of tidal marsh habitat from levee fill in marshes. A later phase of the project may include tidal marsh restoration of the bayward portion of Pond SF2 and the adjacent diked marsh between SF2 and the Cooley Marsh (located in the Ravenswood Open Space Preserve). This action would substantially improve tidal marsh habitat connectivity for wildlife movement along the bayshore.
Tidal Marsh-Upland Transition Zone Habitat
The Project includes the creation of broad, gently sloped tidal marsh-upland transition zones (also referred to as horizontal levees), the ecological benefits of which include:
Provision of high-tide refugia for the endangered salt marsh harvest mouse and California Ridgway’s rail, considered essential for the survival and recovery of these species;12 Provision of essential habitat for endangered marsh plants (e.g., salt marsh bird’s beak and California sea blight) and promotion of high plant and animal community diversity;13 Increased habitat diversity and biodiversity; and
Accommodation of landward movement of tidal marsh with sea level rise.
As Project design progresses, the SFCJPA will consider the following factors, in consultation with stakeholders including the SBSPRP, to determine optimal locations and footprints of transition zone habitats:
• Minimizing fill within tidal marshes;
• Set-backs and site constraints;
• Quality and proximity of existing tidal habitats;
12 U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1984. Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse and California Clapper Rail Recovery Plan.
Shellhammer, H., 2012. Small Mammals. Ecology, Conservation, and Restoration of Tidal Marshes, the San Francisco Estuary. San Francisco Bay Area Wetlands Ecosystem Goals Project, 2015. The Baylands and Climate Change: What We Can Do. Baylands Ecosystem Habitat Goals Science Update. U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2013. Recovery Plan for Tidal Marsh Ecosystems of Northern and Central California. 13 U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2013. Recovery Plan for Tidal Marsh Ecosystems of Northern and Central California. San Francisco Bay Area Wetlands Ecosystem Goals Project, 1999. Baylands Ecosystem Habitat Goals.
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• Relative importance of existing tidal habitats for endangered wildlife species; and • Projected inundation associated with sea level rise and sedimentation and the resulting sustainability of existing tidal marshes.
Tidal marsh habitat or a mix of tidal marsh and managed pond habitats will be restored in Ponds R1/ R2. Transition zone habitat will be restored in Ponds R1/R2 and R4, as described below. The relative amount of restored tidal marsh, managed pond and transition zone habitats will be evaluated in collaboration with the SBSPRP.
• Tidal Marsh-Upland Transition Zone Habitat at Pond R1/R2. The Project will construct a broad, gently sloped habitat transition zone that will increase the surface area and vertical extent of transition zone habitat adjacent to the footprint of restored tidal salt marsh. High tide refugia could also be created within portions of Pond R1 to provide escape cover within the restored marsh. The locations of transition zone habitat will depend upon the footprint of restored tidal habitat versus enhanced managed pond habitat (to be determined in collaboration with the SBSPRP project management team).
• Tidal marsh-upland transition zone habitat construction at Pond R4. Similar to Pond R2, the Project will construct a broad, gently sloped habitat transition zone that will increase the surface area and vertical extent of transition zone habitat relative to the amount of transition zone habitat restored in Pond R4 by the SBSPRP. The design will be developed in collaboration with the SBSPRP project management team.
Western Snowy Plover Breeding Habitat Enhancement
The western snowy plover is known to breed in Pond R3.14 The Project could enhance snowy plover breeding habitat in Pond R3 by placing oyster shell or similar material within a portion of Pond R3. The precise locations of enhancement work will be determined in collaboration with the SBSPRP project management team.
Recreation
The Project overlaps with segments of the San Francisco Bay Trail and other trails. The Project includes proposed improvements to existing recreational access to the shoreline. Figures 2 through 7 present representative conceptual designs for trails to be constructed as part of the Project. By elevating these shoreline trails, the Project will reduce the trails’ exposure to flooding, thereby increasing public access and trail longevity. Other options include new trails that connect to existing Bay Trail.
14 Pearl, B. and A. Chen, 2018. Western Snowy Plover Monitoring in the San Francisco Bay. Annual Report 2017.
Prepared by the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory for the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Pearl, B., A. Chen, and Y. Wang, 2019. Western Snowy Plover Monitoring in the San Francisco Bay, Annual Report 2018. Prepared by the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory for the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
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Construction, Operations, and Maintenance
Construction of the Project will occur in phases. Improvements within the Substation and Marsh Restoration and South of Bay Road--East Palo Alto reaches, which will be evaluated at a project level of detail in the EIR, will be constructed as part of the first phase, assumed to begin in 2025 (subject to the availability of funding). Supplemental CEQA for those aspects of the Project evaluated in the SAFER Bay EIR at a program level of detail will occur before construction of those elements. For purposes of analysis, construction of the entire Project is assumed to be completed by 2030. Following construction, monitoring of tidal marsh restoration, transition zone creation, and managed pond enhancement will occur in accordance with applicable permit requirements. Levees, floodwalls, and flood risk reduction structures will be visually inspected periodically and any damage will be repaired as needed.
Alternatives
Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15126.6, the EIR will consider alternatives to the proposed Project, including the No Project Alternative. 15 Preliminary options to be considered for evaluation in the EIR include other Project alignment and design options identified in the Feasibility Report.
Reviewers are encouraged to identify additional alternatives to be considered for potential inclusion in the EIR when commenting on this NOP.
Possible Environmental Impacts and Need for an EIR
Because of the potential for significant impacts to the environment, the SFCJPA has determined that an EIR is appropriate under CEQA. The purpose of an EIR is to inform decision-makers and the general public of the environmental effects of a proposed Project.
The EIR process is intended to provide information sufficient to evaluate a project and its potential to cause significant impacts on the environment; examine methods of reducing adverse environmental impacts; and identify and evaluate alternatives to the proposed project. The following environmental resources will be evaluated in the EIR:
• Aesthetics
• Agriculture and Forestry Resources
• Air Quality
• Biological Resources
• Cultural Resources and Tribal Cultural
Resources
• Energy
• Geology, Soils and Minerals
• Greenhouse Gas Emissions
• Hazards and Hazardous Materials
• Hydrology and Water Quality
• Land Use and Planning
• Mineral Resources
• Noise and Vibration
• Population and Housing
• Public Services
• Recreation
• Traffic and Transportation
• Utilities and Public Services
• Wildfire
15 Managed retreat is the movement and transition of people and ecosystems away from vulnerable coastal areas.
Georgetown Climate Center Managed Retreat Tool Kit web site:
https://www.georgetownclimate.org/adaptation/toolkits/managed-retreat-toolkit/introduction.html. Accessed April 1, 2022.
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The Draft EIR will analyze potentially significant impacts to the physical environment and propose measures to mitigate (avoid, reduce, or compensate for) impacts that are determined to be significant.
As several community tracts in the Project vicinity meet the criteria to be designated as disadvantaged communities, the SFCJPA will also be considering social and economic equity issues during preparation of the Draft EIR.
EIR Scoping Process
This NOP initiates the CEQA scoping process through which the SFCJPA will refine the range of issues and alternatives to be addressed in the Draft EIR. The public is invited to comment on this proposal to prepare the EIR and on the scope of issues to be included in it. The SFCJPA will host two Scoping Meetings:
May 11, 2022 at 6:00 p.m.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6102559602?pwd=UmJ2NExnU0dTMDdjMHJlNHVwR0dXdz09 Meeting ID: 610 255 9602
Passcode: SAFERNOP1
May 19, 2022 at 6:00 p.m.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6102559602?pwd=dkphTWRQM2xxU1RpZkNVNGxEdEVUUT09 Meeting ID: 610 255 9602
Passcode: SAFERNOP2
Virtual meetings are planned to reach the greatest number of stakeholders as possible. Spanish and Tongan translation will be available during the meeting. RSVPs are encouraged, but not required. In addition, the SFCJPA is happy to meet in person with individuals or groups or provide a tour or the project areas.
The May 11 and May 19 meetings are part of the EIR scoping process during which the general public, public agencies, and private sector entities can provide input on specific topics that they believe should be addressed in the environmental analysis.
Due to the size and complexity of the Project, the SFCJPA and project partners at Nuestra Casa and Climate Resilient Communities will implement a sustained stakeholder engagement process throughout planning, design and construction, consistent with the SAFER Bay Community Outreach Plan.
Requests for in-person meetings, or tour of the Project area or any questions are welcome.
Written comments on the NOP are due by June 6, 2022 and may be sent to:
Tess Byler, Senior Project Manager
San Francisquito Creek Joint Powers Authority
2100 Geng Road
Palo Alto CA 94303
[email protected]
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Notice of Preparation April 22, 2022
The SFCJPA Board adopted Resolution 21-12-16B for the Bay Adapt Platform guiding principles and priority actions to foster local and regional consensus on the actions necessary to protect people and the natural and built environment from rising sea levels. This transparent and collaborative process lays out regional strategies that focus on overcoming barriers and identifying factors for successful sea level rise adaptation outcomes. Use of this platform, and the ideas in it, will create a Project that is informed by local input with regional coordination using the best available science.
Public Participation in EIR Review
All interested persons and organizations wishing to be notified when the Draft EIR is available for review should respond to this notice and provide a current address. You may do so by emailing Tess Byler at [email protected], or telephone (650) 484-0859, or by completing an interest form at the SFCJPA website, Connect With Us — San Francisquito Creek Joint Powers Authority (sfcjpa.org).
The SFCJPA will add you to our list of interested parties and will provide notice when the Draft EIR is available. In anticipation of community and stakeholder interest in the Project, the SFCJPA is extending the normal review period for the Notice of Preparation to 45 days with comments to be submitted by Monday June 6, 2022.
Information about availability of the Draft EIR will also be posted on the SFCJPA’s website (http://sfcjpa.org).
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Permits and Approvals
The Projects may require discretionary permits and other approvals from the agencies listed below.
Agency or Organization Action Potentially Requiring Permit or Consultation Federal
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Impacts to wetlands and waters of the U.S.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Impacts to federal listed threatened and endangered species National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration: National Marine
Fisheries Service
Impacts to federal listed threatened and endangered species State
State Historic Preservation Office Construction in or near cultural resources State Lands Commission Need for an approval action to be confirmed California Department of Fish and
Wildlife
Effects on state-listed species
Regional Water Quality Control
Board
Impacts to waters of the state and potential for surface water quality impairment from pollutant discharge
Bay Conservation and Development
Commission
Impacts to lands within BCDC jurisdiction
Local
City of East Palo Alto Various
City of Menlo Park Various
City of Palo Alto Various
Related Planning and Projects
Dumbarton Bridge West Approach and Adjacent
Communities Resilience Study
The Dumbarton Bridge West Approach and Adjacent Communities Resilience Study16 is a separate, complimentary planning effort to the SAFER Bay Project. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) completed this study of the Dumbarton Bridge/Highway 84 Corridor in 2020, which was funded by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), the MTC, and the Bay Area Toll Authority. The purpose of the study was to develop a strategy for sea level rise adaptation for the western approach of the bridge and adjacent communities. The SAFER Bay 16 AECOM, San Francisco Estuary Institute, and Skeo, 2020. Dumbarton Bridge West Approach and Adjacent Communities Resilience Study Technical Report. Prepared for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.
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Project includes Caltrans as a partner and incorporates the most recent evaluation of potential actions in the Dumbarton corridor.
South Bay Salt Ponds Project
The South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project (SBSP Project) is the largest tidal wetland restoration project on the West Coast. The SBSP Project encompasses approximately 15,000 acres of former industrial salt ponds located in the South San Francisco Bay, including the 1,600-acre Ravenswood Pond Complex that overlaps with some of the Project Area. This complex is part of the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, owned and managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Parts of the SAFER Bay Project site are within the Ravenswood Pond Complex. As indicated in the preceding text, in coordination with the SBSP Project, the SFCJPA proposes to restore habitat within Ponds R1, R2 and R5.
SAFER Bay Project
Figure 1
Project Location and Components
SOURCES: ESA, 2021; HDR, 2021; HT Harvey & Associates, 2021; ESRI World Imagery, 2021 Pacific
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N Feet
Project Site
Marsh Road
Bedwell Bayfront Park
Bayfront Expressway
Tech Campus
Substation and Marsh Restoration
Dumbarton Approach
North of Bay Road - East Palo Alto
South of Bay Road - East Palo Alto
Proposed Transition Zone Habitat (Project-Level)
Proposed Transition Zone Habitat (Program-Level)
Proposed Restoration (Project-Level)
Proposed Restoration (Program-Level)
Completed San Francisquito Creek Levee Project
City Boundaries
Bedwell
Bayfront Park
Ravenswood
Open Space
Preserve
ens
Cooley Landing
Dumbarton Bridge
Slough
wood
Pond R1
Pond R2
Pond R3
Pond R4
Pond R5
Pond S5
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Marsh
Faber Tract
Marsh
Pond SF2
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isquito Creek
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MENLO PARK
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Road
Marsh Road
Bay Road
Moseley
Tract
ATHERTON
REDWOOD
CITY
NOTES: 1. Reaches to be evaluated at a project-level of detail are shown in solid lines; reaches to be evaluated at a program-level of detail are shown as dashed lines.
Greco Island
Don Edwards San Francisco Bay
National Wildlife Refuge
Rav
3. Water control structures will affect ecotone levee arrangement. Water control structures are/will be located between Ponds R5 and S5 and S5 and R3.
2. While program-level transition zones are indicated, additional areas that are not yet determined will be evaluated in the EIR. This figure does not reflect proposed improvements to western snowy plover habitat in Pond R3.
PALO ALTO
Connection to Redwood City
Shoreline Protection
Bayfront Expressway
4. SAFER Bay Project will not conflict with Dumbarton Rail corridor or efforts to place it back in service.
SAFER Bay NOP 1-1 ESA / 211919
April 2022
APPENDIX NOP-1
Assessor Parcel Numbers Associated with the
Strategy to Advance Flood Protection,
Ecosystems and Recreation along San
Francisco Bay Project
This appendix lists the Assessor Parcel Numbers of properties that are wholly within, partially within, or within 100 feet of the footprint of the proposed Strategy to Advance Flood Protection, Ecosystems and Recreation along San Francisco (SAFER) Bay Project (Project) site excluding easements.
Appendix NOP-1
Assessor Parcel Numbers Associated with the Strategy to Advance Flood Protection, Ecosystems and Recreation along San Francisco Bay Project SAFER Bay NOP 1-2 ESA / 211919
April 2022
TABLE NOP 1-1
PARCELS POTENTIALLY AFFECTED BY THE SAFER BAY PROJECT
054-310-060 055-231-050 055-400-460 055-400-997
055-010-120 054-310-060 055-411-060 055-411-999
055-010-260 055-170-310 055-411-070 055-412-998
055-122-320 055-400-490 055-411-080 055-451-010
055-130-010 055-400-520 055-400-610 055-471-999
055-130-300 055-400-590 055-400-999 093-590-030
055-130-360 055-400-570 055-400-620 096-220-180
055-130-390 055-400-580 093-590-050 096-220-200
055-130-400 055-411-150 093-590-060 096-220-270
055-130-420 055-412-999 093-600-010 063-050-050
055-170-310 055-400-421 055-400-530 063-121-070
055-231-040 055-400-450 055-400-630 063-121-410
063-121-110 063-121-390 063-121-400 063-590-060
063-121-510 063-122-030 063-580-090 063-271-480
063-590-040 063-240-420 063-271-070
063-272-080 063-580-100 055-400-640