437976v1
CITY OF FRESNO
ADDENDUM TO NEGATIVE DELCARATION FOR ENVIRONMENTAL
ASSESSMENT NO. P18-02753
(As adopted by the Fresno City Council on 12/7/2023)
Addendum prepared in accordance with Section 15164 of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines
This addendum was
not circulated for
public review
pursuant to Section
15164(c) of the
CEQA Guidelines.
The full Initial Study and the ND are on file
in the Planning and Development
Department,
Fresno City Hall, 3rd Floor
2600 Fresno Street
Fresno, California 93721
(559) 621-8277
ENVIRONMENTAL
ASSESSMENT NUMBER:
P18-02753 APPLICANT:
Jonathan Maravilla, Engineer I
747 R street, 2nd Floor
Fresno, CA
PROJECT LOCATION:
North Polk Avenue, between West Shaw Avenue to West
Rialto Avenue.
Assessor’s Parcel Number(s): 510-130-35S, 510-120-24,
510-120-13, 510 -120-12, 510- 120-11, 510-030-17, 510-
030-25, 510-120-23, 510-120-22, 510-120-21(Portion).
PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
The relocation of portions of the Teague School No. 46 pipeline, in connection with the Southbound Polk Avenue Widening Project, will involve reconstructing an existing Fresno Irrigation District (FID) pipeline crossing Polk Avenue, north of Acacia Avenue as well as relocating an existing FID pipeline parallel to Polk Avenue along the east side of the street, north of Rialto Avenue. To facilitate relocation of portions of the Teague School No. 46 pipeline, the City must execute utility relocation and pipeline maintenance agreements with FID.
The City of Fresno prepared a Negative Declaration for Environmental Assessment No. P18-02753, which was adopted by the Fresno City Council on 12/7/2023. Environmental Assessment No. P18 -02753 Addendum to a Subsequent Environmental Impact Report
Environmental Assessment P18-02753
March 3, 2025
437976v1
analyzed the impacts of the proposed Southbound Polk Avenue Widening Project. The Southbound Polk Avenue Widening Project consists of street improvements to North Polk Avenue including roadway widening, street rehabilitation and repair, between West Shaw Avenue and West Rialto Avenue. Roadway widening along North Polk Avenue will require the acquisition of parts from 10 parcels along the roadway.
This project will widen and construct curb, gutter and sidewalk on the west side of North Polk Avenue from 667 feet south the centerline of West Shaw Avenue to West Acacia Avenue; and widen and construct curb, gutter and sidewalk on the east side of North Polk Avenue between West Rialto Avenue and West Acacia Avenue. The existing school crosswalk serving Teague Elementary, crossing North Polk Avenue, will be enhanced with a high intensity activated crosswalk (HAWK) crossing. This project will resurface North Polk Avenue with a combination of complete pavement cross -section replacement or grinding off the top two tenths of a foot of the existing pavement and replacement with fresh asphalt, between West Shaw Avenue and West Rialto Avenue. This project will replace striping and signing after the above construction improvements. This project will ensure that all pedestrian facilities will meet or exceed current Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards or guidelines. This project will provide street lighting along North Polk Avenue and will modify the traffic signal at the intersection of North Polk Avenue and West Shaw Avenue. This project will construct a 36" storm drain trunk line along North Polk Avenue thence eastward along West Shaw Avenue connecting to an existing 48" storm drain at North Hayes Avenue.
Class 2 Bike lanes will be included with the widening of North Polk Avenue between West Gettysburg Avenue and West Shaw Avenue in accordance with the General Plan, Mobility and Transportation element. All roadway widening along North Polk Avenue and storm drainage improvements along North Polk and West Shaw Avenue
s are addressed in the City of Fresno General Plan and Master Environmental Impact Report (MEIR).
The Negative Declaration indicated that “all existing utilities in the surrounding area that would be impacted will be relocated.” However, it did not specify which utilities would be relocated. Specifying which utilities will be relocated, within the footprint of the Southbound Polk Avenue Widening Project is a minor technical change. The utility relocation and maintenance agreements propose to amend the underlying Southbound Polk Avenue Widening Project by
reconstructing an existing FID pipeline crossing Polk
Avenue, north of Acacia Avenue as well as relocating an existing FID pipeline parallel to Polk Avenue along the east side of the street, north of Rialto Avenue. As the design of the Southbound Polk Avenue Widening Project progressed, the first change came about due to a federal grant requirement to widen the road, which required the City to relocate the FID utility pipeline parallel to Polk Avenue along the east side of the street, north of Rialto Avenue. T he second relocation of the FID utility pipeline crossing Polk Avenue, north of Acacia Avenue is required as a condition imposed by FID due to FID not allowing a pipeline bend in the middle of the road.
The City has determined that these additions are minor technical changes to the Polk Widening Project such that an addendum to the SEIR is appropriate pursuant to the CEQA Guidelines Section 15164 . In addition, the City has performed an analysis under Section 15162 of the CEQA Guidelines and has Addendum to a Subsequent Environmental Impact Report
Environmental Assessment P18-02753
March 3, 2025
437976v1
determined that none of the circumstances set forth in Section 15162 calling for preparation of a subsequent Environmental Impact Report or negative declaration have occurred; and, new information added is only for the purposes of providing minor changes or additions, in accordance with Section 15164 of the CEQA Guidelines. Therefore, the City has determined that preparing an addendum to Negative Declaration for Environmental Assessment No. P18- 02753 pursuant to Section 15164 of the CEQA Guidelines is appropriate.
CEQA Section 15162 provides that when an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) or Negative Declaration has been adopted for a project, no subsequent EIR shall be prepared for that project unless the lead agency determines, on the basis of substantial evidence in the light of the whole record, one or more of the following:
FINDINGS PURSUANT TO SECTION 15162 OF THE CEQA GUIDELINES. (1) Substantial changes are proposed in the project which would require major revisions of the previous EIR or Negative Declaration due to the involvement of new significant environmental effects or a substantial increase in the severity of previously identified significant effects; Finding
(1):
The relocation of portions of the Teague School No. 46 pipeline, in connection with the Southbound Polk Avenue Widening Project, does not involve any new significant environmental effects or a substantial increase in the severity of previously identified significant effects that would require major revisions of the previous Negative Declaration because the subject site was already analyzed for street improvements to North Polk Avenue including roadway widening, street rehabilitation and repair between West Shaw Avenue and West Rialto Avenue as well as the need to relocate utility facilities along Polk Avenue. (2) Substantial changes occur with respect to the circumstances under which the project is undertaken which will require major revisions of the previous EIR or negative declaration due to the involvement of new significant environmental effects or a substantial increase in the severity of previously identified significant effects; or,
Finding
(2):
There have been no substantial changes to the surrounding area or project site which would otherwise affect the circumstances under which the project is undertaken. The severity of environmental issues identified in the ND dated February 8 2019, have not substantially increased since the preparation of the Addendum.