Fremont City Council Meeting: 07/18/23 07:00 PM
3300 Capitol Avenue Div/Dept: Landscape Architecture
Fremont, CA 94538 Category: Plans, Policies and Studies
SCHEDULED
Sponsors:
COUNCIL STAFF REPORT (ID # 4966) DOC ID: 4966 B
Updated: 7/13/2023 2:47 PM by Alberto Quintanilla B Page 1 VALLEJO MILLS HISTORICAL PARK SITE DEVELOPMENT PLAN – Niles Canyon Road and Mission Boulevard – Adopt the Site Development Plan for Vallejo Mills Historical Park; and find that, the project is exempt from review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15301 (Existing Facilities), Section 15304 (Minor Alterations of Land), Section 15311(b) (Accessory Structures), and Section 15183 (Project Consistent with a Community Plan, General Plan, or Zoning).
Contact Persons:
Name: Roger Ravenstad Suzanne Wolf
Title: Parks Planning and Design Manager Community Services Director Div/Dept: Landscape Architecture Community Services
Phone: 510-494-4723 510-494-4329
E-Mail: [email protected] [email protected]
Executive Summary: Staff recommends that the City Council accept and adopt the Vallejo Mills Historical Park Site Development Plan, which includes a dog park, pickleball courts with lighting, driveway and parking improvements, security fencing and gates, an d tree mitigation planting; and, find that, the project is exempt from review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) as the replacement or reconstruction of an existing facility, pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15301 (Existing Facilities ), Section 15304 (Minor Alterations of Land), Section 15311(b) (Accessory Structures), and Section 15183 (Project Consistent with a Community Plan, General Plan, or Zoning), and approve a categorical exemption from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) per CEQA Guidelines.
BACKGROUND: During the community engagement process for the Parks and Recreation Master Plan and through additional communication, the community has expressed significant need for the City to provide pickleball court facilities throughout the City’s park system. These are facilities intended to meet USA Pickleball standards for both recreational and competitive level play as determined by USA Pickleball, a national governing body for the sport of pickleball. The City currently has limited pickleball courts in its inventory with only three non-dedicated courts. The 2022 updated Parks and Recreation Master Plan identified that the City should have a minimum of fifteen courts to provide the standard level of service by 2026.
In addition to pickleball, the community has expressed significant need for additional dog parks outside of Central Park. Central Park currently has the city’s only dog park. Staff have identified the Vallejo Mills Historical Park as an ideal park site to be activated with pickleball and dog park amenities to satisfy priorities identified in the Parks and Recreation Master Plan.
The existing Vallejo Mills Historical Park site is situated in the Niles area with Niles Canyon Road (State Route 84) to the south, Mission Boulevard (State Route 238) to the west and the Niles Canyon Railway to the north. The park site was home to two former mills built by Don Jose de Jesus Vallejo in 1841 and 1853. In 1986, the City developed a Schematic Council Staff Report (ID # 4966) Meeting of July 18, 2023 Updated: 7/13/2023 2:47 PM by Alberto Quintanilla B Page 2 Report for the Vallejo Mills Historic Park that included archeological investigations that were able to confirm the prior existence of these structures although they are no longer visible except for remnants of the foundation of the 1841 structure.
Along with the mill structure remnant, the current park site consists of a paved parking lot in fair to poor condition, unpaved paths, park furnishings and signage, trees, and grassland.
It is currently difficult to use this space for its intended park use with the current design.
Staff has prepared a Site Development Plan with associated Material and Site Furnishings exhibits that identifies proposed improvements to the Vallejo Mills Historical Park site, incorporating a dog park and pickle ball courts, addressing the community’s interests as noted above.
DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS:
Proposed Site Development Plan/Materials and Site Furnishings (See Exhibits A and B): The proposed site development improvements includes the addition of a 30,800 square feet dog park in a natural setting with existing trees, with bark mulch surfacing, four feet height fencing, and park user and maintenance access gates and entry areas. The plan also includes four new pickleball courts with potential expansion for two future additional courts.
The courts are planned to include sports court lighting. The existing park driveway and entrance will be maintained at the same location and will terminate at a new vehicle driveway roundabout that meets emergency vehicle requirements. Existing parking area will be replaced with four new pickleball courts and twenty-three new parking stalls are proposed to be in front of the dog park and visible and accessible from the Niles Canyon Road (State Route 84) frontage. New parking will include an ADA accessible stall and provisions for future EV charger.
Additional park improvements include perimeter decorative fencing and gates to discourage vehicular access into the natural areas of the park. Other featured plan improvements include ADA compliant walkways, new park furnishings including benches, trash and recycling receptacles, drinking fountains, park rules signage, and security and pathway lighting from the pickleball courts to the parking stalls. The plan also includes the location for a vault toilet restroom.
The plan identifies two to three existing small trees to be removed and replanted to facilitate the new design. These proposed tree removals will be mitigated with new tree planting. The remainder of the park site will remain undeveloped and addressed as a future planning and design effort as identified in the City’s Parks and Recreation Master Plan.
The site of the historic mills and remaining foundation is well over 300 feet from the proposed improvements and will not be altered as part of this project. This project wil l comply with City standard development requirements as described in Fremont Municipal Code section 18.218.050, including but not limited to biological survey, air quality standards, construction related emissions, cultural and tribal cultural resources, g eology and soils review, hazardous materials, and noise mitigation.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Council Staff Report (ID # 4966) Meeting of July 18, 2023 Updated: 7/13/2023 2:47 PM by Alberto Quintanilla B Page 3 Project Budget and Funding:
1. Total funds appropriated to the project (current):
• 540 Park Facility Impact Fee (PWC9090 funding prior to 7/1/23) $50,000 • 540 Park Facility Impact Fee (PWC9090 funding available 7/1/23) $1,507,000
2. Total funds appropriation for fencing portion of the project:
• 540 Park Facility Impact Fee (Security for Parks PWC8671) $200,000 • 541 Park Dedication Quimby Impact (Security for Parks PWC8671) $200,000
3. Total General Funds appropriation for lighting portion of the project:
• 501 Parks Capital (PWC8501) $500,000
This funding will address court and security lighting and associated electrical costs.
Total funds $2,457,000
4. Estimated Project Design Expenditures:
• Conceptual & Preliminary Design, Construction Documents $285,000 • Project & Construction Management $160,000
• Consultants and Utility Fees $190,000
Subtotal Estimated Project Design Expenditures $635,000
5. Estimated Construction Expenditures:
• Construction Total $1,610,000
• 10% “Market” Bidding Contingencies $164,000
• Construction Close Out Fee and Design Contingencies $48,000 Subtotal Estimated Construction Expenditures $1,822,000
Funds Remaining at Project Completion $0
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW: The proposed improvements to the existing Vallejo Mills Historical Park are exempt from the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) per, without limitation, each on a separate and independent basis:
(1) CEQA Guidelines Section 15301 (Existing Facilities), as the project would involve minor alterations to an existing park facility, involving a negligible expansion of use. The proposed alterations would not expand the boundaries of the park site and would be contained within previously improved areas of the park. The introduction of dog park and pickleball facilities would not be an expansion of use as the park has been historically utilized for recreational activities. Per General Plan Parks and Recreation Element Table 8-4, Historic Parks are anticipated to include “limited active recreation, such as hard surface playing courts, such as pickleball, basketball, and tennis courts and multipurpose sports fields for informal "pick-up" games and practice activities” and “passive recreation, such as picnicking, strolling, and informal play,” such as a dog park;
(2) CEQA Guidelines Section 15304 (Minor Alterations of Land), as the project would involve the minor alteration of improved park land with new landscaping. The project would replace existing lawn and paved areas within the park with a mulched dog park area and a sports Council Staff Report (ID # 4966) Meeting of July 18, 2023 Updated: 7/13/2023 2:47 PM by Alberto Quintanilla B Page 4 court surface. Existing damaged paving and driveway area would be replaced with new paved surfaces;
(3) CEQA Guidelines Section 15311(b) (Accessory Structures), as the project would involve the replacement of an existing small parking lot with a new parking lot built to a similar capacity. The improved parking area would not significantly expand capacity;
(4) CEQA Guidelines Section 15183 (Projects Consistent with a Community Plan, General Plan, or Zoning), as the proposed project is consistent with the development densities and policies in the general plan and existing zoning for which a final Environmental Impact Reports (EIRs) was previously certified: Fremont General Plan EIR (SCH#2010082060).
The project would not create significant effects more severe than analyzed in the prior EIR because the project does not substantially alter the physical characteristics or use of the site. The project site is identified as a Historic Park in the Parks and Recreation Element of the Fremont General Plan and has been operated in a manner consistent with the Historic Park designation. The proposed park improvements would involve the construction of a small number of pickleball courts and a dog park area within the existing park boundaries.
These new facilities would be consistent with Table 8-4 of the Parks and Recreation Element, which anticipates “limited active recreation, such as hard surface playing cou rts (basketball, tennis, etc.) and multipurpose sports fields for informal "pick -up" games and practice activities” and “passive recreation, such as picnicking, strolling, and informal play” as base facilities for a historic park. There have been no major physical changes to the circumstances under which the park improvements would be undertaken, as the park has not been physically altered since the adoption of the General Plan.
There would not be the potential for environmental effects peculiar to the pr oject or to the project site. The improvements to the site would take place in previously improved and disturbed areas of the park that are currently utilized for parking, site circulation and passive recreation. The formal delineation and striping of the parking area and the programming of active uses (pickleball and dog park) would be a negligible expansion of the existing park use. The park improvements are located a significant distance (over 300 feet) from the remnants of the Vallejo Mill and therefore would not have the potential to impact the historic resource. The potential for encountering cultural resources, particularly those related to the historic operation of the Vallejo Mill, during construction activity would be addressed through the uniform application of the standard development requirements in Fremont Municipal Code (FMC) Chapter 18.218. Previous archaeological investigations of the site did not encounter any cultural resources. FMC Chapter 18.218 also provides standard development requirements that address any potential impact to special-status species and air quality related to construction.
There does not appear to be any new information of substantial importance that would suggest that a new or more substantial environmental effect would result from the proposed improvements. Regarding the change in analysis of transportation impacts in CEQA under SB 743, the Vallejo Mills Historic Park would continue to be operated as a local serving public facility, and the new improvements are anticipated to result in a reduction of vehicle miles travelled in the community due to increased local access to recreational opportunities.
Council Staff Report (ID # 4966) Meeting of July 18, 2023 Updated: 7/13/2023 2:47 PM by Alberto Quintanilla B Page 5 In summary, there are no previously identified significant effects which are substantially more severe than analyzed in the prior EIR nor any peculiar significant effects that were not previously analyzed or discussed as significant effects in prior EIR or that cannot be substantially mitigated by the imposition of uniformly applied development policies or standards applied on a citywide basis. None of the circumstances necessitating preparation of a subsequent EIR pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15162 are present. The improved park would be consistent with existing park operations and the Historic Park designation in the General Plan. As discussed above, no substantial changes in circumstances have occurred that were not fully envisioned in the General Plan EIR and no new information of substantial importance exists that suggests that there would be a new or more substa ntial environmental effect.
ATTACHMENTS:
• Exhibit A-VMHP - Site Development Plan-23_0706
• Exhibit B-VMHP-Materials & Site Furnish-23_0706
RECOMMENDATIONS:
1. Find that the project is exempt from review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) as the replacement or reconstruction of an existing facility, pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15301 (Existing Facilities), Section 15304 (Minor Alterations of Land), Section 15311(b) (Accessory Structures), and Section 15183 (Project Consistent with a Community Plan, General Plan, or Zoning), and approve a categorical exemption from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) per CEQA Guidelines.
2. Adopt the Site Development Plan for Vallejo Mills Historical Park as shown in Exhibit A and Exhibit B.