CITY OF FRESNO
CATEGORICAL EXEMPTION
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT NO. PW01003
THE PROJECT DESCRIBED HEREIN IS DETERMINED TO BE CATEGORICALLY
EXEMPT FROM THE PREPARATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL DOCUMENTS
PURSUANT TO ARTICLE 19 OF THE STATE CEQA GUIDELINES.
APPLICANT: City of Fresno
City Hall – CPD – Transportation Project Management
Division
747 R Street, 2nd Floor
Fresno, CA 93721
Attn: Abdulrahman “Abdul” BinMahfodh
PROJECT LOCATION: A 0.3-mile segment of Herndon Avenue between Valentine and Marks Avenues in the city of Fresno,
Fresno County, California
PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
The proposed Herndon Avenue Overlay, Valentine to Marks Avenues Project (project) includes the rehabilitation of existing pavement and replacement of failed roadway segments to restore the segment of Herndon Avenue between Valentine and Marks Avenues. Proposed roadway restoration activities would include the overlay and grinding of existing pavement and the full reconstruction of existing pavement where necessary. The project also includes the construction of associated roadway improvements, including installation of new Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)- compliant curb ramps where needed, new signage and pavement striping, adjustment of water valve and sewer manhole covers to finish grade, replacement of vehicle detection loops, and reconstruction of damaged median noses. The project would not create any new travel lanes along Herndon Avenue and would not require any right-of- way (ROW) acquisitions.
This project is exempt under Section 15301/Class 1 of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines.
Staff has performed a preliminary environmental assessment of this project and determined that it falls within the Categorical Exemption set forth in State CEQA Guidelines Section 15301/Class 1, which exempts existing facilities under certain conditions. Staff found that the conditions are met:
Section 15301/Class 1 consists of the operation, repair, maintenance, permitting, leasing, licensing, or minor alteration of existing public or private structures, facilities, mechanical equipment, or topographical features, involving negligible or no expansion of existing use. Examples include existing highways and streets, sidewalks, gutters, bicycle and pedestrian trails, and similar facilities (this includes road grading for the purpose of public safety), as well as other alterations such as the addition of bicycle facilities, including, but not limited to, bicycle parking, share facilities, and lanes and transit improvements such as bus lanes, pedestrian crossings, street trees, and other similar alterations that do not create additional automobile lanes. The proposed project would be consistent with the provisions of a Class 1 Categorical Exemption because it would be limited to the rehabilitation of existing pavement and replacement of failed roadway segments along a 0.3-mile segment of an existing roadway and the construction of associated roadway improvements and would not increase the number of vehicle travel lanes or the capacity of the roadway.
State CEQA Guidelines Section 15300.2 identifies exceptions that would disqualify a project from being exempt under the State CEQA Guidelines. According to State CEQA Guidelines Section 15300.2, a project that would be located within an environmentally sensitive area, result in significant cumulative impacts, result in a significant effect on the environment, damage scenic resources within the viewshed of a state scenic highway, be located on a hazardous waste site compiled pursuant to Government Code Section 65962.5, or cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of a historical resource would not qualify for an exemption under State CEQA Guidelines.
The project site extends along Herndon Avenue, between Valentine and Marks Avenues, and consists entirely of an existing roadway segment with three eastbound travel lanes and three westbound travel lanes that are separated by a traffic median.
The project site is surrounded by undeveloped land, residential units, a commercial center, and Herndon Trail to the north; single-family residences to the south; and developed roadway segments to the east and west. The project would be limited to work within the existing roadway prism and would not extend into previously undisturbed areas or native soils. The project would not require any ROW acquisitions and would not have the potential to impact historical buildings or structures if present on surrounding properties. The project would be limited to small changes to an existing roadway and surrounding streetscape and would not result in potentially significant environmental impacts associated with its location, cumulative impacts, scenic resources, hazardous waste sites, historical resources, or energy demand, or otherwise have the potential to result in a significant effect that could constitute an exception to a Categorical Exemption pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines Section 15300.2.
Date: February 23, 2024
Prepared by:
Jacqueline Markley, AICP
Senior Environmental Planner
SWCA Environmental Consultants
(916) 234-5522
Submitted by:
Abdulrahman “Abdul” BinMahfodh
Project Manager
City of Fresno
Public Works Department
(559) 621-8701
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