CITY OF FRESNO
CATEGORICAL EXEMPTION
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
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.
CONTACT:
Brian Barr, Director
City of Fresno
General Services Department
2101 G. Street, Bldg. A
Fresno, CA 93760
(559) 621-1418
[email protected]
PROJECT TITLE: Lease Agreement with City of Fresno and Anoush Chamlian for Office Space
PROJECT LOCATIONS: 621 Santa Fe, Fresno, CA 93721; located on the west side of Ventura Avenue, between Santa Fe Avenue and
P Street in downtown Fresno .
PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The proposed project consists of the City of Fresno entering into a lease agreement for approximately 16,425 square feet of existing office space and occupying an
existing office building for administrative, utilit ies planning, and engineering functions.
Initial occupancy is anticipated to include approxi mately 45 to 50 City employees relocated from existing Cit y
facilities. Occupancy may increase over time based on
operational needs; however, occupancy would remain
within the capacity of the existing building, on-si te
parking supply, and available infrastructure, with a
maximum occupancy of approximately 100 employees.
The project involves occupancy and operation of an
existing building. No construction, demolition, expansion, grading, major tenant improvements, interior altera tions, exterior modifications, or changes to existing buil ding systems are proposed as a condition of the lease Existing parking, utilities, and infrastructure would contin ue to serve the site. Routine maintenance activities may occur as part of normal building operations.
The Project is exempt under Section 15301/Class 1 of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines.
Under Section 15301/Class 1—Existing Facilities, pr ojects are exempt from CEQA requirements when they 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 neg ligible or no expansion of existing or former use.
The project is categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15301 (Class 1 – Existing Facilities).
Class 1 consists of the operation, repair, maintena nce, permitting, leasing, licensing, or minor alteration of existing public or private stru ctures, facilities, mechanical equipment, or topographical features involving negligible or n o expansion of existing or former use.
The proposed project consists of the leasing and occupancy of an existing office building for administrative, utilities planning, and enginee ring functions. The project would utilize an existing building and existing supporting infras tructure. No construction, expansion, major tenant improvements, or physical alterations to the building or site are proposed.
Occupancy would remain within the capacity of the existing building, parking supply, and available infrastructure. Accordingly, the project involves the leasing and operation of an existing facility with negligible or no expansion o f existing or former use and qualifies for the Class 1 categorical exemption.
None of the exceptions to Categorical Exemptions se t forth in the CEQA Guidelines, Section 15300.2, apply :
(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 sign ificant. Therefore, these classes are considered to apply all instances, except where the project may impact on an environmental resource of hazardous or critical con cern where designated, precisely mapped, and officially adopted pursuant to law by federal, state, or local agencies.
The project is not located in a sensitive environme nt which will impact an environmental resource of hazardous or critical con cern where designated, precisely mapped, and officially adopted pursuant to law by federal, state, or local agencies. Rather, the project consists solely of th e lease and occupancy of an existing developed office building in an urbanized area. The project does not involve construction, site disturbance, grading, ve getation removal, or other activities that could affect an environmentally sen sitive habitat or resource area.
Therefore, the location exception does not apply.
(b) Cumulative Impact. All exemptions for these classes are inapplicable w hen the cumulative impact of successive projects of the sam e type in the same place, over time is significant.
The project would not result in a significant envir onmental effect due to unusual circumstances. The project consists solely of the l ease and occupancy of an existing office building for office uses that are consistent with the building's existing and historical use. No construction, physical alterations, expansion, or operational changes are proposed that would result in environme ntal impacts. Accordingly, there are no unusual circumstances that would creat e a reasonable possibility of a significant environmental effect.
(c) Significant Effect. A categorical exemption shall not be used for an ac tivity where there is a reasonable possibility that the activity will have a significant effect on the environment due to unusual circumstances.
The Project will not have a significant effect on t he environment due to unusual circumstances. The Project is largely relocation of existing operations which would not result in substantial or significant effect on the environment. (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 h ighway 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 project would not result in damage to scenic re sources within a highway officially designated as a State Scenic Highway. Th e project does not involve exterior modifications, construction activities, vegetation removal, or other physical changes that could affect scenic resources. Therefo re, the scenic highways exception does not apply.
(e) Hazardous Waste Sites. A categorical exemption shall not be used for a pro ject located on a site which is included on any list com piled pursuant to Section 65962.5 of the Government Code.
The Project is not located on a hazardous waste sit e which is included on any list compiled pursuant to Section 65962.5 of the Governm ent Code. Therefore, the hazardous waste sites exception does not apply.
(f) Historical Resources. A categorical exemption shall not be used for a pr oject which may cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of a historical resource.
The building H.P. #59 Berven Rug Mills, Inc./Wellma n-Peck & Company Building (1917) is registered in the Local Register of Histo ric Resources. The proposed project consists solely of the lease and occupancy of the existing building for administrative, utilities planning, and engineering functions. No interior or exterior alterations, major tenant improvements, constructio n activities, demolition, relocation, or other physical modifications to the building or site are proposed.
Any routine maintenance activities would be limited to activities that do not alter character-defining features of the historical resource and would be consistent with ongoing building operations. Because the project wo uld not result in any physical change to the historical resource, the project woul d not cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of the resource as defined by CEQA Guidelines Section 15064.5. Therefore, the historical resource s exception set forth in CEQA Guidelines Section 15300.2(f) does not apply.
Furthermore, the proposed project is not expected t o have a significant effect on the environment. Accordingly, a categorical exemption, as noted above, has been prepared for the project.
Prepared &
Submitted by:
Debbie Khounsavath
Project Manager
Department of Public Utilities
(559) 621 -162 4