October 11, 2023
Gustavo Rangel, Engineer
City of Fresno, Public Works Department
Engineering Services Division
2600 Fresno Street, Room 4016
Fresno, CA 93721
Re: PW00902 Merced Street Reconnection - Supporting Memorandum for Categorical Exemption (Class 2 – Replacement or Reconstruction) / SWCA Project No. 73586-006 Dear Mr. Rangel:
This memorandum provides supporting documentation for determining the Merced Street Reconnection Project (project) exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) in accordance with CEQA Guidelines 15302, Class 2, Replacement or Reconstruction.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
The City of Fresno (City) proposes to re-establish an existing 600-foot-long segment of Merced Street, between H Street and Congo Alley, and an existing 230-foot-long northerly extension of Broadway Street from the current terminus, approximately 280 feet north of Fresno Street to intersect with the proposed Merced Street extension in the city of Fresno, California. The proposed project would include the installation of associated improvements, including sidewalk, curbs, curb ramps, streetlights, and landscaping improvements. Two portions of City-owned property within the project area would be dedicated as public street easements by Resolution to accommodate the construction of the project. The proposed project would be located adjacent to Hotel Fresno (Local Register Historic Property Number 166); however, all work would be conducted within the existing City Right-of-Way (ROW) and no property acquisition or other disturbance would be required.
APPLICABLE EXEMPTION
A Class 2 Categorical Exemption consists of replacement or reconstruction of existing structures and facilities where the new structure will be located on the same site as the structure replaced and will have substantially the same purpose and capacity as the structure replaced. The proposed project would be consistent with the provisions of a Class 2 Categorical Exemption because it would be limited to the re- establishment of an existing roadway and associated improvements.
The proposed project includes the redevelopment and reactivation of the former alignment of Merced Street, between H Street and Congo Alley, as well as a perpendicular segment of Broadway. All of these segments border the Fresno Hotel property, which is a known historic resource. Although the existing conditions of the streetscape would be significantly changed from the current configuration, this would ultimately have no effect on historical resources. Essentially, these segments were converted from an active part of Merced Street first into an offramp-like extension of Fresno Street in the 1960s, and later converted again into a pedestrian plaza around the Fresno IRS Compliance building in 2003. By reactivating the roadways for automobile circulation, the project would be reconnecting the circulation around the historic Fresno Hotel to the grid pattern that is characteristic of downtown, and ultimately restore the surrounding streetscape to a condition and pattern of use that is more consistent with the historic setting of the hotel property. As such, the reconfiguration of Merced Street and a portion of
2 Broadway between H Street and Congo Alley in downtown Fresno would improve the integrity of setting of the historic Frenso Hotel by restoring the circulation patterns and configurations of the streetscape to a condition that is more consistent with the historical resource’s period of significance of 1912 to 1962.
Therefore, the Merced Street reactivation project would have no significant impact on historical resources.
The proposed improvements would not increase the capacity of the roadway. In addition, the project would not result in potentially significant environmental impacts associated with its location, cumulative impacts, scenic resources, hazardous waste sites, historical resources, energy demand, or otherwise have the potential to result in a significant effect.
Sincerely,
Jacqueline Markley, AICP
Senior Environmental Planner
Attachment A Notice of Exemption
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Notice of Exemption
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