CITY OF FRESNO
CATEGORICAL EXEMPTION
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE CATEGORICAL EXEMPTION
DETERMINATION FOR THE SIXTH AMENDMENT TO THE SERVICE AGREEMENT WITH
ORANGE AVENUE DISPOSAL COMPANY
THE PROJECT DESCRIBED HEREIN IS DETERMINED TO BE CATEGORICALLY
EXEMPT FROM THE PREPARATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL DOCUMENTS
ACCORDING TO ARTICLE 19 OF THE STATE CEQA GUIDELINES.
APPLICANT: City of Fresno
2600 Fresno Street
Fresno, CA 93721
PROJECT LOCATION: 3457 South Cedar Avenue ; located east of South Cedar Avenue, between South Parkway Drive and East Central
Avenue in Fresno, California. APN: 330 -220-14S (Council District 3). Additionally, municipal solid waste, construction and demolition materials, and asphalt and concrete materials are hauled by the City and franchise holders from around the City for deposit at the processing facility location at 3457 South Cedar Avenue.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The City of Fresno is extending the term of its Services Agreement with Orange Avenue Disposal Company, Inc. (OAD) through a Sixth Amendment, which will extend the agreement by one year to February 25, 2035. Additionally, the amendment will permit OAD to make future requests for material modifications to the agreement or to increase costs to the City under the Agreement which are occasioned by changes in law, legal mandates, or other legally required programs.
The project is categorically exempt under Section 15301/Class 1 of the California Environmental Quality Act as follows:
Section 15301/Class 1 (Class 1/ Existing Facilities) of the CEQA Guidelines exempts from the provisions of CEQA, projects that consist 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 or former use.
The project is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because it involves the approval of a Sixth Amendment to an existing Services Agreement between the City of Fresno and Orange Avenue Disposal Company, Inc. (OAD). Under the existing service agreement, OAD transfers, processes, and disposes of municipal solid waste, construction and demolition materials, and asphalt and concrete materials generated by residential and commercial customers within the City. The materials transferred, processed, and disposed of by the service provider are hauled directly to the processing facility located at 3457 South Cedar Avenue.
EA for the Sixth Amendment to the Services Agreement with Orange Avenue Disposal Company November 13, 2025
The Sixth Amendment extends the term of the existing Service A greement by one year to February 25, 2035, and will permit OAD to make future requests for material modifications to the agreement or to increase costs to the City under the Agreement which are occasioned by changes in law, legal mandates, or other legally required programs.
The project constitutes a modification to an existing service agreement and does not involve the construction of new facilities, changes in land use, or any physical development. There will be no ground disturbance or expansion of an existing use. All services provided by OAD will continue to operate from existing facilities and the materials transferred, processed, and disposed of will be collected and hauled from within established service areas across the city. Accordingly, the project will not have a significant impact on the environment, as it involves the extension and amendment of an existing service agreement with negligible or no expansion of use.
Pursuant to Section 15300.2 of the CEQA Guidelines, none of the exceptions to the use of a Categorical Exemption are applicable to the proposed project, as detailed below:
(a) Location. Classes 3, 4, 5, 6, and 11 are qualified by consideration of where the project is to be located – a project that is ordinarily insignificant in its impact on the environment may in a particularly sensitive environment be significant. Therefore, t hese classes are considered to apply all instances, except where the project may impact on an environmental resource of hazardous or critical concern where designated, precisely mapped, and officially adopted pursuant to law by federal, state, or local agencies.
This exception applies only to Classes 3, 4, 5, 6, and 11, where the environmental sensitivity of a location may render a typically exempt project significant. The proposed project qualifies under a Class 1 Categorical Exemption, which is not subject to the location exception. Furthermore, the project site is an existing, urbanized solid waste facility that has been previously developed and used for the same purpose.
(b) Cumulative Impact. All exemptions for these classes are inapplicable when the cumulative impact of successive projects of the same type in the same place, over time is significant.
The project is an administrative amendment to an existing service agreement and does not involve new construction, expansion of service areas, or increased operational capacity. As such, it will not result in cumulative environmental impacts when considered with projects of the same type.
(c) Significant Effect. A categorical exemption shall not be used for an activity where there is a reasonable possibility that the activity will have a significant effect on the environment due to unusual circumstances.
There are no unusual circumstances associated with this amendment that would result in a significant environmental effect. All services provided by OAD will continue to operate from existing facilities and the materials transferred, processed, and disposed of will be collected and hauled from within established service areas across the city. The project continues existing operations under substantially the same conditions with no physical changes to the environment.
Accordingly, the project will not have a significant impact on the environment, as it involves the extension and amendment of an existing service agreement with negligible or no expansion of use.
EA for the Sixth Amendment to the Services Agreement with Orange Avenue Disposal Company November 13, 2025
(d) Scenic Highways. A categorical exemption shall not be used for a project which may result in damage to scenic resources, including but not limited to, trees, historic buildings, rock outcroppings, or similar resources, within a highway officially designated as a state scenic highway. This does not apply to improvements which are required as mitigation by an adopted negative declaration or certified EIR.
The subject property is not located along, or visible from , any officially designated State Scenic Highway per the Department of Transportation (Caltrans) . This amendment pertains only to administrative contract terms and will not alter visual character or introduce new structures.
(e) Hazardous Waste Sites. A categorical exemption shall not be used for a project located on a site which is included on any list compiled pursuant to Section 65962.5 of the Government Code.
Projects located on sites listed pursuant to Government Code Section 65962.5 (the “Cortese List”) are not eligible for categorical exemptions. The project site is not included on any such list maintained by the California Environmental Protection Agency or the Department of Toxic Substances Control. Moreover, the amendment does not authorize any activities that would disturb potentially hazardous materials.
(f) Historical Resources. A categorical exemption shall not be used for a project which may cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of a historical resource.
A categorical exemption is not applicable if the project may cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of a historical resource. The project site and associated operations are not linked to any known historical resources or structures. The facility is modern and does not involve any features of historical significance.
The proposed project qualifies for a Class 1 Categorical Exemption under the CEQA Guidelines and does not meet any of the exception criteria outlined in Section 15300.2. As an administrative action with no associated physical changes, the project is located within a previously developed, urbanized area that is not considered environmentally sensitive. Therefore, the use of a categorical exemption is both appropriate and applicable . Additionally, the project is not anticipated to result in any significant en vironmental impacts, therefore a categorical exemption, as noted above, has been prepared for the project
EA for the Sixth Amendment to the Services Agreement with Orange Avenue Disposal Company November 13, 2025
Date: November 20, 2025
Prepared By: Brittany Martin
Submitted by:
Israel Trejo
Planning Manager
Planning & Development Department
(559) 621-8044