Hollister City Council
December 3, 2024

HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN, CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, AND

AGRICULTURAL LANDS PRESERVATION PROGRAM REVISED DRAFT EIR

CITY OF HOLLISTER
NOISE
PLACEWORKS 4.13-9
California Building Code: CALGreen
The State of California’s noise insulation standards are codified in the California Code of Regulations, Title 24, Part 11, California Green Building Standards Code (CALGreen). CALGreen noise standards are applied to new or renovation construction projects in California to control interior noise levels resulting from exterior noise sources. Proposed projects may use either the prescriptive method (Section 5.507.4.1) or the performance method (Section 5.507.4.2) to show compliance. Under the prescriptive method, a project must demonstrate transmission loss ratings for the wall and roof-ceiling assemblies and exterior windows when located within a noise environment of 65 dB(A) CNEL or higher. Under the performance method, a project must demonstrate that interior noise levels do not exceed 50 dB(A) Leq(1hr).

Airport Noise Standards
California Code of Regulations Title 21, Subchapter 6, Airport Noise Standards, establishes 65 dB(A) CNEL as the acceptable level of aircraft noise for persons living in the vicinity of airports. Noise-sensitive land uses in locations where the aircraft exterior noise level exceeds 65 dB(A) CNEL are generally incompatible, unless an aviation easement for aircraft noise has been acquired by the airport proprietor, or the residence is a high-rise apartment or condominium that has an interior CNEL of 45 dB(A) or less in all habitable rooms despite aircraft noise, and an air circulation or air conditioning system, as appropriate.

Assembly Bill 2776 requires any person who intends to sell or lease residential properties within an airport influence area to disclose that fact to the person buying the property.

Regional Regulations
San Benito County Hollister Municipal Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan San Benito County’s Airport Land Use Commission (ALUC) adopted the Hollister Municipal Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan (ALUCP) in 2012 to ensure land uses surrounding the Hollister Municipal Airport (HMA) are compatible with airport-serving uses. The creation of the ALUC and the preparation of the ALUCP are requirements of the California State Aeronautics Act.2 Provisions for creation of ALUCs were first established under State law in 1967, and their fundamental purpose is to protect public health, safety, and welfare by ensuring the orderly expansion of airports and the adoption of land use measures that minimize the public’s exposure to excessive noise and safety hazards within areas around public airports to the extent that these areas are not already devoted to incompatible uses. The ALUCP evaluates all surrounding land within the airport influence area, defined as any land on which current or future airport- related noise, overflight, safety, or airspace protection factors may impact existing land uses. The ALUCP requires that any proposed project, specific plan, general plan, zoning ordinance, or building regulation proposed within the airport influence area be reviewed by the ALUC to ensure consistency with the ALUCP. By considering the ALUCP, the City of Hollister General Plan can ensure it will not conflict with the policies and overall purpose of the ALUCP.

2 Public Utilities Code Section 21670 et seq.

HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN, CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, AND

AGRICULTURAL LANDS PRESERVATION PROGRAM REVISED DRAFT EIR

CITY OF HOLLISTER
NOISE

4.13-10 JULY 2024
Local Regulations
Hollister Municipal Code
The City of Hollister Municipal Code (HMC) includes various directives pertaining to noise and vibration.

The HMC is organized by Title, Chapter, and Section. Most provisions related to aesthetics impacts are included in Title 8, Health and Safety; Title 10, Vehicles and Traffic; and Title 17, Zoning.  Chapter 8.28, Noise. This chapter provides general policies prohibiting noise sources, for the peace, health, comfort, safety and welfare of its citizens from excessive, unnecessary or unusually loud noises and vibrations from any and all sources in the community. Specific interior and exterior standards are not provided, but exemptions to the standards in Chapter 8.28 are identified.

Chapter 8.28 generally prohibits any excessive, unnecessary, or unusually loud noises from any person. Excessive, unnecessary or unusually loud noise is defined as a noise disturbance at any time of the day that, because of volume, duration, or character annoys, disturbs, injures, or endangers the comfort, repose, health, peace, or safety of any reasonable person of normal sensitivity residing in the area.

For any kind of noise, regardless of the time of day, the standards that shall be considered in determining whether a violation exists may include, but shall not be limited to:
 The volume or intensity of the noise.
 Citizen complaints.
 The proximity of the noise to residential properties.  The nature and zoning of the area within which the noise emanates.  The time and/or day of the week the noise occurs.
 The duration of the noise.
 Whether the noise is recurrent, intermittent, or constant.  Whether the noise is produced by a commercial or noncommercial activity.  A noise level in residential districts exceeding 55 dB(A) during daylight hours, and 50 dB(A) after sunset, measured at the property line of the complaining party or inside an affected multiple- dwelling unit.
 Section 10.36.060, Noise. This section prohibits noise-producing work, whether routine maintenance or major repairs before 8:00 a.m. or after 9:00 p.m. on any day.  Section 17.10.040, Industrial Zoning District Performance Standards. This section states that no approved land use shall generate ground vibration perceptible without instruments at any point along or outside the property line of the use, except for motor vehicle operations.  Section 17.12.040, Airport and Airport Support Zone. This section provides standards to ensure land use compatibility with the Hollister Municipal Airport related to noise and vibration under parts D and G. Part D states that no approved land use shall generate vibration perceptible without instruments at any point along or outside of the property line of the use, except for operational motor

HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN, CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, AND

AGRICULTURAL LANDS PRESERVATION PROGRAM REVISED DRAFT EIR

CITY OF HOLLISTER
NOISE
PLACEWORKS 4.13-11
vehicles. Part G states that office buildings, motels, hotels, and schools shall be designed to include noise attenuation measures to maintain an interior noise level not to exceed 55 dB CNEL.  Chapter 17.16.100, Noise. This chapter provides noise-related limits on commercial construction contiguous to residential properties to the hours of 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Saturdays, and prohibited Sundays and federal holidays.

Noise-generating commercial landscaping activities with a duration of one-half hour or less shall be limited to the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday and prohibited Sundays and federal holidays.

Noise-generating commercial landscaping activities with a duration of one hour or more, shall be limited to the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Saturdays, and prohibited Sundays and federal holidays.

This section does not apply to construction, landscaping, or grounds maintenance by the occupants of residential property for personal, noncommercial use.

Hollister Municipal Airport Master Plan
The HMA Master Plan identifies and plans for the future facility needs of the HMA through 2025. The primary objective of the HMA Master Plan is to provide guidelines for the maintenance, development, and operation of the HMA as expansion occurs. The HMA Master Plan also preserves areas surrounding the existing footprint of the HMA to ensure that land is available for future improvements.

EXISTING CONDITIONS
Primary noise sources in the EIR Study Area include traffic from surrounding highways, major roadways, residential streets, HMA, local railroad activity, and outdoor recreational uses. In commercial and retail areas, truck loading docks can be a source of localized noise.

Noise-Sensitive Receptors
Certain land uses, such as residences, schools, and hospitals, are particularly sensitive to noise and vibration. Noise sensitive receptors within the EIR Study Area include residences, senior housing, schools, places of worship, and recreational areas. These uses are regarded as sensitive because they are where citizens most frequently engage in activities that are likely to be disturbed by noise, such as reading, studying, sleeping, resting, or otherwise engaging in quiet or passive recreation. Commercial and industrial uses are not particularly sensitive to noise or vibration.

Ambient Noise Measurements
Ambient noise monitoring was conducted within the EIR Study Area by PlaceWorks in January 2022 to determine a baseline noise level at different environments. Measurements were made during weekday periods when the EIR Study Area is expected to be most active. Long-term (24-hour) measurements were conducted at three locations within the EIR Study Area, and short-term (15 minute) measurements were conducted at six locations in the EIR Study Area. All measurements were conducted from Monday, January

HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN, CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, AND

AGRICULTURAL LANDS PRESERVATION PROGRAM REVISED DRAFT EIR

CITY OF HOLLISTER
NOISE

4.13-12 JULY 2024
24, through Tuesday, January 25, 2022. Short-term measurements were generally made during afternoon (3:00 to 7:00 p.m.) peak commute hours.

Meteorological conditions during the measurement periods were favorable for outdoor sound measurements and were noted to be representative of the typical conditions for the season. All sound level meters were equipped with a windscreen during measurements.

All sound level meters used for noise monitoring (Larson Davis model LxT) satisfy the American National Standards Institute standard for Type 1 instrumentation. The sound level meters were set to “slow” response and “A” weighting (dB(A)). The meters were calibrated prior to and after the monitoring period.

All measurements were at least five feet above the ground and away from reflective surfaces. Noise measurement locations are described below and shown on Figure 4.13-1, Approximate Noise Monitoring Locations.

Long-Term Noise Monitoring Locations
 Long-Term Location 1 (LT-1) was at the 1st Street and San Benito Street intersection. The measurement location was approximately 15 feet east of the nearest San Benito Street northbound travel lane centerline. A 24-hour noise measurement was conducted, beginning at the 1:00 p.m. hour on Monday, January 24, 2022. The noise environment of this site is characterized primarily by local traffic and railroad activity on the Union Pacific Hollister Industrial Lead, which runs diagonally through the intersection.
 Long-Term Location 2 (LT-2) was on SR-156B/4th Street east of Rajkovich Way. The measurement location was approximately 60 feet south of the nearest 4th Street eastbound travel lane centerline. A 24-hour noise measurement was conducted, beginning at the 2:00 p.m. hour on Monday, January 24, 2022. The noise environment of this site is characterized primarily by local traffic.  Long-Term Location 3 (LT-3) was on SR-25 south of Sunnyslope Road. The measurement location was approximately 30 feet west of the nearest SR-25 southbound travel lane centerline. A 24-hour noise measurement was conducted, beginning at the 2:00 p.m. hour on Monday, January 24, 2022. The noise environment of this site is characterized primarily by local traffic and retail activity.

Short-Term Noise Monitoring Locations
 Short-Term Location 1 (ST-1) was near the 1st Street and San Benito Street intersection and rail crossing. The noise measurement at ST-1 captured a freight train switching cars by first going through the intersection and then reversing. A 15-minute noise measurement was conducted, beginning at 1:07 p.m. on Monday, January 24, 2022. Crossing-bell noise levels were measured at 71 dB(A). When the train was moving, it generated noise levels of approximately 80 dB(A). The sounding of the horn produced noise levels of up to 100 dB(A).
 Short-Term Location 2 (ST-2) was at the eastern dead end of Verona Place. An approximately 10- to 12-foot masonry wall separates the residential property line to the east from SR-25. A 15-minute noise measurement was conducted, beginning at 4:24 p.m. on Monday, January 24, 2022. The noise environment of this site is characterized primarily by traffic on SR-25, neighborhood dogs, and an occasional aircraft overflight.

HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN, CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, AND

AGRICULTURAL LANDS PRESERVATION PROGRAM REVISED DRAFT EIR

CITY OF HOLLISTER
NOISE

4.13-14 JULY 2024
 Short-Term Location 3 (ST-3) was at the playground in the Mission Oaks Mobile Home Park. A 15- minute noise measurement was conducted, beginning at 3:32 p.m. on Monday, January 24, 2022. The noise environment of this site is characterized primarily by distant traffic as well as distant backup alarms, trucks moving, tools, and brake discharge at the industrial truck lot to the south. Residential activity in the mobile home park and occasional aircraft overflights also contribute to the ambient noise environment. Activity at the industrial truck lot to the south generated noise levels of up to 48 dB(A).
 Short-Term Location 4 (ST-4) was in front of Gateway Palms Apartments at 455 Westside Boulevard.

The measurement location was approximately 20 feet east of the nearest Westside Boulevard northbound travel lane centerline. A 15-minute noise measurement was conducted, beginning at 3:57 p.m. on Monday, January 24, 2022. The noise environment of this site is characterized primarily by local traffic.
 Short-Term Location 5 (ST-5) was on Memorial Drive north of Sunnyslope Road across from Veterans Memorial Park and Sunnyslope Elementary School. The measurement location was approximately 15 feet west of the nearest Memorial Drive southbound travel lane centerline. A 15-minute noise measurement was conducted, beginning at 4:49 p.m. on Monday, January 24, 2022. The noise environment of this site is characterized primarily by local traffic.  Short-Term Location 6 (ST-6) was on Union Road east of Valley View Road. The measurement location was approximately 15 feet south of the nearest Union Road eastbound travel lane centerline. An approximately 6-foot masonry wall is along the residential property line to the south. A 15-minute noise measurement was conducted, beginning at 5:13 p.m. on Monday, January 24, 2022. The noise environment of this site is characterized primarily by local traffic and birds.

Long-Term Noise Monitoring Results
During the ambient noise survey, the Ldn noise levels at monitoring locations ranged from 72 to 76 dB(A) Ldn. The long-term noise measurement results are summarized in Table 4.13-6, Long-Term Noise Measurement Summary (dB(A)). A summary of the daily trend of long-term noise measurement results are shown in Appendix E, Revised Noise Data, of this Revised Draft EIR.

TABLE 4.13-6 LONG-TERM NOISE MEASUREMENT SUMMARY (DB(A)) Monitoring Location Description Ldn Lowest Leq, 1-Hour Highest Leq, 1-Hour LT-1 1st Street/San Benito Street 76 60 78
LT-2 SR-156B 72 59 72
LT-3 SR-25 73 59 73
Source: PlaceWorks, 2022.

Short-Term Noise Monitoring Results
The short-term noise measurement results are summarized in Table 4.13-7, Short-Term Noise Measurement Summary (dB(A)).

HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN, CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, AND

AGRICULTURAL LANDS PRESERVATION PROGRAM REVISED DRAFT EIR

CITY OF HOLLISTER
NOISE
PLACEWORKS 4.13-15
TABLE 4.13-7 SHORT-TERM NOISE MEASUREMENT SUMMARY (DB(A)) Monitoring Location Description
Noise Level, dB(A)
Lmin Leq Lmax
ST-1 1st St./San Benito St. Rail Activity – 1:07 p.m.,
1/24/2022 64.8 82.0 100.0
ST-2 Verona Place – 4:24 p.m., 1/24/2022 39.8 49.3 61.3 ST-3 Mission Oaks Mobile Home Park – 3:32 p.m.,
1/24/2022 39.2 48.9 69.3
ST-4 Westside Blvd. – 3:57 p.m., 1/24/2022 48.2 66.1 76.6 ST-5 Memorial Drive – 4:49 p.m., 1/24/2022 45.1 65.6 81.7 ST-6 Union Road – 5:13 p.m., 1/24/2022 48.1 68.9 91.6
Source: PlaceWorks,2022.

Vehicle Noise
On-road vehicles represent the most prominent source of noise in Hollister. Traffic noise levels were estimated using the FHWA Highway Traffic Noise Prediction Model and traffic data provided by Kimley- Horn. The FHWA model predicts noise levels through a series of adjustments to a reference sound level.

These account for distances from the roadway, traffic volumes, vehicle speeds, car/truck mix, number of lanes, and road width. Roadway and highway 60, 65, and 70 dB(A) CNEL noise contours are shown in Table

4.13-8, Existing Traffic Noise Levels, and on Figure 4.13-2, Existing Transportation Noise Contours.

TABLE 4.13-8 EXISTING TRAFFIC NOISE LEVELS
Roadway Segment
dB(A) Ldn
at 50 feet
Distance to Noise Contour (feet)
70 dB(A) Ldn 65 dB(A) Ldn 60 dB(A) Ldn
San Felipe Rd North of Flynn Rd 74.3 103 223 480
San Felipe Rd South of Flynn Rd 68.9 45 97 209
Flynn Rd West of San Felipe Rd 62.9 18 38 82
San Felipe Rd North of Wright Rd 71.0 62 134 288
San Felipe Rd South of Wright Rd 70.1 53 115 248
McCloskey Rd East os San Felipe Rd 66.3 30 65 140
San Felipe Rd North of SR-25 70.5 57 124 266
San Felipe Rd South of SR-25 69.8 51 110 237
SR-25 East of San Felipe Rd 72.4 77 166 357
SR-25 West of San Felipe Rd 74.0 97 210 451
SR-156 North of Buena Vista Rd 74.9 112 241 520
SR-156 South of Buena Vista Rd 72.7 80 172 371
Buena Vista Rd East of SR-156 60.3 12 26 56
Buena Vista Rd East of Beresini Ln 56.8 7 15 32
Buena Vista Rd West of Beresini Ln 60.3 12 26 56
Buena Vista Rd East of Miller Rd 56.8 7 15 32
Buena Vista Rd West of Miller Rd 56.8 7 15 33
Westside Rd North of Buena Vista Rd 58.7 9 20 43

HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN, CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, AND

AGRICULTURAL LANDS PRESERVATION PROGRAM REVISED DRAFT EIR

CITY OF HOLLISTER
NOISE

4.13-16 JULY 2024
TABLE 4.13-8 EXISTING TRAFFIC NOISE LEVELS
Roadway Segment
dB(A) Ldn
at 50 feet
Distance to Noise Contour (feet)
70 dB(A) Ldn 65 dB(A) Ldn 60 dB(A) Ldn
Westside Blvd South of Buena Vista Rd 61.2 14 30 64
Buena Vista Rd West of Westside Blvd 58.9 10 21 45
San Felipe Rd North of North St 69.6 50 108 233
San Benito St South of North St 64.2 22 47 101
Santa Ana Rd East of San Felipe Rd 61.8 15 33 70
North St West of San Felipe Rd 60.9 13 28 61
SR-25 North of Santa Ana Rd 74.4 104 224 482
SR-25 South of Santa Ana Rd 71.1 63 136 293
Santa Ana Rd East of SR-25 64.1 22 47 100
Santa Ana Rd West of SR-25 64.1 21 46 100
San Juan Hollister Rd East of Felice Dr 70.1 54 116 249 San Juan Hollister Rd West of Felice Dr 66.5 31 67 144
SR-25 North of Meridian St 73.0 84 182 392
SR-25 South of Meridian St 72.1 73 157 338
Meridian St East of SR-25 65.3 26 55 119
Meridian St West of SR-25 65.6 27 58 126
SR-25 North of Hillcrest Rd 73.1 85 183 394
SR-25 South of Hillcrest Rd 72.3 75 161 348
Hillcrest Rd East of SR-25 68.2 40 86 186
Hillcrest Rd West of SR-25 67.5 36 77 167
San Benito St North of Nash Rd 61.6 15 31 68
San Benito St South of Nash Rd 61.6 15 31 68
Nash Rd East of San Benito St 62.4 17 36 77
Nash Rd West of San Benito St 60.0 11 25 53
San Benito St North of Union Rd 63.6 20 43 93
Union Rd East of San Benito St 67.7 37 80 173
Union Rd West of San Benito St 69.7 51 109 235
Southside Rd North of Union Rd 61.2 14 29 63
Southside Rd South of Union Rd 64.4 23 49 105
Union Rd East of Southside Rd 71.2 64 138 297
Union Rd West of Southside Rd 69.0 46 98 212
Airline Hwy/SR-25 North of Union Rd 73.3 88 190 410
Airline Hwy/SR-25 South of Union Rd 70.9 61 131 283
Avenida Cesar Chavez East of Airline Hwy/SR-25 63.5 20 42 91 Union Rd West of Airline Hwy/SR-25 71.0 62 134 288
San Benito St North of 4th St 63.2 19 40 87
San Benito St South of 4th St 55.2 6 12 26
4th St East of San Benito St 66.1 29 63 136

HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN, CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, AND

AGRICULTURAL LANDS PRESERVATION PROGRAM REVISED DRAFT EIR

CITY OF HOLLISTER
NOISE
PLACEWORKS 4.13-17
TABLE 4.13-8 EXISTING TRAFFIC NOISE LEVELS
Roadway Segment
dB(A) Ldn
at 50 feet
Distance to Noise Contour (feet)
70 dB(A) Ldn 65 dB(A) Ldn 60 dB(A) Ldn
4th St West of San Benito St 66.5 31 67 144
Fairview Rd North of Hillcrest Rd 67.1 34 73 157
Fairview Rd South of Hillcrest Rd 65.5 26 57 123
Hillcrest Rd East of Fairview Rd 60.9 13 28 61
Hillcrest Rd West of Fairview Rd 65.0 25 53 115
Fairview Rd North of Sunnyslope Rd 67.9 38 83 178
Fairview Rd South of Sunnyslope Rd 64.4 23 49 105
Sunnyslope Rd East of Fairview Rd 58.3 9 19 41
Sunnyslope Rd West of Fairview Rd 64.2 22 47 101
Fairview Rd North of Airline Hwy/SR-25 65.2 25 54 117
Ridgemark Dr South of Airline Hwy/SR-25 63.4 19 41 89
Airline Hwy/SR-25 East of Fairview Rd 69.3 47 102 220
Airline Hwy/SR-25 West of Fairview Rd 71.6 68 146 315
SR-156 North of San Juan Hollister Rd 74.8 111 240 517
SR-156 South of San Juan Hollister Rd 74.8 111 239 516
San Juan Hollister Rd East of SR-156 70.7 59 127 274
San Felipe Rd North of Fallon Rd 73.4 89 192 415
San Felipe Rd South of Fallon Rd 72.2 74 159 343
Fallon Rd East of San Felipe Rd 69.4 49 105 225
San Felipe Rd North of Rd P 72.8 81 175 376
San Felipe Rd South of Rd P 70.9 60 130 281
San Felipe Rd North of Pacheco Pass Hwy/SR-156 64.2 22 47 102 San Felipe Rd South of Pacheco Pass Hwy/SR-156 66.8 32 70 150 Pacheco Pass Hwy/SR -156 East of San Felipe Rd 74.0 99 213 458 Pacheco Pass Hwy/SR -156 West of San Felipe Rd 73.0 84 181 389 SR-25 North of Flynn Rd 72.5 78 168 362
SR-25 South of Flynn Rd 69.0 46 98 212
SR-25 North of Wright Rd 71.9 71 152 329
SR-25 South of Wright Rd 69.3 48 102 221
Wright Rd East of SR-25 63.9 21 45 97
Wright Rd West of SR-25 59.6 11 23 50
Fairview Rd North of Avenida Cesar Chavez 66.5 31 66 143 Fairview Rd South of Avenida Cesar Chavez 62.4 16 35 76 Source: Calculated using the Federal Highway Administration RD-77-108 model based on traffic data provided by Kimley Horn. For traffic data provided by Kimley Horn and traffic noise calculations (see Appendix F, Revised Transportation Data, of this Revised Draft EIR).

HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN, CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, AND

AGRICULTURAL LANDS PRESERVATION PROGRAM REVISED DRAFT EIR

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NOISE
PLACEWORKS 4.13-19
Aircraft Noise
The 343-acre HMA, in the northern portion of the city, is the only airport in the EIR Study Area and is owned and operated by the City of Hollister. The HMA is classified as a general utility airport, which means that it accommodates most general aviation aircraft. HMA’s airfield consists of two intersecting runways equipped with standard identification lights. The HMA has two types of aircraft hangars, conventional and T-hangars, totaling approximately 153,100 square feet. Six conventional hangars accommodate 16 aircraft and 9 separate T-hangar buildings accommodate 75 aircraft.

In addition to general aviation and aircraft storage, operations at the airport include aircraft maintenance, supplies, flight instruction, commercial scenic flights, and repairs.3 Operations at the HMA are overseen by a five-member Hollister Airport Commission and a part-time airport manager.4 Land uses surrounding the HMA include light industrial to the south and west and agricultural rangeland to the north and east.

Airport noise contours from the Hollister Municipal Airport Master Plan (see Figure 4.13-3, Hollister Municipal Airport 2025 Noise Contours) do not extend much beyond the runway and do not substantially affect nearby sensitive receptors.

Train Noise
Railroad operations in the EIR Study Area are also a substantial source of noise in areas nearest railroad crossings. Day-night average noise levels vary throughout the community depending on the number of trains operating along a given rail line per day, the timing and duration of train pass-by events, and whether or not trains must sound their warning whistles near “at-grade” crossings. When railroad trains approach a passenger station or at-grade crossing, they are required to sound their warning whistle within

0.25 miles. Trains are required to sound a long signal followed by a short signal when approaching stations, curves, or other points where view may be obscured, and when approaching passenger or freight trains. When passing a standing train, the moving train is required to sound two long signals followed by a short signal followed by a long signal, the same requirement when signaling for at-grade crossings. Train warning whistles typically generate maximum noise levels of approximately 105 dB(A) at 100 feet.

Hollister has one rail line, owned San Benito Railroad LLC (as of 2013), that runs roughly through the center of the northern half of the city. The rail line is operated by Union Pacific and serves the Hollister Industrial Lead. It is a 12-mile long rail line from Carnadero, outside of Gilroy, to Hollister. On average, trains have two locomotives and eight cars traveling 10 miles per hour. Currently, local trains run two times a week, Tuesday and Thursday, servicing San Benito Foods. This rail line has seven at-grade crossings: North Street, 1st Street, 2nd Street, East Street, 3rd Street, 4th Street, and South Street, and none are “quiet zones.”5

3 County of San Benito, March 2015, 2035 San Benito County General Plan Update Revised Draft EIR, State Clearinghouse No. 2011111016, Chapter 12, Hazards and Hazardous Materials, pages 12-14. 4 City of Hollister, 2005, City of Hollister General Plan, page 4.11. 5 Quiet Zone: A quiet zone is a zone where railroads have been directed to cease the routine sounding of their horns when approaching public highway-rail grade crossings. Train horns may still be used in emergency situations.

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Existing railroad noise levels were calculated using the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) CREATE rail noise model and the Federal Rail Administration (FRA) Grade Crossing Horn Model, the average number of pass-bys, time of day, number of locomotives and type, number of rail cars and type, and speed. Table

4.13-9, Existing Railroad Noise Levels, includes the calculated distances to the 65 dB(A) CNEL contours from existing railroad noise, both from the main line and within 0.25 miles of the seven at-grade crossings where horn warnings are required.

TABLE 4.13-9 EXISTING RAILROAD NOISE LEVELS
Operator Subdivision
Distance (feet) to 65 dB(A)
CNEL Contour (Mainline)
Distance (feet) to 65 dB(A) CNEL
Contour (within 0.25 miles of grade
crossing)
Union Pacific Hollister Industrial Lead 7 143
Source: Calculated using the Federal Transit Authority CREATE Model and Federal Railroad Administration Grade Crossing Horn Model. See Appendix E, Revised Noise Data, of this Revised Draft EIR.

Stationary Noise Sources
Stationary sources of noises may occur from all types of land uses. Residential uses generate noise from landscaping, maintenance activities, and air conditioning systems. Commercial uses generate noise from heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) systems, generators, loading docks, rail yards and other sources. Industrial uses may generate HVAC systems, loading docks, and possibly machinery. Noise generated by residential or commercial uses are generally short and intermittent. Industrial uses may generate noise on a more continual basis due to the nature of the activities. Nightclubs, outdoor dining areas, gas stations, car washes, fire stations, drive-throughs, swimming pool and hot tub pumps, school playgrounds, athletic and music events, and public parks are other common noise sources.

Hollister Hills State Vehicular Recreation Area
The Hollister Hills State Vehicular Recreation Area is a state park in the Gabilan Mountains, approximately five miles south of the center of Hollister. Hollister Hills encompasses an area of over 6,800 acres and provides access to activities such as hiking, bicycling, horseback riding and off-roading, including the use of motorbikes and all-terrain vehicles. Activities in the state park, specifically use of off-highway vehicles, are a major component to noise in the state park and surrounding sensitive receptors.

Vibration
Existing sources of operational vibration in the EIR Study Area include vehicle traffic on roadways. Caltrans has studied the effects of propagation of vehicle vibration on sensitive land uses and notes that “heavy trucks, and quite frequently buses, generate the highest earthborne vibrations of normal traffic.” Caltrans further notes that the highest traffic-generated vibrations are along freeways and state routes. Their study finds that “vibrations measured on freeway shoulders (five meters from the centerline of the nearest lane) have never exceeded 0.08 in/sec, with the worst combinations of heavy trucks and poor roadway conditions (while such trucks were moving at freeway speeds). This level coincides with the maximum

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recommended safe level for ruins and ancient monuments (and historic buildings).”6 In addition, future sensitive receptors could be placed within close proximity to existing railroad lines through buildout in the EIR Study Area.

4.13.2 STANDARDS OF SIGNIFICANCE
Implementation of the proposed project would result in significant noise impacts if it would:

1. Result in generation of a substantial temporary or permanent increase in ambient noise levels in the vicinity of the project in excess of standards established in the local general plan or noise ordinance, or in other applicable local, state, or federal standards.

2. Result in generation of excessive groundborne vibration or groundborne noise levels.

3. For a project located within the vicinity of a private airstrip or an airport land use plan, or where such a plan has not been adopted, within two miles of a public airport or public use airport, expose people residing or working in the project area to excessive noise levels.

4. In combination with past, present, and reasonably foreseeable projects, result in a cumulative impact with respect to noise and vibration.

CONSTRUCTION NOISE
The City does not have established noise thresholds for construction noise. Therefore, the FTA construction noise criterion of 80 dB(A) Leq(8hr) for will be used in this analysis to assess construction noise impacts at sensitive receptors. Since this is a programmatic EIR, project-level analysis of construction noise would be speculative and is therefore not presented. Potential future impacts from construction noise are addressed qualitatively and include program-level mitigation measures.

STATIONARY NOISE
The HMC provides noise standards in Chapter 8.28 for stationary sources that would be analyzed at the project level. Pursuant to HMC Section 8.28.020, Prohibited Generally, the noise level limit in residential districts is 55 dB(A) during daylight hours and 50 dB(A) after sunset, measured at the property line of the sensitive receptor.

VIBRATION
As described in Section 4.13.1.3, Vibration Fundamentals, vibration-related impacts can occur during the construction and operational phases and are measured in PPV or VdB. The City does not have quantified limits for vibration.

6 Caltrans, 2013, Transportation and Construction Vibration Guidance Manual.

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The FTA criteria to evaluate the potential damage to buildings susceptible to architectural damage are shown in Table 4.13-10, Building Architectural Vibration Damage Limits. For example, for Category III, (nonengineered timber and masonry buildings), a threshold of 0.2 in/sec PPV would apply.

TABLE 4.13-10 BUILDING ARCHITECTURAL VIBRATION DAMAGE LIMITS Building Category PPV (in/sec)
Category I. Reinforced concrete, steel, or timber, (no plaster) 0.5 Category II. Engineered Concrete and masonry (no plaster) 0.3 Category III. Non-engineered timber and masonry buildings 0.2 Category IV. Buildings extremely susceptible to vibration damage 0.12 Note: PPV = peak particle velocity; in/sec = inches per second Source: Federal Transit Administration, 2018, Transit Noise and Vibration Impact Assessment Manual.

The FTA criteria for acceptable levels of groundborne vibration based on typical human response are shown in Table 4.13-11, FTA Groundborne Vibration Potential Annoyance Criteria. For example, a 72 VdB threshold will be used for potentially annoying groundborne vibration at residential buildings and other buildings where people normally sleep, and a 65 VdB threshold will be used for buildings containing vibration-sensitive equipment (such as laboratories with microscopes).

TABLE 4.13-11 FTA GROUNDBORNE VIBRATION POTENTIAL ANNOYANCE CRITERIA Building Category VdB re 1 micro in/sec
Category I. Buildings where vibration would interfere with interior operations 65 VdB a, b Category II. Residences and buildings where people normally sleep 72 VdB a Notes: Vibration Decibel (VdB) = A unitless measure of vibration, expressed on a logarithmic scale and with respect to a defined reference vibration velocity. In the U.S., the standard reference (re) velocity is one microinch per second (1x10-6 in/sec). a. Frequent Events: more than 70 events per day.
b. This criterion limit is based on levels that are acceptable for most moderately vibrations-sensitive equipment (such as laboratories with microscopes).

Source: Federal Transit Administration, September 2018, Transit Noise and Vibration Impact Assessment.

MOBILE NOISE
In the EIR Study Area the primary sources of mobile noise are vehicles, aircraft, and trains. A project will normally have a significant effect on the environment related to noise if it will substantially increase the ambient noise levels in the areas around the project. Most people can detect changes in sound levels of approximately 3 dB(A) under normal, quiet conditions, and changes of 1 to 3 dB(A) are detectable under quiet, controlled conditions. Changes of less than 1 dB(A) are usually indiscernible. A change of 5 dB(A) is readily discernible to most people in an exterior environment. Based on the proposed 2040 General Plan *Policy HS-8.1, Protect of Noise Sensitive Areas from Unacceptable Traffic Noise Levels, a project would have a significant impact if it causes a the day-night average sound level (Ldn) to increase 5 dB(A) where ambient noise is below 60 dB(A); (b) the project would cause the Ldn to increase 3 dB(A) where ambient noise is between 60 dB(A) and 70 dB(A); or (c) the project would cause the Ldn to increase 1.5 dB(A) where ambient noise is 70 dB(A) or greater.

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4.13.3 IMPACT DISCUSSION
As described in Chapter 4, Environmental Analysis, of this Revised Draft EIR, some proposed 2040 General Plan policies and actions are required as means to mitigate environmental impacts under CEQA. These policies and actions are fully enforceable at the discretion of the decision-maker through permit conditions, agreements, or other legally binding instruments. These mitigating policies and actions use the imperative “shall,” include performance criteria, and are marked with an asterisk (*).

NOI-1 Implementation of the proposed project would result in the generation of substantial temporary and permanent increases in ambient noise levels in the EIR Study Area in excess of standards established in the local general plan or noise ordinance, or in other applicable local, state, or federal standards.
2040 General Plan
Construction Noise
Since this is a programmatic EIR, project-level conclusions of construction noise would be speculative and are therefore not presented in this analysis. Potential future impacts from construction noise are addressed qualitatively and include program-level mitigating policies.

Future potential development in the EIR Study Area could result in two types of temporary noise impacts during construction. First, the transport of workers and movement of materials to and from the site could incrementally increase noise levels along local access roads. Second, noise would be generated from activities related to demolition, site preparation, grading, and/or physical construction. Construction is performed in distinct steps, each of which has its own mix of equipment, and, consequently, its own noise characteristics. Table 4.13-12, Typical Construction Equipment Noise Emission Levels, lists typical construction equipment noise levels recommended for noise-impact assessments, based on a distance of 50 feet between the equipment and noise receptor.

TABLE 4.13-12 TYPICAL CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT NOISE EMISSION LEVELS Construction
Equipment
Typical Max Noise Level
(dB(A) Lmax) a
Construction
Equipment
Typical Max Noise Level
(dB(A) Lmax) a
Air Compressor 81 Pile-Driver (Impact) 101
Backhoe 80 Pile-Driver (Sonic) 96
Ballast Equalizer 82 Pneumatic Tool 85
Ballast Tamper 83 Pump 76
Compactor 82 Rail Saw 90
Concrete Mixer 85 Rock Drill 98
Concrete Pump 71 Roller 74
Concrete Vibrator 76 Saw 76
Crane, Derrick 88 Scarifier 83

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TABLE 4.13-12 TYPICAL CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT NOISE EMISSION LEVELS Construction
Equipment
Typical Max Noise Level
(dB(A) Lmax) a
Construction
Equipment
Typical Max Noise Level
(dB(A) Lmax) a
Crane, Mobile 83 Scraper 89
Dozer 85 Shovel 82
Generator 81 Spike Driver 77
Grader 85 Tie Cutter 84
Impact Wrench 85 Tie Handler 80
Jack Hammer 88 Tie Inserter 85
Loader 85 Truck 88
Paver 89
Note:
a. Measured 50 feet from the source.

Source: Federal Transit Administration, 2018, Transit Noise and Vibration Impact Assessment Manual.

As described in Section 4.13.2.1, Construction Noise, the City does not have established noise thresholds for construction noise, and the FTA construction noise criterion of 80 dB(A) Leq(8hr) was applied in this analysis to assess construction noise impacts at sensitive receptors. As shown in Table 4.13-12, construction equipment generating high levels of noise from 81 dB(A) to 101 dB(A) exceed the applied standard. Construction of potential future development projects associated with implementation of the proposed 2040 General Plan, which would most likely have multiple pieces of construction equipment operating at once, would temporarily increase the ambient noise environment and would have the potential to affect noise-sensitive land uses in the vicinity of the potential future development projects.

Implementation of the proposed project anticipates an increase in development intensity to accommodate new population and employment growth. Construction noise levels are highly variable and dependent upon the specific locations, site plans, and construction details of individual projects.

Significant noise impacts may occur from operation of heavy earth-moving equipment and truck haul operations associated with construction of individual development projects, particularly if construction techniques such as impact or vibratory pile driving are proposed. The time of day that construction activity is conducted would also determine the significance of each project, particularly during the more sensitive nighttime hours. However, construction would be localized and would occur intermittently for varying periods of time.

The proposed Health and Safety (HS) Element of the 2040 General Plan contains goals and policies that require local planning and development decisions to consider noise-related impacts, including during construction. The following proposed 2040 General Plan goal, policy, and actions would minimize potential adverse construction noise-related impacts:

Goal HS-8: Achieve noise levels consistent with acceptable standards and reduce or eliminate objectionable noise sources. (Goal HS3)
 Policy HS-8.3: Construction Noise. Regulate construction activity to reduce noise as established in the Hollister Noise Ordinance. (Policy HS3.3)

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 *Action HS-8.1: Review New Development for Potential Noise Impacts. Require review of all development proposals prior to project approval to verify that the proposed development would not increase noise beyond the City’s established thresholds and that it would not generate noise that would be incompatible with existing uses in the vicinity of the proposed development. (Implementation Measure HS.T)
 *Action HS-8.6: Periodic Updates to Noise Ordinance. Require the Noise Ordinance to incorporate the noise-related policies presented in the Hollister General Plan and to develop a procedure for handling noise complaints. (Implementation Measure HS.O)
 *Action HS-8.8: Noise and Vibration Thresholds. Require the adoption of the noise and vibration thresholds applied in the General Plan Environmental Impact Report into the Noise Ordinance. For noise thresholds, this shall include the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) criteria for acceptable levels of construction noise as well as Construction Equipment Noise Emission Levels based on a distance of 50 feet between the equipment and noise receptor.

For vibration thresholds, this shall include FTA criteria for acceptable levels of groundborne vibration during operation of commercial or industrial uses and groundborne vibration for various types of construction equipment. If vibration levels exceed the FTA limits for construction, alternative methods/equipment shall be used. (new)
 *Action HS-8.9: Construction Best Management Practices. Require the adoption of the construction best management practices outlined in the General Plan Environmental Impact Report to be incorporated into the Noise Ordinance to minimize construction noise to the extent feasible. (new) In most cases, construction of individual developments associated with implementation of the proposed project would temporarily increase the ambient noise environment in the vicinity of each individual project, potentially affecting existing and future nearby sensitive uses. The implementation of construction best management practices throughout the entire active construction period would also help to ensure that construction noise is minimized to the extent feasible. Some common construction best management practices include requiring projects to:
 Use the best-available noise control techniques (e.g., improved mufflers, use of intake silencers, ducts, engine enclosures, and acoustically attenuating shields or shrouds) wherever feasible on equipment and trucks used for project construction.
 Require the contractor to use impact tools (e.g., jack hammers and hoe rams) that are hydraulically or electrically powered wherever possible. Where the use of pneumatic tools is unavoidable, an exhaust muffler on the compressed air exhaust shall be used along with external noise jackets on the tools.
 Locate stationary equipment such as generators and air compressors as far as feasible from nearby noise-sensitive uses.
 Locate stockpiling as far as feasible from nearby noise-sensitive receptors.  Limit construction traffic—to the extent feasible—to haul routes approved in advance of issuing building permits by the City.

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 Require the telephone numbers of the authorized representatives for the City and the contractor that are assigned to respond in the event of a noise or vibration complaint to be displayed on construction signs posted at the construction site. If the authorized contractor’s representative receives a complaint, he/she shall investigate, take appropriate corrective action, and report the action to the City.
 Post signs at the job site entrance(s), within the on-site construction zones, and along queueing lanes (if any) to reinforce the prohibition of unnecessary engine idling. All other equipment shall be turned off if not in use for more than 5 minutes.
 Require that noise-producing signals, including horns, whistles, alarms, and bells, be used for safety warning purposes only, to the extent feasible. The construction manager shall use smart back-up alarms, which automatically adjust the alarm level based on the background noise level, or switch off back-up alarms and replace with human spotters in compliance with all safety requirements and laws.
 Erect temporary noise barriers (at least as high as the exhaust of equipment and breaking line-of-sight between noise sources and sensitive receptors), as necessary and feasible, to maintain construction noise levels at or below the performance standard of 80 dB(A) Leq(8hr) and/or when the anticipated construction duration is greater than is typical (two years or greater). Barriers shall be constructed with a solid material that has a density of at least 4 pounds per square foot with no gaps from the ground to the top of the barrier.

Due to the unknown nature of project-level details and the combination of construction equipment used, the temporary program-level construction noise impacts associated with implementation of the proposed 2040 General Plan are considered significant.

Impact NOI-1.1: Construction activities associated with potential future development under the proposed 2040 General Plan could expose sensitive receptors in close proximity to a construction site to excessive noise from construction equipment.

Significance with Mitigation: Significant and unavoidable. In most cases, construction of individual developments associated with implementation of the proposed 2040 General Plan would temporarily increase the ambient noise environment in the vicinity of each individual project, potentially affecting existing and future nearby sensitive uses. The policies and actions of the proposed 2040 General Plan would minimize the effects of construction noise. Specifically, implementation of the proposed *Action HS-8.8, Noise and Vibration Thresholds, and proposed *Action HS-8.9, Construction Best Management Practices, would mitigate noise impacts by requiring the City to adopt noise and vibration thresholds based on the Federal Transit Authority criteria for acceptable levels of construction noise applied in this analysis (i.e., 80 dB(A) Leq(8hr), the Construction Equipment Noise Emission Levels based on a distance of 50 feet between the equipment and noise receptor, and the construction best management practices outlined above. As part of the project approval process, future project applicants would be required to comply with these new standards in the Hollister Municipal Code pursuant to proposed *Action HS-8.6, Periodic Updates to Noise Ordinance, which requires the City to revise the Noise Ordinance to incorporate the noise-related policies presented in the Hollister General Plan. Proposed Policy HS-8.3, Construction Noise, is required to regulate

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construction activity to reduce noise as established in the Hollister Noise Ordinance, which prohibits excessive or unusually loud noises and vibrations from any and all sources in the community.

Furthermore, proposed *Action HS-8.1, Review New Development for Potential Noise Impacts, requires the City to review all development proposals to verify that the proposed development would not significantly increase noise beyond the City’s established thresholds. However, because construction activities associated with any individual development may occur near noise-sensitive receptors and because—depending on the project type, equipment list, time of day, phasing and overall construction durations—noise disturbances may occur for prolonged periods of time, during the more sensitive nighttime hours, or may exceed 80 dB(A) Leq(8hr) even with future project-level mitigation, construction noise impacts associated with implementation of the proposed project are considered significant and unavoidable. Due to the programmatic nature of this EIR, project-level conclusions of construction noise would be speculative; however, the identification of this program- level impact does not preclude the finding of less-than-significant impacts for subsequent projects analyzed at the project level that do not exceed the noise thresholds.

Operational Noise
Vehicular Noise
Future development under implementation of the proposed 2040 General Plan would cause increases in vehicle traffic along local roadways. Vehicle traffic noise levels were estimated using the FHWA Highway Traffic Noise Prediction Model. Vehicle traffic volumes for existing and 2040 conditions were obtained from Kimley-Horn (see Appendix E, Revised Noise Data, of this Revised Draft EIR). The FHWA model predicts noise levels through a series of adjustments to a reference sound level. These adjustments account for distances from the roadway, vehicle traffic volumes, vehicle speeds, car/truck mix, number of lanes, and road width.

Table 4.13-13, Vehicle Traffic Noise Increases in the EIR Study Area, presents the noise level increases on roadways over existing conditions at 50 feet from the centerline of the nearest travel lane. In addition, the proposed project would construct and add new roadways, which are shown at the end of the table. Figure

4.13-4, 2040 Transportation Noise Contours, shows the 60, 65, and 70 dB(A) Ldn noise contours from roadways and highways.

TABLE 4.13-13 VEHICLE TRAFFIC NOISE INCREASES IN THE EIR STUDY AREA Roadway Segment
Existing
dB(A) Ldn
at 50 Feet
2040 General
Plan dB(A) Ldn
at 50 Feet Increase Threshold Significant?
San Felipe Rd North of Flynn Rd 74.3 75.3 1.0 1.5 No
San Felipe Rd South of Flynn Rd 68.9 69.3 0.3 3 No
Flynn Rd West of San Felipe Rd 62.9 66.5 3.7 3 Yes
San Felipe Rd North of Wright Rd 71.0 71.5 0.5 1.5 No
San Felipe Rd South of Wright Rd 70.1 70.6 0.5 1.5 No
McCloskey Rd East of San Felipe Rd 66.3 67.7 1.4 3 No
San Felipe Rd North of SR-25 70.5 71.5 1.0 1.5 No
San Felipe Rd South of SR-25 69.8 71.4 1.7 3 No

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TABLE 4.13-13 VEHICLE TRAFFIC NOISE INCREASES IN THE EIR STUDY AREA Roadway Segment
Existing
dB(A) Ldn
at 50 Feet
2040 General
Plan dB(A) Ldn
at 50 Feet Increase Threshold Significant?
SR-25 East of San Felipe Rd 72.4 73.5 1.1 1.5 No
SR-25 West of San Felipe Rd 74.0 76.6 2.7 1.5 Yes
SR-156 North of Buena Vista Rd 74.9 75.0 0.1 1.5 No
SR-156 South of Buena Vista Rd 72.7 73.2 0.5 1.5 No
Buena Vista Rd East of SR-156 60.3 60.6 0.3 3 No
Buena Vista Rd East of Beresini Ln 56.8 57.3 0.5 5 No
Buena Vista Rd West of Beresini Ln 60.3 60.7 0.4 3 No
Buena Vista Rd East of Miller Rd 56.8 58.3 1.6 5 No
Buena Vista Rd West of Miller Rd 56.8 58.5 1.7 5 No
Westside Rd North of Buena Vista Rd 58.7 58.8 0.2 5 No
Westside Blvd South of Buena Vista Rd 61.2 61.5 0.3 3 No Buena Vista Rd West of Westside Blvd 58.9 61.5 2.5 5 No San Felipe Rd North of North St 69.6 71.2 1.6 3 No
San Benito St South of North St 64.2 64.7 0.5 3 No
Santa Ana Rd East of San Felipe Rd 61.8 63.7 1.9 3 No
North St West of San Felipe Rd 60.9 62.2 1.3 3 No
SR-25 North of Santa Ana Rd 74.4 75.5 1.2 1.5 No
SR-25 South of Santa Ana Rd 71.1 71.9 0.7 1.5 No
Santa Ana Rd East of SR-25 64.1 65.3 1.1 3 No
Santa Ana Rd West of SR-25 64.1 64.7 0.6 3 No
San Juan
Hollister Rd
East of Felice Dr 70.1 71.1 1.0 1.5 No
San Juan
Hollister Rd
West of Felice Dr 66.5 67.6 1.0 3 No
SR-25 North of Meridian St 73.0 73.8 0.7 1.5 No
SR-25 South of Meridian St 72.1 73.0 0.9 1.5 No
Meridian St East of SR-25 65.3 65.9 0.7 3 No
Meridian St West of SR-25 65.6 66.2 0.6 3 No
SR-25 North of Hillcrest Rd 73.1 74.0 1.0 1.5 No
SR-25 South of Hillcrest Rd 72.3 73.3 1.0 1.5 No
Hillcrest Rd East of SR-25 68.2 68.4 0.2 3 No
Hillcrest Rd West of SR-25 67.5 68.3 0.9 3 No
San Benito St North of Nash Rd 61.6 62.2 0.6 3 No
San Benito St South of Nash Rd 61.6 63.2 1.6 3 No
Nash Rd East of San Benito St 62.4 62.7 0.3 3 No
Nash Rd West of San Benito St 60.0 60.5 0.5 3 No
San Benito St North of Union Rd 63.6 65.5 1.9 3 No
Union Rd East of San Benito St 67.7 69.1 1.4 3 No
Union Rd West of San Benito St 69.7 70.8 1.1 3 No

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TABLE 4.13-13 VEHICLE TRAFFIC NOISE INCREASES IN THE EIR STUDY AREA Roadway Segment
Existing
dB(A) Ldn
at 50 Feet
2040 General
Plan dB(A) Ldn
at 50 Feet Increase Threshold Significant?
Southside Rd North of Union Rd 61.2 61.5 0.3 3 No
Southside Rd South of Union Rd 64.4 66.0 1.6 3 No
Union Rd East of Southside Rd 71.2 72.5 1.3 1.5 No
Union Rd West of Southside Rd 69.0 70.5 1.5 3 No
Airline Hwy/SR-
25 North of Union Rd 73.3 74.5 1.1 1.5 No
Airline Hwy/SR-
25 South of Union Rd 70.9 72.2 1.2 1.5 No
Avenida Cesar
Chavez
East of Airline Hwy/SR-
25 63.5 65.0 1.5 3 No
Union Rd West of Airline Hwy/SR-
25 71.0 72.3 1.3 1.5 No
San Benito St North of 4th St 63.2 64.3 1.1 3 No
San Benito St South of 4th St 55.2 58.0 2.7 5 No
4th St East of San Benito St 66.1 67.2 1.1 3 No
4th St West of San Benito St 66.5 67.9 1.4 3 No
Fairview Rd North of Hillcrest Rd 67.1 67.2 0.1 3 No
Fairview Rd South of Hillcrest Rd 65.5 65.6 0.2 3 No
Hillcrest Rd East of Fairview Rd 60.9 61.9 1.0 3 No
Hillcrest Rd West of Fairview Rd 65.0 65.7 0.7 3 No
Fairview Rd North of Sunnyslope Rd 67.9 68.1 0.2 3 No
Fairview Rd South of Sunnyslope Rd 64.4 64.7 0.2 3 No
Sunnyslope Rd East of Fairview Rd 58.3 58.3 0.0 5 No
Sunnyslope Rd West of Fairview Rd 64.2 64.3 0.1 3 No
Fairview Rd North of Airline
Hwy/SR-25

65.2 66.2 1.1 3 No
Ridgemark Dr South of Airline
Hwy/SR-25

63.4 64.6 1.3 3 No
Airline Hwy/SR-
25 East of Fairview Rd 69.3 70.4 1.1 3 No
Airline Hwy/SR-
25 West of Fairview Rd 71.6 73.1 1.5 1.5 No
SR-156 North of San Juan
Hollister Rd

74.8 75.9 1.1 1.5 No
SR-156 South of San Juan
Hollister Rd

74.8 77.1 2.3 1.5 Yes
San Juan
Hollister Rd
East of SR-156 70.7 71.9 1.2 1.5 No
San Felipe Rd North of Fallon Rd 73.4 74.2 0.8 1.5 No
San Felipe Rd South of Fallon Rd 72.2 72.5 0.4 1.5 No
Fallon Rd East of San Felipe Rd 69.4 71.9 2.4 3 No
San Felipe Rd North of Rd P 72.8 72.9 0.1 1.5 No

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TABLE 4.13-13 VEHICLE TRAFFIC NOISE INCREASES IN THE EIR STUDY AREA Roadway Segment
Existing
dB(A) Ldn
at 50 Feet
2040 General
Plan dB(A) Ldn
at 50 Feet Increase Threshold Significant?
San Felipe Rd South of Rd P 70.9 71.0 0.1 1.5 No
San Felipe Rd North of Pacheco Pass
Hwy/SR-156

64.2 65.0 0.7 3 No
San Felipe Rd South of Pacheco Pass
Hwy/SR-156

66.8 67.0 0.2 3 No
Pacheco Pass
Hwy/SR -156
East of San Felipe Rd 74.0 76.8 2.7 1.5 Yes
Pacheco Pass
Hwy/SR -156
West of San Felipe Rd 73.0 77.2 4.2 1.5 Yes
SR-25 North of Flynn Rd 72.5 75.5 3.0 1.5 Yes
SR-25 South of Flynn Rd 69.0 71.9 2.9 3 No
SR-25 North of Wright Rd 71.9 75.0 3.1 1.5 Yes
SR-25 South of Wright Rd 69.3 72.0 2.7 3 No
Wright Rd East of SR-25 63.9 67.2 3.3 3 Yes
Wright Rd West of SR-25 59.6 61.7 2.1 5 No
Fairview Rd North of Avenida Cesar
Chavez

66.5 67.0 0.5 3 No
Fairview Rd South of Avenida Cesar
Chavez

62.4 63.0 0.7 3 No
Notes: Bold = Significant increase. N/A = Not applicable.

Source: Calculated using the Federal Highway Administration RD-77-108 model based on traffic data provided by Kimley Horn (see Appendix F, Revised Transportation Data, of this Revised Draft EIR).

The proposed Health and Safety (HS) Element of the 2040 General Plan contains goals, policies, and actions that require local planning and development decisions to consider noise-related impacts from vehicle traffic. The following proposed 2040 General Plan goal, policies, and actions would minimize potential adverse traffic noise-related impacts:

Goal HS-8: Achieve noise levels consistent with acceptable standards and reduce or eliminate objectionable noise sources. (Goal HS3)
 *Policy HS-8.1: Protect Noise Sensitive Areas from Unacceptable Traffic Noise Levels. Protect the noise environment in existing residential areas by requiring mitigation measures be identified prior to project approval for the operational phase of projects under the following circumstances: (a) the project would cause the day-night average sound level (Ldn) to increase 5 dB(A) where ambient noise is below 60 dB(A); (b) the project would cause the Ldn to increase 3 dB(A) where ambient noise is between 60 dB(A) and 70 dB(A); or (c) the project would cause the Ldn to increase 1.5 dB(A) where ambient noise is 70 dB(A) or greater. (Policy HS3.1)
 Policy HS-8.4: Vehicle Noise. Strive to reduce traffic noise levels, especially as they impact residential areas, and continue enforcement of vehicle noise standards through noise readings and enforcement actions. In particular, strive to minimize truck traffic in residential areas and ensure enforcement of Vehicle Code provisions that prohibit alteration of vehicular exhaust systems in a way that increases noise emissions. (Policy HS3.4)

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 Policy HS-8.5: Site Planning and Design. Require attention to site planning and design techniques other than sound walls to reduce noise impacts, including: (a) installing earth berms; (b) increasing the distance between the noise source and the receiver; (c) using non-sensitive structures, such as parking lots, utility areas, and garages to shield noise-sensitive areas; (d) orienting buildings to shield outdoor spaces from the noise source; and (e) minimizing the noise at its source. (new)  Policy HS-8.7: Techniques to Reduce Traffic Noise. Use roadway design, traffic signalization, and other traffic planning techniques (such as limiting truck traffic in residential areas and installing rubberized asphalt) to reduce noise caused by speed or acceleration of vehicles. Work with the State to address noise impacts from highway traffic. (Policy HS3.5)
 *Action HS-8.1: Review New Development for Potential Noise Impacts. Require review of all development proposals prior to project approval to verify that the proposed development would not increase noise beyond the City’s established thresholds and that it would not generate noise that would be incompatible with existing uses in the vicinity of the proposed development. (Implementation Measure HS.T)
 Action HS-8.5: Traffic Noise Mitigation. Continue to enforce City Ordinances, which restrict through truck traffic to approved truck routes only and prohibit the parking and maintenance of trucks in residential districts. (Implementation Measure HS.N)
 *Action HS-8.6: Periodic Updates to Noise Ordinance. Require the Noise Ordinance to incorporate the noise-related policies presented in the Hollister General Plan and to develop a procedure for handling noise complaints. (Implementation Measure HS.O)
As shown in Table 4.13-13, traffic noise increases along some roadway segments would exceed the increase thresholds of 1.5 and 3 dBA Ldn as established by proposed General Plan *Policy HS-8.1, Protect Noise Sensitive Areas from Unacceptable Traffic Noise Levels. As a result, traffic noise increase associated with implementation of the proposed project would result in a potentially significant.

Impact NOI-1.2: Operational vehicle traffic noise increases would exceed the City’s significance thresholds with implementation of the proposed project.

Significance with Mitigation: Significant and unavoidable. Implementation of proposed 2040 General Plan *Policy HS-8.1, Protect Noise Sensitive Areas from Unacceptable Traffic Noise Levels, requires the City to protect the noise environment where there are uses that are sensitive to noise (e.g., residences, schools, motels and hotels, libraries, religious institutions, hospitals, and nursing homes) by requiring the evaluation of mitigation measures for the operational phase of projects that exceed the City’s established noise thresholds. As part of the project approval process, future project applicants would be required to comply with these new standards in the Hollister Municipal Code pursuant to proposed *Action HS-8.6, Periodic Updates to Noise Ordinance, which requires the City to revise the Noise Ordinance to incorporate the noise-related policies presented in the Hollister General Plan. Proposed Policy HS-8.5, Site Planning and Design, and proposed Policy HS-8.7, Techniques to Reduce Traffic Noise, would reduce impacts from traffic through site design such as installing earth berms, increasing the distance between the receptor and the noise source, using non-sensitive structures as shields, and the use roadway design. Roadway design could include installing and maintaining noise barriers and/or rubberized or special asphalt paving such as open grade asphalt

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concrete along roadway segments with significant noise increases that are adjacent to sensitive receptors, and working with the State to address noise impacts from highway traffic. Roadway design could include installing and maintaining noise barriers and/or rubberized or special asphalt paving, such as open grade asphalt concrete, along roadway segments with significant noise increases that are adjacent to sensitive receptors. Notable reductions in tire noise have been achieved via the implementation of special paving materials, such as rubberized asphalt or open-grade asphalt concrete overlays. For example, Caltrans conducted a study of pavement noise along I-80 in Davis, California, and found an average improvement of 6 to 7 dB(A) compared to conventional asphalt overlay with only minimal noise increases over a ten-year period.7 These quieter pavement types can be used alone or in combination with noise barriers, which are common throughout the city.

However, barriers may not be feasible in all cases if they would prevent access to driveways or properties. Further, proposed *Action HS-8.1, Review of New Development for Potential Noise Impacts, requires the City to review all development proposals to verify that the proposed development would not exceed the City’s established thresholds and proposed Action HS-8.5, Traffic Noise Mitigation, requires the City to continue to enforce City Ordinances that restrict through truck traffic to approved truck routes only and prohibit the parking and maintenance of trucks in residential districts to reduce traffic noise from trucks. Since project-specific details are unknown and noise barriers and/or quieter pavement technologies may not be feasible or reduce vehicle traffic noise below significance thresholds in all cases, this impact is conservatively considered significant and unavoidable. The identification of this program-level impact does not preclude the finding of less- than-significant impacts for subsequent projects analyzed at the project level that do not exceed the noise thresholds.

Railroad Noise
As discussed in Section 4.13.1.5, Existing Conditions, the City of Hollister has one rail line that runs roughly through the center of the northern half of the city, with trains averaging two locomotives and eight cars and traveling 10 miles per hour. Currently, local trains run two times a week, Tuesday and Thursday, servicing San Benito Foods. This rail line has seven at-grade crossings in Hollister, none of which are “quiet zones.”8 There are no plans for an increase in freight traffic on this line as a result of the proposed project or otherwise, since there is only one customer. Therefore, future rail noise levels are anticipated to be similar to those previously shown in Table 4.13-9, and impacts would be less than significant.

Significance without Mitigation: Less than significant.

Stationary Source Noise
Stationary sources of noises may occur on all types of land uses. Residential uses generate noise from landscaping, maintenance activities, and air conditioning systems. Commercial uses generate noise from HVAC systems, loading docks, and other sources. Industrial uses may generate noise from HVAC systems,

7 California Department of Transportation, May 13, 2011, I-80 Davis OGAC Pavement Noise Study: Traffic Noise Levels Associated With Aging Open Grade Asphalt Concrete Overlay. 8 Quiet Zone: A quiet zone is a zone where railroads have been directed to cease the routine sounding of their horns when approaching public highway-rail grade crossings. Train horns may still be used in emergency situations.

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loading docks, and possibly machinery. Noise generated by residential or commercial uses is generally short and intermittent. Industrial uses may generate noise on a more continual basis. Nightclubs, outdoor dining areas, gas stations, car washes, fire stations, drive-throughs, swimming pool pumps, school playgrounds, athletic and music events, and public parks are other common noise sources. Stationary noise sources are controlled by HMC Chapter 8.28.

The proposed Health and Safety (HS) Element of the 2040 General Plan contains goals, policies, and actions that require local planning and development decisions to consider noise-related impacts from stationary sources. The following proposed 2040 General Plan goal, policy, and actions would minimize potential adverse noise-related impacts from stationary noise:

Goal HS-8: Achieve noise levels consistent with acceptable standards and reduce or eliminate objectionable noise sources. (Goal HS3)
 Policy HS-8.2: Noise Source Control. Work with property owners to control noise at its source, maintaining existing noise levels and ensuring that noise levels do not exceed acceptable noise standards as established in the Hollister Noise Ordinance. (Policy HS3.2)  Policy HS-8.5: Site Planning and Design. Require attention to site planning and design techniques other than sound walls to reduce noise impacts, including: (a) installing earth berms; (b) increasing the distance between the noise source and the receiver; (c) using non-sensitive structures, such as parking lots, utility areas, and garages to shield noise-sensitive areas; (d) orienting buildings to shield outdoor spaces from the noise source; and (e) minimizing the noise at its source. (new)  *Action HS-8.1: Review New Development for Potential Noise Impacts. Require review of all development proposals prior to project approval to verify that the proposed development would not increase noise beyond the City’s established thresholds and that it would not generate noise that would be incompatible with existing uses in the vicinity of the proposed development. (Implementation Measure HS.T)
 Action HS-8.2: Periodic Noise Monitoring. Amend the Noise Ordinance to require periodic monitoring of residential noise generators. The Noise Ordinance shall identify who is responsible for the noise monitoring and require property owners to develop noise reduction and abatement measures that can be applied to limit noise, phasing in appropriate mitigation measures. (Implementation Measure HS.K)
 Action HS-8.4: Noise Complaint Enforcement. Develop capabilities to compile data as part of the Code Enforcement/police records on noise-related complaints. (Implementation Measure HS.F)  *Action HS-8.6: Periodic Updates to Noise Ordinance. Require the Noise Ordinance to incorporate the noise-related policies presented in the Hollister General Plan and to develop a procedure for handling noise complaints. (Implementation Measure HS.O)
 Action HS-8.7: Staff Training on Noise Enforcement. Train Police, Public Works, and Development Services Department personnel as needed in the use of noise measurement equipment to enforce the Noise Ordinance and vehicular noise standards, and to monitor noise levels throughout the city. (Implementation Measure HS.P)

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Significance with Mitigation: Less than significant. Compliance with HMC Chapter 8.28 and implementation of the listed General Plan goals, policies, and actions would ensure that noise-related impacts from stationary noise would be less than significant. Specifically, implementation of proposed 2040 General Plan *Action HS-8.1, Review of New Development for Potential Noise Impacts, would mitigate impacts from stationary noise by requiring the City to review all development proposals to verify that the proposed development would not exceed the City’s established thresholds. Accordingly, impacts would be less than significant.

Land Use Compatibility
The proposed 2040 General Plan Health and Safety (HS) Element aims to limit the exposure of the community to excessive noise levels by guiding decisions concerning land use in relation to substantial noise sources. While the City has not adopted its own noise and land use compatibility guidelines, it uses the State of California’s guidelines, previously shown in Table 4.13-5 in Section 4.13.1.4, Regulatory Framework, as a tool to gauge the compatibility of land uses relative to existing and future noise level.

As a result of the Supreme Court decision regarding the assessment of the environment’s impacts on projects (California Building Industry Association v. Bay Area Air Quality Management District, 62 Cal. 4th 369 (No. S 213478), December 17, 2015), it is generally no longer the purview of the CEQA process to evaluate the impact of existing environmental conditions on any given project. As a result, though the noise from existing sources is taken into account as part of the baseline, the direct effects of exterior noise from nearby noise sources on land use compatibility as a result of the proposed 2040 General Plan buildout is typically no longer a required topic for impact evaluation under CEQA. Generally, no determination of significance is required with the exception of certain school projects, projects affected by airport noise, and projects that would exacerbate existing conditions (i.e., projects that would have a significant operational impact).

The proposed 2040 General Plan Health and Safety (HS) Element contains goals, policies, and actions that require local planning and development decisions to consider noise and land use compatibility. The following proposed 2040 General Plan goal, policies, and action would minimize potential adverse noise- related impacts:

Goal HS-8: Achieve noise levels consistent with acceptable standards and reduce or eliminate objectionable noise sources. (Goal HS3)
 Policy HS-8.2: Noise Source Control. Work with property owners to control noise at its source, maintaining existing noise levels and ensuring that noise levels do not exceed acceptable noise standards as established in the Hollister Noise Ordinance. (Policy HS3.2)  *Action HS-8.1: Review New Development for Potential Noise Impacts. Require review of all development proposals prior to project approval to verify that the proposed development would not increase noise beyond the City’s established thresholds and that it would not generate noise that would be incompatible with existing uses in the vicinity of the proposed development. (Implementation Measure HS.T)

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Significance with Mitigation: Less than significant. As required by proposed 2040 General Plan *Action HS-

8.1, Review New Development for Potential Noise Impacts, noise and land use compatibility would be a factor in project approval decisions, to verify that the proposed development would not increase noise beyond the City’s established thresholds and that it would not generate noise that would be incompatible with existing uses in the vicinity of the proposed development. Accordingly, impacts associated with land use compatibility would be less than significant.

Climate Action Plan
The proposed Climate Action Plan (CAP) is a strategic plan focused on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction through recommended community-wide GHG reduction strategies and an implementation plan.

Since the proposed CAP does not involve any land use changes that would introduce new sources of noise or vibration, implementation of the proposed project would not result in the generation of substantial temporary and permanent increases in ambient noise levels in the vicinity of the EIR Study Area in excess of standards established in the local general plan or noise ordinance, or in other applicable local, state, or federal standards, and impacts would be less than significant.

Significance without Mitigation: Less than significant.

Agricultural Lands Preservation Program
The proposed Agricultural Lands Preservation Program (ALPP) is a program focused on mitigating the effects of agricultural land conversion through the dedication of eligible agricultural conservation easements at a rate of at least one acre of agricultural land for each one acre of agricultural land to be converted (1:1 ratio) for projects that would convert agricultural land to nonagricultural uses. Since the proposed ALPP does not involve any land use changes that would introduce new sources of noise or vibration, implementation of the proposed ALPP would not result in the generation of substantial temporary and permanent increases in ambient noise levels in the vicinity of the EIR Study Area in excess of standards established in the local general plan or noise ordinance, or in other applicable local, state, or federal standards, and impacts would be less than significant.

Significance without Mitigation: Less than significant.

NOI-2 Implementation of the proposed project would result in generation of excessive groundborne vibration or groundborne noise levels . 2040 General Plan
Construction Vibration
Construction of future projects in the EIR Study Area would generate varying degrees of ground vibration that may cause human reactions (annoyance) and effects on buildings (damage), depending on the construction procedures and equipment. The use of construction equipment generates vibration that spreads through the ground and diminishes with distance from the source. The effect on sensitive buildings in the vicinity of a construction site varies depending on soil type, ground strata, and the type of

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construction equipment used. The results from vibration can range from no perceptible effects at the lowest vibration levels, to low rumbling sounds and perceptible vibrations at moderate levels, to slight structural damage at the highest levels. Vibration from construction activities rarely reaches the levels that can damage structures, but can achieve the audible and perceptible ranges in buildings close to a construction site. Table 4.13-14, Reference Vibration Levels for Construction Equipment, lists typical vibration levels for construction equipment in PPV and VdB.

TABLE 4.13-14 REFERENCE VIBRATION LEVELS FOR CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT Equipment
Approximate Vibration Level at 25 feet, PPV
in/sec a
Approximate Vibration Level at 25 feet, VdB
re 1 micro-in/sec b
Pile Driver, Impact (Upper Range) 1.518 112
Pile Driver, Impact (Typical) 0.644 104
Pile Driver, Sonic (Upper Range) 0.734 105
Pile Driver, Sonic (Typical) 0.170 93
Vibratory Roller 0.210 94
Large Bulldozer 0.089 87
Caisson Drilling 0.089 87
Loaded Trucks 0.076 86
Jackhammer 0.035 79
Small Bulldozer 0.003 58
Notes:
a. Peak Particle Velocity (PPV) = The peak rate of speed at which soil particles move (e.g., inches per second) due to ground vibration. b. Vibration Decibel (VdB) = A unitless measure of vibration, expressed on a logarithmic scale and with respect to a defined reference vibration velocity. In the U.S., the standard reference velocity is one microinch per second (1x10-6 in/sec).

Source: Federal Transit Administration, 2018, Transit Noise and Vibration Impact Assessment.

As described in Section 4.13.2.3, Vibration, the City does not have established thresholds for construction vibration and the FTA vibration thresholds of significance were applied to this analysis for architectural damage or for buildings where vibration could interfere with interior operations of off-site receptors. As shown in Table 4.13-14, vibration generated by construction equipment has the potential to be substantial, since it has the potential to exceed the FTA criteria for architectural damage—i.e., 0.12 in/sec PPV for fragile or historical resources, 0.2 in/sec PPV for nonengineered timber and masonry buildings, and 0.3 in/sec PPV for engineered concrete and masonry.

The proposed Health and Safety (HS) Element of the 2040 General Plan contains goals and policies that require local planning and development decisions to consider noise-related impacts, including those from vibration-causing equipment used during construction. The following proposed General Plan goal, policy, and actions would minimize potential adverse construction vibration impacts:

Goal HS-8: Achieve noise levels consistent with acceptable standards and reduce or eliminate objectionable noise sources. (Goal HS3)
 Policy HS-8.3: Construction Noise. Regulate construction activity to reduce noise as established in the Hollister Noise Ordinance. (Policy HS3.3)
 *Action HS-8.1: Review New Development for Potential Noise Impacts. Require review of all development proposals prior to project approval to verify that the proposed development would not

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increase noise beyond the City’s established thresholds and that it would not generate noise that would be incompatible with existing uses in the vicinity of the proposed development. (Implementation Measure HS.T)
 *Action HS-8.6: Periodic Updates to Noise Ordinance. Require the Noise Ordinance to incorporate the noise-related policies presented in the Hollister General Plan and to develop a procedure for handling noise complaints. (Implementation Measure HS.O)
 *Action HS-8.8: Noise and Vibration Thresholds. Require the adoption of the noise and vibration thresholds applied in the General Plan Environmental Impact Report into the Noise Ordinance. For noise thresholds, this shall include the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) criteria for acceptable levels of construction noise as well as Construction Equipment Noise Emission Levels based on a distance of 50 feet between the equipment and noise receptor.

For vibration thresholds, this shall include FTA criteria for acceptable levels of groundborne vibration during operation of commercial or industrial uses and groundborne vibration for various types of construction equipment. If vibration levels exceed the FTA limits for construction, alternative methods/equipment shall be used. (new)
In most cases of individual developments associated with implementation of the proposed project, construction that requires the use of vibration-causing construction equipment, such as pile driving, caisson drilling, vibratory roller, or a large bulldozer, would temporarily increase the ambient noise environment in the vicinity of the individual project, potentially affecting existing and future nearby sensitive users. The use of alternate methods/equipment for construction throughout the entire active construction period would help to ensure that construction noise from vibration is minimized to the extent feasible. Some common alternate methods/equipment used for construction include, but are not limited to:
 For pile driving, the use of caisson drilling (drill piles), vibratory pile drivers, oscillating or rotating pile installation methods, pile pressing, “silent” piling, and jetting or partial jetting of piles into place using a water injection at the tip of the pile.
 For paving, use of a static roller in lieu of a vibratory roller.  For grading and earthwork activities, off-road equipment limited to 100 horsepower or less.

Potential future development over the buildout horizon of the proposed 2040 General Plan could cause vibration induced impacts and the temporary program -level construction vibration impacts associated with implementation of the proposed 2040 General Plan are considered significant.

Impact NOI-2.1: Construction activities associated with potential future development under the proposed 2040 General Plan could generate excessive short-term vibration levels during project construction.

Significance with Mitigation: Less than significant. Implementation of proposed 2040 General Plan Policy HS-8.3, Construction Noise, requires the City to regulate construction activity to reduce noise as established in the Hollister Noise Ordinance, which prohibits noise sources from excessive or unusually loud noises and vibrations from any and all sources in the community. Proposed *Action HS-

8.1, Review New Development for Potential Noise Impacts, requires the City to review all development

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proposals to verify that the proposed development would not increase noise beyond the City’s established thresholds. Proposed *Action HS-8.8, Noise and Vibration Thresholds, requires the City to adopt vibration thresholds based on the Federal Transit Administration (FTA ) criteria for acceptable levels of groundborne vibration for various types of construction equipment and should the FTA criteria be exceeded, a list of alternate methods/equipment shall be established, as provided above.

This would ensure that construction vibration impacts would remain less than significant because alternate methods/equipment with less or no vibration, such as those shown in Table 4.13-14, would meet the thresholds. As part of the project approval process, future project applicants would be required to comply with these new standards in the Hollister Municipal Code pursuant to proposed *Action HS-8.6, Periodic Updates to Noise Ordinance, which requires the City to revise the Noise Ordinance to incorporate the noise-related policies presented in the Hollister General Plan.

Furthermore, Hollister Municipal Code Section 17.10.040 requires the City to not approve any land use that generates ground vibration perceptible without instruments at any point along or outside the property line of the use, except for motor vehicle operations. Therefore, the temporary program-level construction vibration impacts associated with implementation of the proposed 2040 General Plan are considered less than significant.

Operational Vibration
Commercial and industrial operations in the EIR Study Area would generate varying degrees of ground vibration, depending on the operational procedures and equipment. Such equipment-generated vibrations would spread through the ground and diminish with distance from the source. The effect on buildings in the vicinity of the vibration source varies depending on soil type, ground strata, and receptor- building construction. The results from vibration can range from no perceptible effects at the lowest vibration levels, to low rumbling sounds and perceptible vibrations at moderate levels, to slight structural damage at the highest levels. In addition, future sensitive receptors could be placed within close proximity to the existing railroad line through buildout in the EIR Study Area.

The proposed Health and Safety (HS) Element of the 2040 General Plan contains goals and policies that require local planning and development decisions to consider operational vibration-related impacts, including those from commercial and industrial vibration. The following proposed General Plan goal, policies and actions would minimize potential adverse operational vibration impacts:

Goal HS-8: Achieve noise levels consistent with acceptable standards and reduce or eliminate objectionable noise sources. (Goal HS3)
 *Action HS-8.1: Review New Development for Potential Noise Impacts. Require review of all development proposals prior to project approval to verify that the proposed development would not increase noise beyond the City’s established thresholds and that it would not generate noise that would be incompatible with existing uses in the vicinity of the proposed development. (Implementation Measure HS.T)
 *Action HS-8.6: Periodic Updates to Noise Ordinance. Require the Noise Ordinance to incorporate the noise-related policies presented in the Hollister General Plan and to develop a procedure for handling noise complaints. (Implementation Measure HS.O)

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 *Action HS-8.8: Noise and Vibration Thresholds. Require the adoption of the noise and vibration thresholds applied in the General Plan Environmental Impact Report into the Noise Ordinance. For noise thresholds, this shall include the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) criteria for acceptable levels of construction noise as well as Construction Equipment Noise Emission Levels based on a distance of 50 feet between the equipment and noise receptor.

For vibration thresholds, this shall include FTA criteria for acceptable levels of groundborne vibration during operation of commercial or industrial uses and groundborne vibration for various types of construction equipment. If vibration levels exceed the FTA limits for construction, alternative methods/equipment shall be used. (new)
Potential future development over the buildout horizon of the 2040 General Plan could cause vibration induced impacts and the long-term program -level vibration impacts associated with implementation of the proposed 2040 General Plan are considered significant.

Impact NOI-2-2: Operational activities associated with potential future development under the proposed 2040 General Plan could generate excessive long-term vibration levels.

Significance with Mitigation: Less than significant. Implementation of proposed 2040 General Plan *Action HS-8.8, Noise and Vibration Thresholds, requires the City to adopt vibration thresholds based on the Federal Transit Administration (FTA ) criteria. As described in Section 4.13.2.3, Vibration, the FTA establishes vibration limits from operational activities in order for impacts to be less than significant on a project-by-project basis. For vibration annoyance from operational sources, the FTA recommends the following criteria for frequent events: 65 VdB for highly sensitive uses with vibration- sensitive equipment (e.g., microscopes in hospitals and research facilities) and 72 VdB for residences.

As part of the project approval process, future project applicants would be required to comply with these new standards in the Hollister Municipal Code pursuant to proposed *Action HS-8.6, Periodic Updates to Noise Ordinance, which requires the City to revise the Noise Ordinance to incorporate the noise-related policies presented in the Hollister General Plan. Furthermore, proposed *Action HS-8.1, Review New Development for Potential Noise Impacts, requires the City to review all development proposals to verify that the proposed development would not significantly increase noise beyond the City’s established thresholds. Therefore, with implementation of the proposed 2040 General Plan *Action HS-8.1, *Action HS-8.6, and *Action HS-8.8, vibration from operation impacts is considered less than significant.

Climate Action Plan
The proposed CAP is a strategic plan focused on GHG emissions reduction through recommended community-wide GHG reduction strategies and an implementation plan. Since the proposed CAP does not involve any land use changes that would introduce new sources of noise or vibration, implementation of the proposed project would not result in generation of excessive groundborne vibration or groundborne noise levels, and impacts would be less than significant.

Significance without Mitigation: Less than significant.

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Agricultural Lands Preservation Program
The proposed ALPP is a program focused on mitigating the effects of agricultural land conversion through the dedication of eligible agricultural conservation easements at a rate of at least one acre of agricultural land for each one acre of agricultural land to be converted (1:1 ratio) for projects that would convert agricultural land to nonagricultural uses. Since the proposed ALPP does not involve any land use changes that would introduce new sources of noise or vibration, implementation of the proposed ALPP would not result in generation of excessive groundborne vibration or groundborne noise levels, and impacts would be less than significant.

Significance without Mitigation: Less than significant.

NOI-3 Implementation of the proposed project would not expose people residing or working within two miles of a private airstrip or airport to excessive noise levels.
2040 General Plan
As discussed in Section 4.12.1.5, Existing Conditions, HMA in the northern portion of the city is the only airport in the EIR Study Area and is owned and operated by the City of Hollister. Furthermore, there are no private airstrips in the vicinity of where future development could occur as a result of the proposed project. As shown on Figure 4.13-2, the airport noise contours from the Hollister Municipal Airport Master Plan do not extend much beyond the runway and would not affect nearby noise-sensitive receptors.

The proposed Health and Safety Element of the 2040 General Plan contains goals and policies that would require local planning and development decisions to consider noise-related impacts from the Hollister Municipal Airport. The following proposed 2040 General Plan goal and policy would minimize potential adverse noise-related impacts:

Goal HS-8: Achieve noise levels consistent with acceptable standards and reduce or eliminate objectionable noise sources. (Goal HS3)
 Policy HS-8.6: Airport Noise. Review all proposed development in the Airport Influence Area to ensure that it will be compatible with operations at the Hollister Municipal Airport and applicable noise standards and regulations. (Policy HS3.7)
Because implementation of the proposed 2040 General Plan would not cause a direct increase in flights and proposed 2040 General Plan Policy HS-8.6, Airport Noise, would require that all future development be compatible with operations of the HMA, impacts from future potential projects in the EIR Study Area would be less than significant.

Significance without Mitigation: Less than significant.

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Climate Action Plan
The proposed CAP is a strategic plan focused on GHG emissions reduction through recommended community-wide GHG reduction strategies and an implementation plan. Since the proposed CAP does not involve any land use changes that would introduce new sources of noise or vibration, implementation of the proposed CAP would not expose people residing or working within two miles of a private airstrip or airport to excessive noise levels, and impacts would be less than significant.

Significance without Mitigation: Less than significant.

Agricultural Lands Preservation Program
The proposed ALPP is a program focused on mitigating the effects of agricultural land conversion through the dedication of eligible agricultural conservation easements at a rate of at least one acre of agricultural land for each one acre of agricultural land to be converted (1:1 ratio) for projects that would convert agricultural land to nonagricultural uses. Since the proposed ALPP does not involve any land use changes that would introduce new sources of noise or vibration, implementation of the proposed ALPP would not expose people residing or working within two miles of a private airstrip or airport to excessive noise levels, and impacts would be less than significant.

Significance without Mitigation: Less than significant.

NOI-4 Implementation of the proposed project would, in combination with past, present, and reasonably foreseeable projects, result in significant cumulative impacts with respect to noise and vibration. 2040 General Plan
The analysis of the proposed project, discussed in Impact Discussions NOI-1 through NOI-4, addresses cumulative impacts with regard to noise, groundborne noise, and vibration. Although multiple simultaneous nearby noise sources may, in combination, result in higher overall noise levels, this effect is captured and accounted for by the ambient noise level metrics that form the basis of the thresholds of significance for noise analysis. Any measurement of sound or ambient noise, whether for the purpose of evaluating land use compatibility, establishing compliance with exterior and interior noise standards, or determining point-source violations of a noise ordinance, necessarily will incorporate noise from all other nearby perceptible sources.

Additionally, although noise attenuation is influenced by a variety of topographical, meteorological, and other factors, noise levels decrease rapidly with distance, and vibration impacts decrease even more rapidly. Therefore, site-level cumulative noise or vibration impacts across city boundaries occur only infrequently. The City of Hollister shares borders with other development in unincorporated San Benito County, which makes cross-border cumulative noise and vibration impacts possible. Nevertheless, given the proposed 2040 General Plan goals, policies, and actions and HMC requirements, it is unlikely that stationary source noise would, in combination with noise sources from adjacent communities, result in

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cumulative noise impacts. Additionally, because any noise measurements taken in conjunction with the proposed 2040 General Plan goals, policies, and actions or HMC requirements would necessarily account for noises received from outside the boundaries of Hollister, the ongoing implementation of these goals, policies, actions, and regulations under the proposed project would prevent site-based cumulative noise impacts.

Similarly, the noise contours and traffic-related noise levels developed for the proposed project include and account for regional travel patterns as they affect traffic levels in Hollister. Noise contours were based on both existing and projected future traffic volumes that incorporate cumulative regional effects and trends. Existing noise contours were derived from traffic volumes based on counts of current traffic, and these traffic counts inherently include cumulative traffic, as generated by regional trips. With regard to future noise, projected noise contours were determined using projected 2040 traffic volumes; these data account for growth in Hollister under the proposed project as well as anticipated regional growth. The future noise modeling that served as the foundation for the overall project analysis was therefore based on future, cumulative conditions. Accordingly, no additional cumulative impacts related to vehicle traffic noise would occur beyond what is described in Impact Discussion NOI-1. Potential future development under the proposed 2040 General Plan could result in construction noise and would result in an increase in operational vehicle traffic noise, in excess of the City’s significance thresholds. Therefore, the proposed project would have a potentially significant cumulative impact with respect to noise.

Impact NOI-4: Implementation of the proposed 2040 General Plan could contribute to an increase in cumulative construction noise and operational vehicle noise.

Significance with Mitigation: Significant and unavoidable. Because construction details are unknown, potential future development under the proposed 2040 General Plan could exceed the City’s significance threshold for construction noise. Even with proposed 2040 General Plan Policy HS-8.3, Construction Noise, *Action HS-8.1, Review New Development for Potential Noise Impacts, *Action HS-

8.6, Periodic Updates to Noise Ordinance, *Action HS-8.8, Noise and Vibration Thresholds, and *Action HS-8.9, Construction Best Management Practices, described under Impact Discussion NOI-1, because construction details are unknown at the time and construction activities associated with any individual development may occur near noise-sensitive receptors, noise disturbances may exceed the City’s significance thresholds even with future project-level mitigation.

In addition, operational vehicle noise generated under the proposed project would exceed the City’s significance threshold. Even with proposed 2040 General Plan*Policy HS-8.1, Protect Noise Sensitive Areas from Unacceptable Traffic Noise Levels, *Action HS-8.1, and *Action HS-8.6, Periodic Updates to Noise Ordinance, described under Impact Discussion NOI-1, the effectiveness of traffic noise- reduction strategies is not certain.

Due to the programmatic nature of the project, no additional mitigation measures are available.

Construction noise and operational vehicle noise associated with the proposed project would result in a cumulatively considerable contribution to noise impacts and remain significant and unavoidable at the program level. The identification of this program-level cumulative impact does not preclude the finding of less-than-significant cumulative impacts for subsequent projects analyzed at the project level.

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Climate Action Plan
The proposed CAP is a strategic plan focused on GHG emissions reduction through recommended community-wide GHG reduction strategies and an implementation plan. Since the proposed CAP does not involve any land use changes that would introduce new sources of noise or vibration, the proposed project would result in a less-than-significant cumulative impact with respect to noise and vibration.

Significance without Mitigation: Less than significant.

Agricultural Lands Preservation Program
The proposed ALPP is a program focused on mitigating the effects of agricultural land conversion through the dedication of eligible agricultural conservation easements at a rate of at least one acre of agricultural land for each one acre of agricultural land to be converted (1:1 ratio) for projects that would convert agricultural land to nonagricultural uses. Since the proposed ALPP does not involve any land use changes that would introduce new sources of noise or vibration, the proposed ALPP would result in a less-than- significant cumulative impact with respect to noise and vibration.

Significance without Mitigation: Less than significant.

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4.14 POPULATION AND HOUSING
This chapter of the Revised Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) describes the potential population and housing impacts associated with the approval and implementation of the proposed project. This chapter describes the regulatory framework and existing conditions, identifies criteria used to determine impact significance, provides an analysis of the potential population and housing impacts, and identifies policies that could minimize any potentially significant impacts.

4.14.1 ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING

REGULATORY FRAMEWORK
State Regulations
California Housing Element Law (California Government Code Sections 65580 through 65589.8) includes provisions related to the requirements for housing elements of local government general plans.

Requirements include an assessment of housing needs and an inventory of resources and constraints relevant to the meeting of these needs. Additionally, to ensure that counties and cities recognize their responsibilities for contributing to the attainment of the State housing goals, the Government Code calls for local jurisdictions to plan for and allow the construction of a share of the region’s projected housing needs. As described in Chapter 3, Project Description, of this Revised Draft EIR, the City’s Housing Element for the 5th Cycle planning period (2015 to 2023) was adopted in 2016 and is incorporated into the proposed 2040 General Plan by reference. The current Housing Element has already undergone separate environmental review as part of its adoption process; however, the residential development that could occur under the 6th Cycle planning period (2023 to 2031) for the Housing Element update, currently underway, is incorporated into the residential development analyzed as part of this EIR. However, when the Housing Element update for the 6th Cycle planning period is complete, it will be subject to separate environmental review.

Regional Regulations
Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments Projections The Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments (AMBAG) is the official comprehensive planning agency for Monterey County, San Benito County, and Santa Cruz County. AMBAG is also the Council of Governments for Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties and is responsible for determining the overall regional housing needs allocation (RHNA) using the regional housing need determination provided by the State of California’s Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) and preparing a formula for allocating that housing need by income level across its jurisdiction (Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties). AMBAG produces growth projections on four-year cycles so that other regional agencies, including the San Benito County Council of Governments, can use the forecast to make project funding and regulatory decisions. AMBAG projections have practical consequences that shape growth and environmental quality, and the general plans, zoning regulations, and growth management programs of local jurisdictions inform the AMBAG projections. The AMBAG projections are also developed to reflect

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the impact of “smart growth” policies and incentives that could be used to shift development patterns from historical trends toward a better jobs-housing balance, increased preservation of open space, and greater development and redevelopment in urban core and transit-accessible areas throughout the AMBAG region.

Council of San Benito County of Governments
The Council of San Benito County of Governments (SBCOG) has the responsibility for identifying the share of the housing needs for San Benito County, the City of Hollister, and the City of San Juan Bautista. In September 2021, HCD issued a Regional Housing Need Determination of 5,005 units to the SBCOG for the 6th Cycle planning period of June 30, 2023, to December 15, 2031. Senate Bill (SB) 375, passed into State law in 2008, requires the coordination of housing planning with regional transportation planning through the MTP/SCS. As stated previously, the coordination for the 6 th Cycle planning period of the Housing Element update that is currently underway requires consistency in growth projections for land use, housing, and transportation purposes.

Metropolitan Transportation Plan / Sustainable Community Strategy As the metropolitan planning organization for the tri-county area, AMBAG carries out many planning functions, including development and maintenance of the regional travel demand model, long-range transportation planning and programming, and acting as a regional forum for dialogue on issues facing the region. Most of AMBAG's projects are carried out in support of these major functions, including the regional growth forecast discussed above. AMBAG develops the regional growth forecast with a horizon year that matches the planning timeline of the metropolitan transportation plan (MTP) and the model years for the regional travel demand model. In addition to informing regional planning processes, the regional growth forecast is used by local jurisdictions and special districts to inform local and subregional planning. The 2045 MTP/Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS) is the long-range SCS and regional transportation plan for the 3 counties and 18 local jurisdictions in the Monterey Bay Region, including the City of Hollister. Adopted in 2022, these regional efforts were prompted by SB 375, which established new requirements for regional alignment of land use and transportation planning. The MTP/SCS guides transportation and land use decisions, coordinating transportation investments with land use patterns so that the region makes informed decisions with respect to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving air quality, and ensuring efficient energy consumption. AMBAG is currently developing the 2050 MTP/SCS, which is scheduled for adoption in 2026.

Local Regulations
Hollister General Plan Housing Element
One of the required elements of the General Plan is the Housing Element, which is not being updated as part of the proposed project. The most recent Hollister Housing Element (2015-2023) was adopted in April 2016. The 2015-2023 Housing Element includes a housing needs assessment that identifies current and projected housing needs in Hollister and has policies to accommodate future housing development that will be diverse and affordable to a range of household types and income ranges. Although the current

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Housing Element is being updated through a separate process, relevant goals, policies, and actions are described in Section 4.14.3, Impact Discussion.

Hollister Municipal Code
The Hollister Municipal Code (HMC) includes various directives to minimize adverse impacts related to population and housing in Hollister. The HMC is organized by title, chapter, and section. Most provisions related to population and housing are in Title 16, Subdivisions. Specifically, Chapter 16.64, Growth Management Program, recognizes that the City’s General Plan includes policies that require the city to limit development to what can be supported by adequate water supply, adequate sanitary sewer and treatment capacity, adequate fire and police protection, adequate transportation system meeting the prescribed levels of service, and other services that are required to maintain the desired goals of the city.

This chapter is intended to encourage a rate of residential growth in the city that will:
 Not exceed the City's ability to provide adequate and efficient public services, including sewer, water, police, fire, streets, parks, general administration, and maintenance of public facilities  Not exceed the ability of the local economy, including the City's financial capacity, to support such growth.
 Maintain and improve the quality of the environment considering the city's natural setting, including water courses, viable agricultural/open lands, recreational, historic, and scenic areas.  Encourage and promote a balanced community with adequate housing to meet the needs of local employment and residents.
 Encourage the construction of an appropriate share of the regional need for housing.  Encourage and promote housing programs and activities to enable the City to meet the needs of all economic segments of the community, including the provision of adequate levels of rental housing  Provide and maintain a sound economic base for the City.

The General Plan requires that development, including residential development, be located and designed to ensure that the public is safe from flooding and earthquake hazards, and that development is in conformance with federal, state and local regulatory programs designed to protect the historical and biological environments of the city and the surrounding planning area, and that there are adequate park and recreational facilities available to serve city residents. The City has adopted a fiscal neutrality policy requiring new residential development to provide adequate revenues to fund the cost of the services required by the development.

In order to implement the General Plan and to protect the health, welfare and safety of the city's population, the City has adopted regulatory ordinances such as the city zoning ordinance and subdivision ordinance. The adopted zoning and subdivision regulations alone are insufficient to provide for comprehensive development review and approval procedures, including review and approval procedures for residential development that will accommodate various levels of housing needs while ensuring the availability of adequate municipal services and facilities in the context of environmental, safety, and infrastructural constraints. The City therefore adopted a growth management program to implement the policies and objectives of the General Plan and to protect and promote public health, safety and welfare.

The provision of special needs housing, including affordable, below market rate, senior, and rental housing, is necessary for the economic and social well-being of the community and is necessary to

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implement the housing policies of the General Plan. The City's growth management program identifies categories of special needs housing and is intended to provide for adequate levels of affordable, senior, and rental housing within any adopted growth limit.

EXISTING CONDITIONS
This section describes existing population and housing conditions in Hollister and San Benito County to provide context for the implications for the proposed 2040 General Plan. The following text provides an overview of population, housing, and employment trends in Hollister and the San Benito County region.

Population
The majority of San Benito County’s population is in Hollister and unincorporated areas of the county, while the remaining population is in the City of San Juan Bautista. Hollister has the largest population, approximately twice the size of that of unincorporated San Benito County. As shown in Table 4.14-1, Total Population, 2010 to 2019, the city’s population grew by approximately 10 percent, similar to the level of population growth in San Benito County as a whole, which was 8 percent during the same period. This level of growth was also similar to the growth in the City of San Juan Bautista but greater than in the unincorporated areas of San Benito County.

TABLE 4.14-1 TOTAL POPULATION, 2010 TO 2019
2010 2019 Total Change
Total
Percent Change
Hollister 34,900 38,510 3,610 10%
San Juan Bautista 1,900 2,120 220 12%
Unincorporated San Benito County 18,500 19,160 660 4%
Total San Benito County 55,300 59,790 4,490 8%
Note: Numbers are rounded from original sources.

Sources: 2019 demographic numbers are interpolated from the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments Regional Travel Demand Model and the State of California, Department of Finance, E-5 Population and Housing Estimates for Cities, Counties and the State, January 1, 2010-2021; 2010 data is from the State of California, Department of Finance, E-5 Population and Housing Estimates for Cities, Counties and the State, January 1, 2010-2021.

Housing
Between 2010 and 2019, Hollister experienced steady housing growth. As shown in Table 4.14-2, Housing Units, 2010 to 2019, the city’s number of housing units grew by approximately 6 percent; this growth matches the level of housing growth in San Benito County as a whole during the same period. This level of growth was also similar to the growth in the City of San Juan Bautista and the unincorporated areas of San Benito County.

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TABLE 4.14-2 HOUSING UNITS, 2010 TO 2019
2010 2019 Total Change
Total
Percent Change
Hollister 10,400 11,065 665 6%
San Juan Bautista 750 800 50 7%
Unincorporated San Benito County 6,720 7,020 300 4%
Total San Benito County 17,870 18,885 1,015 6%
Note: Numbers are rounded from original sources.

Source: 2019 demographic numbers are interpolated from the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments Regional Travel Demand Model and the State of California, Department of Finance, E-5 Population and Housing Estimates for Cities, Counties and the State, January 1, 2010-2021; 2010 data is from the State of California, Department of Finance, E-5 Population and Housing Estimates for Cities, Counties and the State, January 1, 2010-2021.

Employment
According to data from the California Employment Development Department, Hollister had 20,700 residents in the labor force in 2019, and 19,600 of them were employed, as shown in Table 4.14-3, Employment Among Residents, 2019. At 5.6 percent, the unemployment rate in Hollister was higher than the countywide unemployment rate of 5.0 percent.

TABLE 4.14-3 EMPLOYMENT AMONG RESIDENTS, 2019
Geography
Number of Workers
Unemployment Rate Employed In Labor Force
Hollister 19,600 20,700 5.6%
San Juan Bautista 1,000 1,000 3.1%
Total San Benito County 30,700 32,300 5.0%
Note: Data is not seasonally adjusted. Numbers are rounded from original sources.

Source: California Employment Development Department, Annual Averages 2019, https://labormarketinfo.edd.ca.gov/file/lfhist/19aasub.xls , accessed February 24, 2023.

Growth Projections
Growth forecasts for Hollister and San Benito County, based on the AMBAG regional growth forecasts, are shown in Table 4.14-4, Regional Growth Projections, 2019 to 2040. The data in Table 4.14-4 compare existing 2019 conditions to the AMBAG 2040 growth forecasts.

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TABLE 4.14-4 REGIONAL GROWTH PROJECTIONS, 2019 TO 2040
2019 2040 Total Change Total Percent Change
Hollister
Population 38,510 45,350 6,840 18%
Housing Units 11,065 14,050 2,985 27%
Jobs 14,165 17,120 2,955 21%
San Benito County
Population 61,440 80,790 19,350 31%
Housing Units 19,005 25,450 6,445 34%
Jobs 17,000 25,470 8,470 50%
Note: Numbers are rounded from original sources.

Sources: 2019 demographic numbers are interpolated from the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments (AMBAG) Regional Travel Demand Model and the State of California, Department of Finance, E-5 Population and Housing Estimates for Cities, Counties and the State, January 1, 2010-2021; 2040 projections are from AMBAG, 2045 Metropolitan Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy, Appendix A, Regional Growth Forecasts.

4.14.2 STANDARDS OF SIGNIFICANCE
Implementation of the proposed project would result in significant population and housing impacts if it would:

1. Induce substantial unplanned population growth or growth for which inadequate planning has occurred, either directly (for example, by proposing new homes and businesses) or indirectly (for example, through extension of roads or other infrastructure).

2. Displace substantial numbers of existing people or housing, necessitating the construction of replacement housing elsewhere.

3. In combination with past, present, and reasonably foreseeable projects, result in a cumulative impact with respect to population and housing.

4.14.3 IMPACT DISCUSSION
POP-1 Implementation of the proposed project would not include substantial unplanned population growth in an area, either directly (for example, by proposing new homes and businesses) or indirectly (for example, through extension of roads or other infrastructure).
2040 General Plan
The proposed 2040 General Plan is a high-level policy document that will replace the existing 2005 General Plan as the overarching policy document that defines a vision for future change and sets the land use and policy framework for growth in Hollister. The proposed 2040 General Plan considers growth over an approximately 15-year period but does not include specific development proposals. The General Plan is the policy document that plans ahead to accommodate the amount of reasonably foreseeable growth given past growth trends and the ability of existing services and infrastructure to support future growth.

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Therefore, the proposed General Plan 2040 would not induce substantial, unplanned population growth directly or indirectly in any particular location but includes policy guidance for expected incremental growth through 2040.

The EIR Study Area has a population of approximately 40,370, with 11,675 housing units as of 2019. The proposed 2040 General Plan estimates an overall increase of 10,530 housing units and 31,575 residents in the EIR Study Area by 2040. As shown in Table 4.14-5, Proposed 2040 General Plan Growth Projections, this equates to a 78 percent increase in total population and 90 percent increase in housing units over the approximately 15-year horizon of the proposed project.

TABLE 4.14-5 PROPOSED 2040 GENERAL PLAN GROWTH PROJECTIONS

Existing Conditions
2019 a
Proposed General Plan
(2040)
EIR Study Area Projected
Growth 2019 to 2040
(Proposed Project)
Total
Percent Change
Population 40,370 71,945 31,575 78%
Housing Units 11,675 22,205 10,530 90%
Note: Numbers are rounded from original sources.

Sources: 2019 demographic numbers are interpolated from the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments (AMBAG) Regional Travel Demand Model.

Approximately 40 percent of the projected residential growth for the proposed project comes from the City’s 2023–2031 RHNA (6th Cycle) allocation of 4,163 units,1 which is dictated by the California Housing Law and not by the City. The 4,163 units required for the 2023-2031 Housing Element represent a 32 percent increase over the 2015-2023 RHNA, which was 1,316 units. Additionally, as described in Chapter 3, Project Description, of this Revised Draft EIR, the Housing Element is required to be updated every eight years to ensure the City is meeting its fair share of housing for the region. Accordingly, although the City’s 2031–2039 RHNA (7th Cycle) obligation has not been determined, the number of housing units proposed under the 2040 General Plan accounts for additional units estimated to accommodate the 2031–2039 Housing Element. Although the RHNA allocation is not a requirement to build units, the State legislature has enacted increasingly stringent requirements on cities to ensure they are doing everything possible to remove common barriers to housing construction. Furthermore, pursuant to SB 166, Housing Elements are required to include a “buffer” of additional sites to ensure that if the sites listed in the housing opportunity sites inventory are developed without housing, or are developed with less than the full amount of housing claimed in the inventory, there is remaining capacity to ensure an ongoing supply of sites for the full RHNA during the eight years of the Housing Element cycle. The California Department of Housing and Community Development recommends a buffer of least 15 to 30 percent, but many jurisdictions provide a buffer of up to 50 percent. The proposed land use map, as shown in Figure 3-5, 2040 General Plan Land Use Map, in Chapter 3, Project Description, of this Revised Draft EIR includes enough land designated for housing to fulfill the City’s 2023–2031 RHNA as well as future buffer sites identified through the upcoming Housing Element update.

1 San Benito County Regional Housing Needs Allocation Plan, 2022, Table 1: 6th Cycle RHNA Allocation, by Income Level, for San Benito County, page 4. October.

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The regional projections for Hollister anticipate a 18 percent increase in population and a 27 percent increase in housing units, as shown in Table 4.14-4. However, the table also shows that the regional forecasts do not accommodate the City’s fair share of 4,163 housing units for the 2023–2031 Housing Element. Accordingly, this indicates that the City needs to plan for development that exceeds the AMBAG 2040 regional growth forecasts, and the City is appropriately planning in order to provide its fair share of regional housing as part of the future 2023-2031 and 2031-2039 Housing Elements.

The proposed Land Use and Community Design (LU) Element and the Open Space and Agriculture (OS) Element of the 2040 General Plan contain goals, policies, and actions that require local planning and development decisions to consider impacts from potential future growth. The proposed goals, policies, and actions support orderly growth and sustainable development patterns, and require infrastructure in place prior to development. The following proposed 2040 General Plan goals, policies, and actions would minimize potential adverse impacts on future growth:

Goal LU-1: Promote orderly and balanced growth in Hollister’s Planning Area. (Goal LU6)  Policy LU-1.1: Infill Development. Ensure an orderly pattern of development in the city that prioritizes infill development over the annexation of properties. (new)  Policy LU-1.2: City Services. Future growth shall not exceed the City’s ability to provide services, including sewage treatment, treated domestic water, public parks and recreation, and public safety services. (new)
 Policy LU-1.3: Development Capacity. The General Plan and the General Plan Update Environmental Impact Report (EIR) assumes the following maximum development projections by the year 2040:
 11,365 new dwelling units
 1.1 million square feet of new commercial and office space  2.8 million square feet of new industrial space
When development approved by the City of Hollister reaches these maximum development projections, require environmental review for subsequent development projects to determine if there are any impacts related to the additional growth beyond the development capacity anticipated in the 2040 General Plan EIR. (new)
 Policy LU-1.7: Specific Plans. Ensure the orderly development of large areas of land proposed for annexation through Specific Plans. Require a Specific Plan for annexation requests that are over 20 acres in size or include nonresidential uses regardless of size. This requirement covers, but is not limited to, the five Specific Plan Areas called out in Section 3.4. (new)  Policy LU-1.11: Intergovernmental Coordination. Coordinate regional planning efforts with San Benito County, Caltrans, and other agencies. (Implementation Program LU.Q)  Policy LU-1.12: Application Review of County Projects. Actively participate in development review for projects outside the City Limits but in Hollister’s Planning Area for consistency with land use policies outlined in this General Plan. (Implementation Program LU.Q)  Action LU-1.1: Sphere of Influence Amendment. Work with the San Benito County Local Agency Formation Commission to amend the Sphere of Influence as proposed in this General Plan. (new)

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 Action LU-1.3: Annexation Strategy. Create an annexation prioritization strategy for areas outside the existing City Limits that identifies where and in what order the City should annex land outside the City Limits. The strategy should consider initiating the annexation of developed unincorporated areas adjacent to the city and in county “islands.” Annexation of these areas should occur if the annexation would facilitate infill development, improve service delivery, or create a more logical city boundary. (a rewrite of L-1.3) (new)
 Action LU-1.8: Infill Streamlining. Update the City’s regulatory measures to make it easier to develop in infill areas than at other locations in the city. Infill development means those areas already surrounded by development. (new)
Goal LU-2: Manage growth in the new development areas outside the existing City Limits but within the Sphere of Influence through the use of Specific Plans. (new)  Policy LU-2.1: Specific Plan Areas. Require that a new Specific Plan be adopted for the entirety of any given Specific Plan Area shown in Figure LU-4 before development occurs in that area. (new)  Policy LU-2.2: Specific Plan Land Use Patterns. Require future development in the five Specific Plan Areas described in Section 3.4 to follow the general land use patterns shown in Figures LU-5, LU-6, LU- 7, LU-8, and LU-9. Deviations from these figures may be approved by the Planning Commission and City Council. (new)
 Policy LU-2.3: Specific Plan Development Parameters. Allow no more development in each Specific Plan Area than the amounts shown in Table LU-2. Exceedances above these allowances may be approved by the Planning Commission and City Council through a General Plan Amendment after any necessary environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act. (new)  Policy LU-2.4: Specific Plan County Coordination. Coordinate with the County to ensure that they follow the Specific Plan Area’s guidance and the City’s General Plan designations if the County approves projects in Specific Plan Areas. (new)
Goal LU-3: Promote diverse housing opportunities for existing and future residents. (new)  Policy LU-3.1: Land Supply. Ensure that there is adequate land designated to meet the projected future housing needs of the city. (Policy LU7.3)
Goal OS-2: Preserve viable agricultural activities and lands. (Goal OS2)  Action OS-2.3: Urban Growth Boundary. Work with the County of San Benito and the City of San Juan Bautista to establish and maintain an Urban Growth Boundary that delineates future urbanization from areas in which urbanization will not occur, so as to protect agricultural and open space uses.

Lands outside of the Urban Growth Boundary shall only be designated for agriculture, park, open space, public facility, and utility uses. When establishing the Urban Growth Boundary, the following qualities should be taken into consideration: access to infrastructure, public services, transit, healthcare, and commercial uses; preserving farmland; and establishing a buffer between urban and rural uses. (new)
In addition, as described in Section 4.14.1.1, Regulatory Framework, HMC Chapter 16.64 requires the City to encourage a rate of residential growth in the city that will not exceed the city ’s ability to provide adequate and efficient public services or the ability of the local economy to support such growth. The

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proposed project would accommodate future growth by providing for infrastructure and associated public services to accommodate the projected growth of the city (see also Chapter 4.15, Public Services and Recreation; Chapter 4.16, Transportation; and Chapter 4.17, Utilities and Service Systems, of this Revised Draft EIR). All potential future development would be required to comply with any required site-specific infrastructure improvements and to pay any project-specific impact fees. Buildout in accordance with the proposed 2040 General Plan would accommodate expected population, housing, and job growth in the city, and this growth would not represent unplanned population growth for which inadequate planning has occurred, and impacts would be less than significant.

Significance without Mitigation: Less than significant.

Climate Action Plan
The proposed Climate Action Plan (CAP) is a strategic plan focused on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction through recommended community-wide GHG reduction strategies and an implementation plan and does not involve any land use changes that would result in indirect growth or change in building density and intensity. Therefore, implementation of the proposed CAP would not directly result in substantial unplanned population growth in an area and there would be less-than-significant impacts.

Significance without Mitigation: Less than significant.

Agricultural Lands Preservation Program
The proposed Agricultural Lands Preservation Program (ALPP) is a program focused on mitigating the effects of agricultural land conversion through the dedication of eligible agricultural conservation easements at a rate of at least one acre of agricultural land for each one acre of agricultural land to be converted (1:1 ratio) for projects that would convert agricultural land to nonagricultural uses. Since the proposed ALLP does not involve any land use changes that would result in indirect growth or change in building density and intensity, implementation of the proposed ALPP would not directly result in substantial unplanned population growth in an area and there would be less-than-significant impacts.

Significance without Mitigation: Less than significant.

POP-2 Implementation of the proposed project would not displace substantial numbers of existing people or housing, necessitating the construction of replacement housing elsewhere.
2040 General Plan
One of the purposes of the proposed 2040 General Plan is to adequately plan and accommodate future growth through the distribution, location, balance, and extent of land uses. Implementation of the General Plan would accommodate population growth through land use designations, goals, policies, and actions that provide a vision and guide growth in the city. Land use changes under the proposed land use map would increase opportunities for housing in the city. The proposed land use map would provide land

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use designations for a variety of housing types and provide for additional residential opportunities throughout Hollister.

The proposed Land Use and Community Design (LU) Element of the 2040 General Plan contains goals, policies, and actions that require local planning and development decisions to consider impacts from potential future growth. The following proposed 2040 General Plan goals, policies, and action would serve to minimize potential adverse impacts on future growth that may lead to displacement:

Goal LU-2: Manage growth in the new development areas outside the existing City Limits but within the Sphere of Influence through the use of Specific Plans. (new)  Policy LU-2.5: Variety of Housing Types. Require new Specific Plans to provide a variety of housing types, including small-lot single-family detached and attached homes, single-family attached homes, and multifamily residences to ensure new development provides housing types that address the needs of all segments of the population. (new)
Goal LU-3: Promote diverse housing opportunities for existing and future residents. (new)  Policy LU-3.1: Land Supply. Ensure that there is adequate land designated to meet the projected future housing needs of the city. (Policy LU7.3)
 Policy LU-3.2: Diverse Neighborhoods. Encourage the development of well-integrated neighborhoods consisting of both single-family and multifamily homes that include owner-occupied and rental housing units in single-use and mixed-use environments. (Policy LU7.5)  Action LU-3.1: Inclusionary Housing. Adopt an inclusionary housing ordinance that requires new residential developments to include 15 percent of the units as affordable housing. (new) In addition, as described in Section 4.14.1.1, Regulatory Framework, HMC Chapter 16.64 identifies categories of special needs housing, and is intended to provide adequate levels of affordable, senior, and rental housing within any adopted growth limit. Potential future development as a result of implementation of the proposed 2040 General Plan is anticipated to increase density and use of infill or underutilized sites in existing urban areas in the EIR Study Area. Therefore, redevelopment could potentially result in the displacement of people. However, displacement in the EIR Study Area would only be considered substantial in cases where major development such as a freeway or a large-scale redevelopment would result in the displacement of large amounts of existing housing. While the proposed 2040 General Plan focuses on infill development, which may occur as redevelopment, and other types of development that is not infill may also occur, the proposed 2040 General Plan does not include any large-scale development that could result in substantial displacement of existing housing. Further, any small levels of displacement that may occur would be addressed through compliance with proposed goals, policies, and actions. Therefore, any potential displacement of persons in the EIR Study Area would not be substantial in number, and the impact would be less than significant.

Significance without Mitigation: Less than significant.

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Climate Action Plan
The proposed CAP is a strategic plan focused on GHG emissions reduction through recommended community-wide GHG reduction strategies and an implementation plan and does not involve any land use changes that would result in indirect growth or change in building density and intensity. Therefore, implementation of the proposed CAP would not directly result in the displacement of substantial numbers of existing people or housing, necessitating the construction of replacement housing elsewhere, and there would be less-than-significant impacts.

Significance without Mitigation: Less than significant.

Agricultural Lands Preservation Program
The proposed ALPP is a program focused on mitigating the effects of agricultural land conversion through the dedication of eligible agricultural conservation easements at a rate of at least one acre of agricultural land for each one acre of agricultural land to be converted (1:1 ratio) for projects that would convert agricultural land to nonagricultural uses. Since the proposed ALLP does not involve any land use changes that would result in indirect growth or change in building density and intensity, implementation of the proposed ALPP would not directly result in the displacement of substantial numbers of existing people or housing, necessitating the construction of replacement housing elsewhere, and there would be less-than- significant impacts.

Significance without Mitigation: Less than significant.

POP-3 In combination with past, present, and reasonably foreseeable projects, result in a cumulative impact with respect to population and housing. 2040 General Plan
The context for the cumulative population and housing impacts would be potential future development under the proposed project combined with projected growth in the rest of San Benito County and the surrounding region, as forecast by AMBAG. As described under Impact Discussions POP-1 and POP-2, implementation of the proposed project would not induce a substantial amount of unplanned population growth or growth for which inadequate planning has occurred, or displace substantial numbers of existing people or housing, necessitating the construction of replacement housing elsewhere. The proposed and existing General Plan goals, policies, and actions would provide adequate planning to accommodate the proposed increase in growth within the City’s planning boundaries. Therefore, the proposed project would not result in a cumulatively considerable impact to population and housing, and cumulative impacts would be less than significant.

Significance without Mitigation: Less than significant.

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Climate Action Plan
The proposed CAP is a strategic plan focused on GHG emissions reduction through recommended community-wide GHG reduction strategies and an implementation plan. Since the proposed CAP does not involve any land use changes that would result in indirect growth or change in building density and intensity, implementation of the proposed CAP would result in a less-than-significant cumulative impact with respect to population and housing.

Significance without Mitigation: Less than significant.

Agricultural Lands Preservation Program
The proposed ALPP is a program focused on mitigating the effects of agricultural land conversion through the dedication of eligible agricultural conservation easements at a rate of at least one acre of agricultural land for each one acre of agricultural land to be converted (1:1 ratio) for projects that would convert agricultural land to nonagricultural uses. Since the proposed ALLP does not involve any land use changes that would result in indirect growth or change in building density and intensity, implementation of the proposed ALPP would result in a less-than-significant cumulative impact with respect to population and housing.

Significance without Mitigation: Less than significant.

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4.15 PUBLIC SERVICES AND RECREATION
This chapter of the Revised Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) describes the potential impacts to public services (fire, police, schools, and libraries) and parks and recreation associated with the approval and implementation of the proposed project. This chapter describes the regulatory framework and existing conditions, identifies criteria used to determine impact significance, provides an analysis of the potential impacts to public services and parks and recreation, and identifies policies that could minimize potentially significant impacts.

4.15.1 FIRE PROTECTION SERVICES

ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING
Regulatory Framework
State Regulations
California Government Code
Section 65302 of the California Government Code requires General Plans to include a Safety Element, which must include an assessment of wildland and urban fire hazards. The Health and Safety (HS) Element of the proposed 2040 General Plan satisfies this requirement.

California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) is dedicated to the fire protection and stewardship of over 31 million acres of California’s wildlands. The Office of the State Fire Marshal supports CAL FIRE’s mission to protect life and property through fire prevention engineering programs, law and code enforcement, and education.

California Building Code
The State of California provides a minimum standard for building design through the California Building Code (CBC) in Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations (CCR), Part 2. The CBC is updated every three years. It is generally adopted by individual jurisdictions, subject to further modification based on local conditions. Commercial and residential buildings are plan checked by City building officials for compliance with the CBC. Typical fire safety requirements of the CBC include the installation of sprinklers; the establishment of fire resistance standards in high fire hazard severity zones ; requirements for smoke- detection systems and exiting requirements; and the clearance of debris. The City of Hollister regularly adopts each new CBC update under Hollister Municipal Code (HMC) Section 15.04.050, Construction Codes Adopted by Reference.

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California Fire Code
The California Fire Code (CFC) incorporates, by adoption, the International Fire Code of the International Code Council, with California amendments. This is the official fire code for the State and all political subdivisions. It is found in CCR Title 24, Part 9, and like the CBC is revised and published every three years by the California Building Standards Commission. Also like the CBC, the CFC is effective statewide, but a local jurisdiction may adopt more restrictive standards based on local conditions. The City of Hollister regularly adopts each new CFC update under HMC Section 15.04.050, Construction Codes Adopted by Reference.

The CFC includes provisions and standards for emergency planning and preparedness, fire service features, fire protection systems, hazardous materials, fire flow requirements, and fire hydrant locations and distribution. Typical fire safety requirements include installation of sprinklers in all high-rise buildings; the establishment of fire resistance standards for fire doors, building materials, and particular types of construction; and the clearance of debris and vegetation within a prescribed distance from occupied structures in wildfire hazard areas.

The Mello-Roos Communities Facilities Act of 1982
The Mello-Roos Community Facilities Act, Government Code Section 53311 et seq., provides an alternative method of financing certain public capital facilities and services through special taxes. This State law empowers local agencies to establish community facilities districts (CFD) to levy special taxes for facilities such as fire protection facilities.

Regional Regulations
San Benito Emergency Operations Plan
The San Benito County Emergency Operations Plan, adopted August 2015, is designed to set the foundation for emergency management to reduce the county’s vulnerabilities to both natural and man- made disasters. The plan provides basic guidance related to earthquakes, flooding, fires, landslides, severe weather, pandemics and epidemics, and hazardous material emergencies. Guidance is presented in the form of mitigation programs, which are split into three categories: emergency prevention and protection; response concept of operations; and recovery concept of operations. The City of Hollister does not have an Office of Emergency Services or an assigned emergency planner. Therefore, responsibility for preparation and response to a disaster is enforced by the San Benito County Office of Emergency Services.1

1 San Benito County Office of Emergency Services, August 2015, San Benito County Operational Area Emergency Operations Plan, http://www.cosb.us/wp-content/uploads/SBC-EOP-2015.pdf , accessed on April 25, 2020.

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San Benito County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan The purpose of hazard mitigation planning is to reduce the loss of life and property by minimizing the impact of disasters. The San Benito County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan (MJHMP), updated in 2022 in accordance with the Federal Disaster Mitigation Action of 2000 (DMA 2000), provides an assessment of natural hazards in the county and a set of short-term mitigation actions to reduce or eliminate the long-term risk to people and property from these hazards. The Hollister Jurisdictional Annex of the MJHMP provides an assessment and mitigation actions for Hollister specifically while considering the results from the countywide effort. In the context of an MJHMP, mitigation is an action that reduces or eliminates long-term risk to people and property from hazards, including wildfire. Mitigation actions related to wildfire in Appendix G of the MJHMP include promoting home hardening, defensible space, and increased use of fire-resistant materials in new developments and working with property owners to manage dead vegetation in flood control facility footprints, railroad right-of-way, parks, and open spaces.

The MJHMP must be reviewed and approved by FEMA every five years to maintain eligibility for disaster relief funding. As part of this process, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services reviews all local hazard mitigation plans in accordance with DMA 2000 regulations and coordinates with local jurisdictions to ensure compliance with FEMA’s Local Mitigation Plan Review Guide. As part of the proposed project, the MJHMP is adopted in its entirety into the proposed Health and Safety (HS) Element by reference.

Local Regulations
Hollister Municipal Code
The Hollister Municipal Code (HMC) includes various directives to minimize adverse impacts to fire protection. The HMC is organized by title, chapter, and section. Most provisions related to fire protection impacts are in Title 3, Revenue and Finance; Title 15, Buildings and Construction; Title 16, Subdivisions; and Title 17, Zoning.
 Chapter 3.16, Article II, Fire Protection Impact Fees. This article deems it necessary to establish a fee for fire facilities to serve proposed development in the City. Fire protection impact fees shall be fixed by the city council from time to time, by resolution. Fire protection impact fees shall be paid prior to the issuance of a building permit or the filing of a parcel or final map, whichever shall first occur.

All fire protection fees collected pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 3.16, Police and Fire Protection Impact Fees, shall be placed in a special fund which is created and established for such purposes and which shall be known as the fire protection fee fund. Revenue deposited into said fund shall be used for the hiring of new personnel and procurement of equipment associated with new personnel.  Chapter 3.20, Public Safety Tax. This chapter requires revenue raised through the public safety tax on each parcel of real property or building to be placed in a special fund to be used only for the purposes of obtaining, furnishing, providing, operating, and maintaining fire protection, prevention, or suppression services and police protection services, including, but not limited to, the supplying of apparatus or equipment therefor, the payment of salaries and benefits of fire and police personnel, and other necessary fire protection, prevention, or suppression and police protection expenses of the city.

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 Section 16.24.050, Underground Utilities. This section requires subdivisions to underground utility distribution facilities, including electric, communication and television lines.  Chapter 16.48, Site Reservations. This chapter pertains to site reservations, including requirements, standards and formula for reservation of land, procedure, payment, and termination.  Section 16.48.010, Site Reservation Requirements. This section states that as a condition of approval of a map, the subdivider shall reserve sites appropriate in area and location for parks, recreational facilities, fire stations, library, or other public uses, according to the standards and formula in Chapter 16.48.
 Section 16.48.020, Standards and Formula for Reservation of Land. This section states that where a park, recreational facility, fire station, library, or other public use is shown on an adopted specific plan or adopted general plan containing a community facilities element, recreation and parks element, and/or a public building element, a subdivider may be required by the City to reserve sites as so determined by the City in accordance with the definite principles and standards contained in the above specific plan or general plan. The reserved area must be of such size and shape as to permit the balance of the property within which the reservation is located to develop in an orderly and efficient manner. The amount of land to be reserved shall not make development of the remaining land held by the subdivider economically infeasible. The reserved area shall conform to the adopted specific plan or general plan and shall be in such multiples of streets and parcels as to permit an efficient division of the reserved area in the event that it is not acquired within the prescribed period.
 Section 17.04.280, Development Incentives or Concessions. This section allows for application to defer development impact fees until occupancy (e.g., park fees, fire fees, sanitary sewer trunk line fees, storm drain trunk line fees, street tree fees, library fees, or traffic impact fees).

Existing Conditions
Fire services in the EIR Study Area are provided by the Hollister Fire Department (HFD). Preventing and extinguishing structural fires, protecting life and property safety, and reducing fire losses is an essential part of HFD’s mission. The HFD provides fire protection, emergency medical services, rescue, and fire prevention services within the city limits as well as to the City of San Juan Bautista and unincorporated areas of San Benito County.

HFD has two automatic aid agreements, with the South Santa Clara County Fire District (SSCCFD) and Aromas Tri -County Fire District (ATCFD).2 Both SSCCFD and ATCFD have contracted with CAL FIRE for service, and both automatic aid agreements encompass reciprocal responses. Agencies in California must provide mutual aid assistance to each other when requested and available. This agreement only allows for assistance for a specific period of time, and the requesting agency may be charged for service, but it increases aid during fire emergencies across the county.

2 Martin Del Campo, Bob. Fire Chief, Hollister Fire Department. Personal communication with PlaceWorks. May 27, 2020.

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In addition, HFD and CAL FIRE San Benito-Monterey Unit (BEU), which services the state responsibility areas (SRA) in San Benito County and Monterey County, have an established annual operating plan (AOP) that delegates operation responsibilities, relationships, and expectations at the field-unit level.3 CAL FIRE BEU does not operate year-round, so the AOP clearly designates both agencies’ service responsibilities and fire operations in San Benito County. During operation, CAL FIRE BEU has responsibility for the SRA for wildland fires, and HFD has responsibility for the local responsibility areas. When CAL FIRE BEU is not in operation, HFD assumes full responsibility of fire protection services. Refer to Chapter 4.18, Wildfire, of this Revised Draft EIR for detailed information on fire hazard severity zones and wildfire prevention in the EIR Study Area.

Staffing
The HFD employs 41 uniformed emergency personnel, in addition to a fire chief and a fire marshal. The HFD Fire Marshal works closely with the City’s Code Enforcement to ensure all structures meet CFC standards. The HFD also provides fire response and rescue services for both urban and wildland fires throughout San Benito County. The HFD reports that personnel are highly skilled and qualified, but the current level of staffing is inadequate to meet the current demands for fire protection services in the service area.4
The HFD administrative facilities are located at Fire Station 1 on 110 Fifth Street. There are 13 firefighters on duty daily, dispersed among four stations, and each station has at least one engine company, one captain, one engineer, and one firefighter on duty at all times. The HFD reports that the current ratio of

0.69 firefighter for every 1,000 people in the county is not adequate. Low staff levels are due to limited budget and ongoing staff attrition (i.e., employees leave HFD for similar, higher-paying positions in other jurisdictions). While there is no standard established locally, the HFD reports that a generally accepted ratio should be 1 firefighter for every 1,000 people. Furthermore, the HFD anticipates that there will not be enough staff to meet the growing population in Hollister and the surrounding unincorporated county.Error! Bookmark not defined.

Facilities
There are three HFD fire stations in the city limits and one fire station in the unincorporated area of San Benito County. The HFD anticipates construction of two additional fire stations in San Benito County within the next ten years to serve the growing population development in the areas surrounding Hollister.

One station is planned near the San Juan Oaks Golf Course southwest of the EIR Study Area, and the other station is approximately five miles south of the city limits. The HFD reports that efforts in recent years to update antiquated equipment have been largely successful, but there are a few outstanding equipment

3 CAL FIRE identifies lands in California as falling within one of the following management areas: Local Responsibility Area (LRA), State Responsibility Area (SRA), and Federal Responsibility Area (FRA). Within each of these areas, a single agency has direct responsibility: in LRAs, local fire departments or fire protection districts are responsible; in SRAs, CAL FIRE is responsible; in FRAs, federal agencies such as the United States Forest Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, United States Department of Defense, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and Department of the Interior are responsible. 4 Martin Del Campo, Bob. Chief of Fire, Hollister Fire Department. Personal communication with PlaceWorks. June 2020.

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needs to maintain an acceptable level of service. The HFD needs one Type 3 wildland engine, a ladder firetruck, and a water tender.

HFD intends to establish a critical infrastructure building at Station 3, making it a fully functioning Emergency Operations Center and warming center. HFD notes that, if service continues to the future planned developments southwest of Hollister, a fifth station would be needed for adequate fire protection services.5
Response Times and Performance
During 2019, the HFD responded to 33 grass fires and 22 building fires. It also responded to 21 vehicle fires, 18 brush or brush-and-grass mixture fires, 17 trash/rubbish fires, and 12 cooking fires. In the EIR Study Area, there were 4,245 calls for service, including 2,550 for EMS, ambulances, and similar services.

There were also 282 false alarms, malfunctions, or unintentional calls and 1,413 other incidents (animal rescue, hazardous waste, smoke, etc.).

The HFD’s Insurance Service Office has a rating of Class 3 in the city and 3X for the unincorporated county, which is on the scale of 1 to 10. Class 1 generally represents superior property fire protection, and Class 10 indicates that the area’s fire suppression program does not meet ISO’s minimum criteria. The HFD has a response time goal to be on scene within 5 minutes following a call for service, which is consistent with the National Fire Protection Association Standard 1710. The HFD reports that its current response time is approximately 5 to 7 minutes in the city, but response times vary within their 1,400-square-mile service area because its size and rural or inaccessible terrain. The HFD strives to improve response time with strategic engine placement, more station locations, increased staffing, and equipment updates.6 Budget
The Hollister Municipal General Fund supports essential City services, including fire protection. In fiscal year 2021 to 2022, fire services accounted for roughly 30 percent of the City’s Municipal General Fund expenditures, which included funding for employee salaries, purchasing fire suppression equipment, and various other basic funding needs.7 The County of San Benito also contributes to the budget for the provision of countywide fire services.

Voters approved Measure E in November 2012, which committed the City to maintaining operations at all current Hollister fire stations and rapid emergency response times. Measure E also funds other essential City services such as major capital public safety improvements and road maintenance. Measure W, approved by voters in 2016, extended the 1 percent sales tax enacted by Measure E for an additional 20 years. Although Measure W is more recent, the City budget still categorizes the tax revenue as “Measure E funds.” Measure E revenues have raised approximately $4.5 million per fiscal year, which has been the funding source for multiple essential facility upgrades in Hollister.

5 Martin Del Campo, Bob. Chief of Fire, Hollister Fire Department. Personal communication with PlaceWorks. June 2020. 6 Hollister Fire Department, 2020. Count of Incidents by Incident Type by Incident Status for Date Range Report. 7 City of Hollister, 2022, Fiscal Year 2021-2022 Annual Budget, http://hollister.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/FY-21- 22-BUDGET-SUMMARY.pdf, accessed on March 15, 2022.

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Other funds for the HFD also come from Mello-Roos Districts, the Panoche Valley Fund, and development impact fees. Community Facilities District (CFD) 5, with boundaries that mirror the city limits, funds the Mello-Roos District that covers the salaries of three fire staff personnel. CFD 5 was created in 2018 to replace the tax rate levied by the previous CFD 2 (established in 1995) for the provision of police and fire services to new development, based on a revised financial study. Residential developments established from 1995 up until the creation of CFD 5 in 2018, are levied under the original CFD 2 rates, and provide additional Mello-Roos District funding for police and fire services. The Panoche Valley Fund finances HFD service to the Panoche Valley Solar Farm during the construction phase and the salaries of three fire staff personnel. Development impact fees are levied against all new development in the city to pay for the construction or improvement of fire facilities as a result of city growth.

STANDARDS OF SIGNIFICANCE
Implementation of the proposed project would have a significant impact related to fire protection services if it would:

51. Result in substantial adverse physical impacts associated with the need for new or physically altered fire protection facilities, the construction of which could cause significant environmental impacts, in order to maintain acceptable service ratios, response times, or other performance objectives for fire protection services.

52. In combination with past, present, and reasonably foreseeable projects, result in a cumulative impact with respect to fire protection services.

IMPACT DISCUSSION
As described in Chapter 4, Environmental Analysis, of this Revised Draft EIR, some proposed 2040 General Plan policies and actions are required as means to mitigate environmental impacts under CEQA. These policies and actions are fully enforceable at the discretion of the decision-maker through permit conditions, agreements, or other legally binding instruments. These mitigating policies and actions use the imperative “shall,” include performance criteria, and are marked with an asterisk (*).

PS-1 Implementation of the proposed project would not result in substantial adverse physical impacts associated with the provision of new or physically altered fire protection facilities, need for new or physically altered fire protection facilities, the construction of which could cause significant environmental impacts, in order to maintain acceptable service ratios, response times, or other performance objectives. 2040 General Plan
New development in the EIR Study Area would be served by the HFD. A significant impact to the HFD would result if, in order for the HFD to adequately serve the area, increased demand in the EIR Study Area would require the construction of new facilities or the expansion of existing facilities, the construction or operation of which would cause significant environmental impacts.

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The proposed project would allow for increased development within the EIR Study Area, which would increase the service population of the HFD above existing conditions. Development allowed by the proposed 2040 General Plan would include new housing and nonresidential development, with associated increases to resident and employee population. As described in Section 4.15.1.1, Environmental Setting, the HFD current level of staffing is inadequate to meet the current demands for fire protection services in the service area. Therefore, the HFD anticipates the construction of two additional fire stations in San Benito County to meet existing and future demand. These two stations will provide key support to areas near the San Juan Oaks Golf Course southwest of the EIR Study Area and southwest Hollister, approximately five miles from the City Limits.8 If service continues to the future planned developments southwest of Hollister, a fifth station would be needed for adequate fire protection services.9 The proposed Community Services and Facilities (CSF) and Health and Safety (HS) Elements of the proposed 2040 General Plan contain goals, policies, and actions that require local planning and development decisions to consider and mitigate impacts that potential future development could have on fire protection service facilities. The following proposed 2040 General Plan goals, policies, and actions would serve to reduce impacts to fire protection service facilities and services:

Goal CSF-1: Provide an adequate level and maintenance of public services and facilities to ensure the continued health, education, welfare, and safety of all residents and businesses. (Goal CSF4)  Policy CSF-1.1: New Development Requirements for Public Services. Ensure that future growth does not create demands that exceed the capabilities and capacity of local public services, including police and fire services, by requiring new development applications to identify the impacts that the proposed development would have on the provision of public services. Approve only development applications that can mitigate impacts or contribute a proportional fair share so that local public services can be maintained at an acceptable level. (Policy CSF1.2)  Policy CSF-1.2: Coordination of Facilities and Services Planning. Cooperate and coordinate with the County of San Benito, Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO), and other local agencies in the provision of infrastructure and services in the Hollister Planning Area. (Policy CSF1.4)  Policy CSF-1.3: Infrastructure Planning. Require the preparation of a specific plan, financing plan, development agreement, creation of a Communities Facilities District, or another similar document or financing vehicle, as a pre-condition to annexation or redesignations of land for new urban use.

The plans shall identify means to ensure adequate funding to support construction of all needed public facilities, including water, sewer, storm drainage, roads, sidewalks, parks, and school facilities. (Policy CSF1.6)
 Policy CSF-1.4: Development Review Criteria for Public Services. Prior to granting approval, evaluate each new development in terms of the following criteria:

1. The project shall share a common border with a property that has already been developed.

8 Martin Del Campo, Bob. Chief of Fire, Hollister Fire Department. Personal communication with PlaceWorks. June 2020. 9 Martin Del Campo, Bob. Chief of Fire, Hollister Fire Department. Personal communication with PlaceWorks. June 2020.

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2. The project shall be adequately served by infrastructure (e.g., water, sewer, streets, schools, parks), which is already in place or mitigated.

3. The project shall be within the existing service areas of local service providers (i.e., fire protection, police protection, solid waste disposal, schools), and not result in a reduction in their current capabilities. (Numbers 1 to 3, Policy CSF1.7)

4. The project shall have adequate water supply of sufficient quantity and quality.

5. There shall be adequate sanitary sewer capacity and treatment capability that can be provided to serve the proposed project.

6. There shall be adequate fire protection for the proposed project.

7. There shall be adequate police protection for the proposed project.

8. The proposed project shall result in no impact on local parks and recreational facilities, or the applicant will provide the resources required to mitigate the impacts associated with the proposed development.

9. There shall be an adequate level of solid waste collection services and disposal capacity to serve the proposed project.

10. There shall be an appropriate level of utility services (gas, electric, and telephone) to serve the proposed project.

11. The project applicant shall finance the full costs associated with any drainage improvements necessary to accommodate peak flows from the proposed project.

12. The proposed project shall not make a significant contribution to the emission of regional air pollutants.

13. There shall be adequate elementary, middle, and high schools to serve the proposed project. (Numbers 4 to 13, Implementation Measure CSF.D)
 Policy CSF-1.6: Development Fees. Review the existing development fee structure, including the infrastructure connection fees, every two years and restructure as needed. (Policy LU2.1)  Policy CSF-1.7: Capital Improvements Maintenance and Replacement. Ensure that the City’s Capital Improvement Program is coordinated with responsible districts and agencies and provides for ongoing, preventative maintenance of infrastructure facilities and the replacement of City equipment. (Policy CSF1.5)
 Policy CSF-1.8: Capital Improvements Program. Conduct reviews of the Capital Improvements Program (CIP) at least every five years and add budget for transportation, infrastructure, and public facility improvements as funding sources are identified. (Implementation Measure LU.P)  Action CSF-1.2: Public Facilities Impact Fee. Regularly review the public facilities impact fee to ensure development funds its fair share of new community and public facilities, including public safety facilities, required to serve new residents and employees in Hollister. (Implementation Measure LU.S)

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Goal CSF-7: Provide adequate fire and police services to serve existing and new development. (new)  Policy CSF-7.2: Fire Safety. Ensure that development in the Hollister Planning Area does not exceed the capability of the Hollister Fire Department and the San Benito County Fire Department to provide an adequate level of fire protection. (Policy CSF4.8)
 Policy CSF-7.3: Fire Protection Mitigation. Require individual project developers to negotiate with the Hollister Fire Department to determine additional mitigation for proposed projects prior to the issuance of building permits. Such mitigation may include the payment of impact fees, the development of new fire protection facilities, and/or the provision of firefighting equipment. (Implementation Measure CSF.JJ)
 Policy CSF-7.4: Fire and Police Project Review. Ensure that the responsible fire protection agency and law enforcement agency reviews all development proposals in the Hollister Planning Area to ensure that the project provides adequate fire protection and addresses crime prevention concerns. (Implementation Measure CSF.II and CSF.KK)
 Action CSF-7.1: Public Service Master Plans. Require City departments to update their public service master plans in conformance with the amount and type of development specified in this General Plan to ensure that the City maintains an adequate number of public safety workers, including police officers and firefighters. (Implementation Measure LU.D)  Action CSF-7.2: Facilities for Fire and Police Services. Create a plan for new police and fire facilities, including identification of opportunities for shared use of facilities by the Police and Fire Departments. (Implementation Measure CSF.X)
 Action CSF-7.3: Fire Protection Master Plan Update. Update the City’s Fire Protection Master Plan.

Include consideration of a fire protection expansion plan to fund and operate additional fire stations in the city, including the airport area and the southeastern section of the Hollister Planning Area. As part of this update and in coordination with the County of San Benito and/or CAL FIRE, investigate fire and emergency service consolidation as a means of expanding and improving service in the Hollister Planning Area. (Implementation Measures CSF.B, CSF.E and CSF.N) Goal HS-1: Protect community health and safety from natural and human-caused hazards. (Goal HS1)  *Policy HS-1.1: Location of Future Development. Permit development only in areas where potential danger to the health, safety, and welfare of the community can be adequately mitigated. This includes prohibiting development that would be subject to severe flood damage or geological hazard because of its location and/or design and that cannot be mitigated to safe levels.

Development shall also be prohibited where emergency services, including fire protection, cannot be provided. (Policy HS1.1)
 Policy HS-1.3: Coordination with San Benito County and Other Agencies on Safety Matters. Cooperate with the County of San Benito and other government agencies in all matters related to safety, hazardous waste management, and emergency planning. (Policy HS1.3)

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Goal HS-3: Protect the community from seismic and geologic hazards. (new)  Policy HS-3.4: High-Occupancy Structures. High-occupancy structures (such as schools, hospitals, office buildings, and multifamily housing) or critical emergency facilities (such as fire and police stations, emergency relief storage facilities, and water storage tanks) should not be located in an active fault’s “zone of potential surface deformation.” In addition, high-occupancy structures should be designed or redesigned to protect human life to the highest degree possible during the “maximum probable event” of seismic activity. Existing and new high-occupancy structures should also have emergency plans approved by the City. (Policy HS2.1)
Goal HS-5: Maintain adequate fire and life safety protection from wildland and urban fires.  Policy HS-5.1: Wildland-Urban Interface. Coordinate between the Building and Fire Departments to ensure that new development in the wildland-urban interface is in full compliance with all applicable sections of the Building Code. (new)
 Policy HS-5.2: Firefighting Infrastructure. Ensure adequate firefighting infrastructure, including water supply pressure, road and building clearance for firefighting vehicles, and clear and legible street signage are available throughout the community. (new)
 Policy HS-5.3: Fire Protection Master Plan. Ensure that all new development will be adequately designed to minimize risks to life and property through the implementation of the Fire Protection Master Plan. (Policy CSF4.12)
 Policy HS-5.4: Fire Safety Requirements. Require new development to be protected from fire hazards through the provision of peak load water supply systems capable of providing the flow required for fire suppression, the design of roads with adequate widths and turning radii, and adequate separation between buildings, prior to project approval. (Policy CSF4.12)  Policy HS-5.5: Facilities Planning. Place all new public facilities outside of identified fire hazard risk areas as feasible. Appropriately retrofit or, if necessary, relocate existing public facilities outside of identified fire hazard areas. (new)
 Policy HS-5.6: Land Use Management for Fire Risks. Maintain all City-owned public lands to clear them of fuel loads, establish appropriately placed fire breaks, and educate all property owners in the city on proper landscape maintenance and fire-scaping standards to reduce the risk of fire hazards. (new)  Policy HS-5.7: Retrofitting of Existing Buildings. Encourage the retrofitting of older buildings to current safety standards in coordination with proposed major remodeling or additions. (new)  Policy HS-5.8: Mutual Aid Agreements. Maintain inter-jurisdictional cooperation and coordination, including automatic-aid agreements with fire protection/suppression agencies in San Benito County. (new)
 Action HS-5.1: Requirements for Development in High Fire Hazard Areas. Require project-level development in the High Fire Hazard Zone in the Planning Area to occur in accordance with the California Building Standards Code to provide needed safeguards and facilities to control the spread of fire in any fire hazardous area. Provisions may include, but are not limited to, the following: (a) require spark arresters for any chimney; (b) prohibit open-flame devices; (c) clear brush or vegetative growth 30 feet from structures; and (d) clear brush 10 feet from roadways. (new)

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 Action HS-5.2: Tree Trimming. Trim all public trees and other vegetation in Hollister on a regular basis to clear them of any loose branches or debris that could serve as fuel in a fire event. (new)  Action HS-5.3: Pilot Clean Air Center Program. Implement the State’s Wildfire Smoke Clean Air Centers for Vulnerable Populations Incentive Pilot Program and apply for grants to retrofit ventilation systems at certain public buildings to provide refuge for residents during periods of unhealthy air quality caused by excessive smoke from wildfires. (new)
 Action HS-5.4: Fire Safety Education. Develop new and expand existing public fire safety education programs (including disaster preparedness) and continue to be proactive in public safety education. (new)
Goal HS-6: Minimize potential damage to life, environment, and property through timely, well-prepared, and well-coordinated emergency preparedness response plans and programs. (new)  Policy HS-6.1: Emergency Planning Document Coordination. Integrate the City’s safety and emergency management documents, including this Health and Safety Element, the San Benito County Multi- Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan, and other related documents. (new)  Policy HS-6.2: San Benito County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan. Incorporate the current San Benito County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan into this Safety Element by reference, as permitted by California Government Code Section 65302.6 to ensure that emergency response and evacuation routes are accessible throughout the city. (new)  Policy HS-6.3: Emergency Infrastructure and Equipment. Ensure the emergency operations center maintains a full functional state of readiness. (Policy HS2.2)  Policy HS-6.6: Disaster Recovery. Ensure that the City government continues to operate during and after hazard events and is able to provide resources and guidance to people and institutions in Hollister to aid them in recovery and reconstruction following the end of the hazard event. (new)  Policy HS-6.7: Access for Emergency Vehicles. Provide adequate access for emergency vehicles and equipment, including providing a second means of ingress and egress to all development. (Policy HS2.4)
 Policy HS-6.10: Communication Systems. Ensure that communication systems used by emergency responders and key City staff have sufficient redundancy and resiliency to meet City needs during and after a hazard event. (new)
 Action HS-6.4: County Emergency Plan Update. Coordinate with the County of San Benito to prepare a Hollister Emergency Operations Plan as an annex to the County’s Emergency Operations Plan, and coordinate updates no less than every five years. (Implementation Measure HS.S) In addition to the proposed 2040 General Plan goals, policies, and actions listed above, see Chapter 4.18, Wildfire, of this Revised Draft EIR for a complete list of proposed 2040 General Plan goals, policies, and actions that would minimize risk of wildfire, thereby reducing demand on HFD fire services. Potential future development that may occur due to implementation of the proposed 2040 General Plan would be required to comply with Title 24 of the CCR, adopted by the City through HMC Section 15.04.050.

Compliance with the State’s Title 24 would ensure any new development proposed in the EIR Study Area meets the most current building and fire codes, thereby increasing safety of the buildings and reducing

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the likelihood of a fire emergency, subsequently reducing demand on HFD fire services. In addition, new development under the proposed 2040 General Plan would be required to pay the City’s fire protection impact fees and public safety tax that are adopted at the time of future project approval for new development.

While the proposed project would increase demand on fire protection services, growth would most likely occur incrementally over the lifetime of the proposed project, and it would be unlikely that the magnitude of increased demands as a result of the full buildout potential of the proposed 2040 General Plan would be placed on facilities immediately at the time of adoption. Individual project plan review by the HFD; payment of fire protection impact fees and public safety tax; consistency with the proposed 2040 General Plan goals, policies, and actions; and compliance with the regulations described above would ensure that the HFD is involved as future development is allowed under the proposed 2040 General Plan.

Furthermore, future construction of new fire stations would be subject to separate project-level approval and CEQA review, if required, in order to identify potential environmental impacts and mitigation measures as needed, and would also be subject to the mitigation measures and mitigating policies identifed throughout this Draft EIR to reduce potential environmental impacts. Therefore, impacts on fire protection facilities would be less than significant.

Significance without Mitigation: Less than significant.

Climate Action Plan
The proposed Climate Action Plan (CAP) is a strategic plan focused on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction through recommended community-wide GHG reduction strategies and an implementation plan.

Since the proposed CAP does not involve any land use changes that would require expanded fire protection services, implementation of the proposed CAP would not result in substantial adverse physical impacts associated with the provision of new or physically altered fire protection facilities, need for new or physically altered fire protection facilities, the construction of which could cause significant environmental impacts, in order to maintain acceptable service ratios, response times, or other performance objectives and impacts would be less than significant.

Significance without Mitigation: Less than significant.

Agricultural Lands Preservation Program
The proposed Agricultural Lands Preservation Program (ALPP) is a program focused on mitigating the effects of agricultural land conversion through the dedication of eligible agricultural conservation easements at a rate of at least one acre of agricultural land for each one acre of agricultural land to be converted (1:1 ratio) for projects that would convert agricultural land to nonagricultural uses. Since the proposed ALLP does not involve any land use changes that would require expanded fire protection services, implementation of the proposed ALPP would not result in substantial adverse physical impacts associated with the provision of new or physically altered fire protection facilities, need for new or physically altered fire protection facilities, the construction of which could cause significant environmental

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impacts, in order to maintain acceptable service ratios, response times, or other performance objectives and impacts would be less than significant.

Significance without Mitigation: Less than significant.

PS-2 In combination with past, present, and reasonably foreseeable projects, implementation of the proposed project would not result in a cumulatively considerable impact to fire protection services. 2040 General Plan
As discussed in Chapter 4, Environmental Analysis, of this Revised Draft EIR, this EIR takes into account growth from development under the proposed 2040 General Plan within the City combined with the estimated growth in the service areas of each service provider. In the case of fire protection, this would be the service area of the HFD. As discussed in Section 4.15.1.1, Environmental Setting, the HFD partners with the SSCCFD and ATCFD to provide reciprocal responses with each agency. These agencies must provide mutual aid assistance to each other when requested and available. As described under Impact Discussion PS-1, the HFD has identified the need for additional fire stations to adequately serve future growth in the EIR Study Area and plans for two new stations. As the HFD requires new equipment or staffing, the funds for such improvements would be provided through required payment of fire protection impact fees and public safety tax .

Compliance with State and local regulations described under Section 4.15.1.1, Environmental Setting, and the proposed 2040 General Plan goals, policies, and actions listed under Impact Discussion PS-1, would ensure that fire protection services continue to adequately serve the EIR Study Area. Likewise, the San Benito County General Plan EIR concluded that while fire protection facilities would be constructed over the lifetime of the San Benito County 2035 General Plan, their applicable General Plan policies would minimize the number of these facilities necessary to maintain adequate levels of service as well as reduce environmental effects coupled with subsequent site-specific environmental review of future facilities.10 Similar to growth in the county, potential future development that may occur within and adjacent to the EIR Study Area would occur incrementally over the proposed 2040 General Plan’s approximately 15-year buildout horizon, and therefore is not anticipated to substantially increase the population, thereby reducing the ability for fire districts and departments within the county to adequately serve residents.

Further, because the proposed project is program level, and because potential future development under the proposed 2040 General Plan would be required to undergo project review at the time of project application, each potential future development would be assessed for impacts to fire protection services.

With adequate planning in place in both the city and the unincorporated San Benito County service area, the proposed project would not result in a cumulatively considerable impact to fire protection services, and cumulative impacts would be less than significant.

Significance Without Mitigation: Less than significant.

10 County of San Benito Planning and Building Department , March 16, 2015, Revised Draft Environmental Impact Report:
2035 San Benito County General Plan Update.

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Climate Action Plan
The proposed CAP is a strategic plan focused on GHG emissions reduction through recommended community-wide GHG reduction strategies and an implementation plan. Since the proposed CAP does not involve any land use changes that would require expanded fire protection services, implementation of the proposed CAP would result in a less-than-significant cumulative impact with respect to fire protection services.

Significance without Mitigation: Less than significant.

Agricultural Lands Preservation Program
The proposed ALPP is a program focused on mitigating the effects of agricultural land conversion through the dedication of eligible agricultural conservation easements at a rate of at least one acre of agricultural land for each one acre of agricultural land to be converted (1:1 ratio) for projects that would convert agricultural land to nonagricultural uses. Since the proposed ALLP does not involve any land use changes that would require expanded fire protection services, implementation of the proposed ALPP would result in a less-than-significant cumulative impact with respect to fire protection services.

Significance without Mitigation: Less than significant.

4.15.2 POLICE SERVICES

ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING
Regulatory Framework
State Regulations
The Mello-Roos Communities Facilities Act of 1982
The Mello-Roos Community Facilities Act, Government Code Section 53311 et seq., provides an alternative method of financing certain public capital facilities and services through special taxes. This State law empowers local agencies to establish CFDs to levy special taxes for facilities such as fire protection facilities.

Local Regulations
Hollister Municipal Code
The HMC includes various directives to minimize adverse impacts to police protection. Most provisions relating to police services are included in Title 2, Administration and Personnel, and Title 3, Revenue and Finance, as follows:
 Chapter 2.40, Police Reserve. This chapter creates the position of the Chief of Police Services, responsible for the management, administration, and provision of the Police Services Division. The

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Chief of Police reports to the City Manager. Other regulations pertaining to police services are contained throughout the Municipal Code, such as in Title 4, Public Safety, which, among other regulations, grants emergency authority of police and fire to direct traffic, and code enforcement (e.g., apprehension and prosecution of those who commit vandalism, etc.).  Chapter 3.16, Article I, Police Protection Impact Fees . This chapter deems it necessary to establish a fee for police facilities to serve proposed development in the City. Police protection impact fees shall be fixed by the city council from time to time, by resolution. Police protection impact fees shall be paid prior to the issuance of a building permit or the filing of a parcel or final map, whichever shall first occur. All police protection fees collected pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 3.16, Police and Fire Protection Impact Fees, shall be placed in a special fund which is created and established for such purposes and which shall be known as the police protection fee fund. Revenue deposited into said fund shall be used for the hiring of new personnel and procurement of equipment associated with new personnel.
 Chapter 3.20, Public Safety Tax. This chapter requires revenue raised through the public safety tax on each parcel of real property or building to be placed in a special fund to be used only for the purposes of obtaining, furnishing, providing, operating and maintaining fire protection, prevention or suppression services and police protection services, including, but not limited to, the supplying of apparatus or equipment therefor, the payment of salaries and benefits of fire and police personnel and other necessary fire protection, prevention or suppression and police protection expenses of the city.

Existing Conditions
Police services in the EIR Study Area are provided by the Hollister Police Department (HPD), the San Benito County Sheriff’s Office, and the California Highway Patrol. The HPD has primary responsibility for areas within the City Limits. The San Benito County Sheriff’s Office provides services to unincorporated areas within the EIR Study Area and the California Highway Patrol provides traffic enforcement on State and local freeways. Mutual aid agreements between these agencies allow for joint responses to emergency situations that warrant additional personnel.

Staffing and Facilities
The national staffing average for cities with populations comparable to Hollister is 17.0 sworn personnel per 10,000 residents and 21.2 total personnel per 10,000 residents.11 HPD has a goal of staffing 15 to 17 sworn officers per 10,000 residents. HPD has a total of 37 full-time sworn officers and 12 full-time non- sworn personnel, for a total staff of 49 personnel. This equates to 12.5 sworn officers per 10,000 residents and 16.5 total personnel per 10,000 residents, which is below the national staffing average for cities with populations of comparable size. The HPD also has 8 positions within the Animal Care and Services division.

11 Governing calculations of 2016 FBI UCR data, https://www.governing.com/gov-data/safety-justice/police-officers-per- capita-rates-employment-for-city-departments.html, accessed March 29, 2022.

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This suggests that HPD is understaffed for a city of Hollister’s size, and a recent staffing study recommended adding an additional 11 positions to the HPD.12 The HPD is organized into two divisions: the Operations Division and the Support Services Division. The Operations and Support Services Divisions are commanded by Lieutenants who report directly to the Captain. The Captain is responsible for the administration and management of the HPD and reports to the Chief of Police. The Chief of Police has overall command of the entire HPD and is responsible for the administration of the HPD. The Operations Division is commanded by a Lieutenant whose primary responsibility is to provide general management direction and control for that division. The Operations Division consists of Patrol, Reserves, and SWAT. The Support Services Division, also called the Investigation Division, is commanded by a Lieutenant whose primary responsibility is to provide general management direction and control for the Investigation Division. This Division consists of Investigations, Volunteers, Records, Parking Enforcement, Property/Evidence, Personnel and Community Services, and Animal Control. Some police services are provided with field patrols on a geographic (or “beat”) basis and other functions are organized on a citywide basis. Citywide services include crime prevention, investigations, community engagement, and traffic patrols. The HPD divides the city into separate beats. Officers traditionally switch beats every day of their work week to keep them knowledgeable of each beat’s unique issues and qualities. HPD has designed their beats to reflect a more balanced call volume between beats.

The HPD headquarters is located at 395 Apollo Way in northeast Hollister. The HPD is gradually outgrowing its existing facilities and is in need of a new storage room, women’s locker room, gas pumps, and other general facilities. Following recommendations from a recent staffing study, the HPD plans to expand its headquarters to the adjoining lot, and construct a new, larger training facility and administration office, along with a dispatch center. The current building will house the expanded patrol and investigations units.Error! Bookmark not defined.

Response Times and Performance
In 2019, HPD received 2,628 calls to 9-1-1. This equates to an average of 219 calls per month, or about 7.2 per day. In addition, HPD received 17,609 administrative calls and 9,982 officer-initiated calls in 2019.13 HPD reported an average response time of 6 to 7 minutes for high priority calls in both 2018 and 2019.

Mid-level priority calls had an average response time of 9 to 12 minutes in 2018 and 2019, and low- priority calls had an average response time of 20 to 27 minutes. The HPD does not have an adopted response time goal. The proximity of the police department to call locations correlates to response times and performance, according to HPD. Headquarters sit at the most northern edge of the city, well outside of the center, so this adds to longer response times. A more centralized police department or even large substation for patrol could aid in response time reduction.Error! Bookmark not defined.

12 Reynoso, Carlos. Interim Chief of Police, Hollister Police Department. Personal communication with PlaceWorks. June 10, 2020.
13 Olson, Eric. Lieutenant, Hollister Police Department. Personal communication with PlaceWorks. June 27, 2020.

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Budget
The HPD is funded by the City’s Municipal General Fund, which supports essential City services such as police and fire protection, building and street maintenance, libraries, recreation, parks and open space maintenance. In fiscal year 2019 to 2020, police services accounted for roughly 31 percent of the City’s Municipal General Fund expenditures, which funded employee salaries, police equipment, and other needs.14 HPD also receives funding from a Homeland Security Grant, managed through the County, which is used to purchase anti-terrorism equipment. Additional police expenses are paid for by the Measure E fund as described above.

Funds for the HPD also come from:
 State Supplemental Law Enforcement Services Funds which finances capital police projects.  State-endowed Office of Traffic Safety Fund which supplements traffic-related programs like DUI checks and motor safety.
 COPS More Fund, a federal program that supports School Resources Officer programs at local schools from federal monies.
 CFDs 2 and 5 Mello Roos District Fund, as described above, funds the funds the salaries of three police staff personnel.
 Development Impact Fees which help fund the construction of new police facilities. HPD anticipates a need to increase impact fees to anticipate new growth in the city over the next 20 years.Error! Bookmark not defined.

STANDARDS OF SIGNIFICANCE
Implementation of the proposed project would have a significant impact related to police protection services if it would:

3. Result in substantial adverse physical impacts associated with the provision of new or physically altered police protection facilities, need for new or physically altered police protection facilities, the construction of which could cause significant environmental impacts, in order to maintain acceptable service ratios, response times, or other performance objectives for police protection services.

4. In combination with past, present, and reasonably foreseeable projects, result in a cumulative impact with respect to police protection services.

IMPACT DISCUSSION
As described in Chapter 4, Environmental Analysis, of this Revised Draft EIR, some proposed 2040 General Plan policies and actions are required as means to mitigate environmental impacts under CEQA. These policies and actions are fully enforceable at the discretion of the decision-maker through permit conditions, agreements, or other legally binding instruments. These mitigating policies and actions use the imperative “shall,” include performance criteria, and are marked with an asterisk (*).

14 City of Hollister, 2018, Fiscal Year 2018-2020 Bi-Annual Budget, http://hollister.ca.gov/wp- content/uploads/2018/06/BUDGET-FY-18-19-19-20-pt-1.pdf, accessed on June 1, 2020.

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PS-3 Implementation of the proposed project would not result in the need for new or physically altered police facilities, the construction of which could cause significant environmental impacts, in order to maintain acceptable service ratios, response times, or other performance objectives.
2040 General Plan
New development in the EIR Study Area would be served by the HPD. A significant impact would result if increased demand would require the construction of new facilities or the expansion of existing facilities in order for the HPD to adequately serve the EIR Study Area, the construction or operation of which would cause significant environmental impacts.

As described in Section 4.15.2.1, Environmental Setting, the HPD does not meet the national staffing level average for cities with populations of comparable size and a staffing study recommended the addition of 11 positions.15 Increased population and demand on HPD resources would exacerbate this. However, while staffing would need to increase to meet desired levels of service and proportionally as population grows, the HPD plans to expand their headquarter to the adjoining lot, and construct a new, larger training facility and administrative office, along with a dispatch center. The current building will house the expanded patrol and investigations units.16
The proposed Community Services and Facilities (CSF) and Health and Safety (HS) Elements of the 2040 General Plan contain goals, policies, and actions that require local planning and development decisions to consider and mitigate impacts that potential future development could have on police protection service facilities. The following proposed 2040 General Plan goals, policies, and actions would serve to reduce impacts to police service facilities and services:

Goal CSF-1: Provide an adequate level and maintenance of public services and facilities to ensure the continued health, education, welfare, and safety of all residents and businesses. (Goal CSF4)  Policy CSF-1.1: New Development Requirements for Public Services. Ensure that future growth does not create demands that exceed the capabilities and capacity of local public services, including police and fire services, by requiring new development applications to identify the impacts that the proposed development would have on the provision of public services. Approve only development applications that can mitigate impacts or contribute a proportional fair share so that local public services can be maintained at an acceptable level. (Policy CSF1.2)  Policy CSF-1.2: Coordination of Facilities and Services Planning. Cooperate and coordinate with the County of San Benito, Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO), and other local agencies in the provision of infrastructure and services in the Hollister Planning Area. (Policy CSF1.4)

15 Reynoso, Carlos. Interim Chief of Police, Hollister Police Department. Personal communication with PlaceWorks. June 10, 2020.
16 Reynoso, Carlos. Interim Chief of Police, Hollister Police Department. Personal communication with PlaceWorks. June 10, 2020.

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 Policy CSF-1.3: Infrastructure Planning. Require the preparation of a specific plan, financing plan, development agreement, creation of a Communities Facilities District, or another similar document or financing vehicle, as a pre-condition to annexation or redesignations of land for new urban use.

The plans shall identify means to ensure adequate funding to support construction of all needed public facilities, including water, sewer, storm drainage, roads, sidewalks, parks, and school facilities. (Policy CSF1.6)
 Policy CSF-1.4: Development Review Criteria for Public Services. Prior to granting approval, evaluate each new development in terms of the following criteria:

1. The project shall share a common border with a property that has already been developed.

2. The project shall be adequately served by infrastructure (e.g., water, sewer, streets, schools, parks), which is already in place or mitigated.

3. The project shall be within the existing service areas of local service providers (i.e., fire protection, police protection, solid waste disposal, schools), and not result in a reduction in their current capabilities. (Numbers 1 to 3, Policy CSF1.7)

4. The project shall have adequate water supply of sufficient quantity and quality.

5. There shall be adequate sanitary sewer capacity and treatment capability that can be provided to serve the proposed project.

6. There shall be adequate fire protection for the proposed project.

7. There shall be adequate police protection for the proposed project.

8. The proposed project shall result in no impact on local parks and recreational facilities, or the applicant will provide the resources required to mitigate the impacts associated with the proposed development.

9. There shall be an adequate level of solid waste collection services and disposal capacity to serve the proposed project.

10. There shall be an appropriate level of utility services (gas, electric, and telephone) to serve the proposed project.

11. The project applicant shall finance the full costs associated with any drainage improvements necessary to accommodate peak flows from the proposed project.

12. The proposed project shall not make a significant contribution to the emission of regional air pollutants.

13. There shall be adequate elementary, middle, and high schools to serve the proposed project. (Numbers 4 to 13, Implementation Measure CSF.D)
 Policy CSF-1.6: Development Fees. Review the existing development fee structure, including the infrastructure connection fees, every two years and restructure as needed. (Policy LU2.1)  Policy CSF-1.7: Capital Improvements Maintenance and Replacement. Ensure that the City’s Capital Improvement Program is coordinated with responsible districts and agencies and provides for

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ongoing, preventative maintenance of infrastructure facilities and the replacement of City equipment. (Policy CSF1.5)
 Policy CSF-1.8: Capital Improvements Program. Conduct reviews of the Capital Improvements Program (CIP) at least every five years and add budget for transportation, infrastructure, and public facility improvements as funding sources are identified. (Implementation Measure LU.P)  Action CSF-1.2: Public Facilities Impact Fee. Regularly review the public facilities impact fee to ensure development funds its fair share of new community and public facilities, including public safety facilities, required to serve new residents and employees in Hollister. (Implementation Measure LU.S) Goal CSF-7: Provide adequate fire and police services to serve existing and new development. (new)  Policy CSF-7.1: Police Services. Ensure that development in the Hollister Planning Area does not exceed the capability of the Hollister Police Department and the San Benito County Sheriff’s Department to provide an adequate level of police protection. (Policy CSF4.7)  Policy CSF-7.4: Fire and Police Project Review. Ensure that the responsible fire protection agency and law enforcement agency reviews all development proposals in the Hollister Planning Area to ensure that the project provides adequate fire protection and addresses crime prevention concerns. (Implementation Measure CSF.II and CSF.KK)
 Action CSF-7.1: Public Service Master Plans. Require City departments to update their public service master plans in conformance with the amount and type of development specified in this General Plan to ensure that the City maintains an adequate number of public safety workers, including police officers and firefighters. (Implementation Measure LU.D).  Action CSF-7.2: Facilities for Fire and Police Services. Create a plan for new police and fire facilities, including identification of opportunities for shared use of facilities by the Police and Fire Departments. (Implementation Measure CSF.X)
Goal HS-1: Protect community health and safety from natural and human-caused hazards. (Goal HS1)  *Policy HS-1.1: Location of Future Development. Permit development only in areas where potential danger to the health, safety, and welfare of the community can be adequately mitigated. This includes prohibiting development that would be subject to severe flood damage or geological hazard because of its location and/or design and that cannot be mitigated to safe levels.

Development shall also be prohibited where emergency services, including fire protection, cannot be provided. (Policy HS1.1)
 Policy HS-1.3: Coordination with San Benito County and Other Agencies on Safety Matters. Cooperate with the County of San Benito and other government agencies in all matters related to safety, hazardous waste management, and emergency planning. (Policy HS1.3) Goal HS-3: Protect the community from seismic and geologic hazards. (new)  Policy HS-3.4: High-Occupancy Structures. High-occupancy structures (such as schools, hospitals, office buildings, and multifamily housing) or critical emergency facilities (such as fire and police stations, emergency relief storage facilities, and water storage tanks) should not be located in an active fault’s “zone of potential surface deformation.” In addition, high-occupancy structures should

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be designed or redesigned to protect human life to the highest degree possible during the “maximum probable event” of seismic activity. Existing and new high-occupancy structures should also have emergency plans approved by the City. (Policy HS2.1)
Goal HS-6: Minimize potential damage to life, environment, and property through timely, well-prepared, and well-coordinated emergency preparedness response plans and programs. (new)  Policy HS-6.1: Emergency Planning Document Coordination. Integrate the City’s safety and emergency management documents, including this Health and Safety Element, the San Benito County Multi- Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan, and other related documents. (new)  Policy HS-6.2: San Benito County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan. Incorporate the current San Benito County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan into this Safety Element by reference, as permitted by California Government Code Section 65302.6 to ensure that emergency response and evacuation routes are accessible throughout the city. (new)  Policy HS-6.3: Emergency Infrastructure and Equipment. Ensure the emergency operations center maintains a full functional state of readiness. (Policy HS2.2)  Policy HS-6.6: Disaster Recovery. Ensure that the City government continues to operate during and after hazard events and is able to provide resources and guidance to people and institutions in Hollister to aid them in recovery and reconstruction following the end of the hazard event. (new)  Policy HS-6.7: Access for Emergency Vehicles. Provide adequate access for emergency vehicles and equipment, including providing a second means of ingress and egress to all development. (Policy HS2.4)
 Policy HS-6.10: Communication Systems. Ensure that communication systems used by emergency responders and key City staff have sufficient redundancy and resiliency to meet City needs during and after a hazard event. (new)
 Action HS-6.4: County Emergency Plan Update. Coordinate with the County of San Benito to prepare a Hollister Emergency Operations Plan as an annex to the County’s Emergency Operations Plan, and coordinate updates no less than every five years. (Implementation Measure HS.S) In addition to the above goals, policies, and actions of the proposed 2040 General Plan, potential future development that may occur due to implementation of the proposed 2040 General Plan would be required to comply with City’s Building Code (HMC Chapter 15.04, Hollister Building Code) and pay their fair share of the cost associated with expanded police services and facilities in accordance with payment of police protection impact fees and public safety tax, as outlined in Section 4.15.2.1, Environmental Setting, based on the fees that are adopted at the time of future project approval for new development.

Similar to Impact Discussion PS-1, while the proposed project would increase demand on police protection services, growth would most likely occur incrementally over the lifetime of the project, and it would be unlikely that the magnitude of increased demands as a result of the full buildout potential of the proposed 2040 General Plan would be placed on facilities within the immediate timeframe or all at once.

Payment of police protection impact fees and public safety tax, consistency with the proposed 2040 General Plan goals, policies, and actions, and compliance with the regulations described above would ensure that the HPD is involved as future development is allowed under the proposed project.

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Furthermore, future construction of new police stations would be subject to separate project-level environmental review pursuant to CEQA, as required, to identify potential environmental impacts and mitigation measures as needed and would also be subject to the mitigation measures contained throughout this Draft EIR to reduce potential environmental impacts. Therefore, impacts on police service facilities would be less than significant.

Significance without Mitigation: Less than significant.

Climate Action Plan
The proposed CAP is a strategic plan focused on GHG emissions reduction through recommended community-wide GHG reduction strategies and an implementation plan. Since the proposed CAP does not involve any land use changes that would require expanded police protection services, implementation of the proposed CAP would not result in the need for new or physically altered police facilities, the construction of which could cause significant environmental impacts, in order to maintain acceptable service ratios, response times, or other performance objectives and impacts would be less than significant.

Significance without Mitigation: Less than significant.

Agricultural Lands Preservation Program
The proposed Agricultural Lands Preservation Program (ALPP) is a program focused on mitigating the effects of agricultural land conversion through the dedication of eligible agricultural conservation easements at a rate of at least one acre of agricultural land for each one acre of agricultural land to be converted (1:1 ratio) for projects that would convert agricultural land to nonagricultural uses. Since the proposed ALPP does not involve any land use changes that would require expanded police protection services, implementation of the proposed ALPP would not result in the need for new or physically altered police facilities, the construction of which could cause significant environmental impacts, in order to maintain acceptable service ratios, response times, or other performance objectives and impacts would be less than significant.

Significance without Mitigation: Less than significant.

PS-4 In combination with past, present, and reasonably foreseeable projects, implementation of the proposed project would not result in a cumulatively considerable impact to police services.
2040 General Plan
As discussed in Chapter 4, Environmental Analysis, of this Revised Draft EIR, this EIR takes into account growth from development under the proposed project within the city combined with the estimated growth in the service areas of each service provider. In the case of police, this would be the service area of the HPD. As described under Impact Discussion PS-3, the proposed project encourages collaboration with

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surrounding emergency service providers on safety matters and emergency planning. Compliance with State and local regulations described under Section 4.15.2.1, Environmental Setting, and the proposed General Plan goals, policies, and actions listed under Impact Discussions PS-3, would ensure that police services continue to adequately serve the EIR Study Area. Likewise, San Benito 2035 County General Plan EIR concluded that while police facilities would be constructed over the lifetime of the San Benito 2035 County General Plan, their applicable General Plan policies would minimize the number of these facilities necessary to maintain adequate levels of service as well as reduce environmental effects coupled with subsequent site-specific environmental review of future facilities.17 Similar to growth in the County, potential future development that may occur within and adjacent to the EIR Study Area would occur incrementally over the proposed 2040 General Plan’s approximately 15-year buildout horizon, and therefore is not anticipated to substantially increase the population, thereby reducing the ability for the police/sheriff departments within the county to adequately serve residents. Further, because the proposed project is program level, and because potential future development under the proposed 2040 General Plan would be required to undergo project review at the time of project application, each potential future development would be assessed for impacts to police services. With adequate planning in place in both the city and the unincorporated San Benito County service area, the proposed project would not result in a cumulatively considerable impact to police services and cumulative impacts would be less than significant.

Significance without Mitigation: Less than significant.

Climate Action Plan
The proposed CAP is a strategic plan focused on GHG emissions reduction through recommended community-wide GHG reduction strategies and an implementation plan. Since the proposed CAP does not involve any land use changes that would require expanded police protection services, the implementation of the proposed CAP would result in a less-than-significant cumulative impact with respect to police protection services.

Significance without Mitigation: Less than significant.

Agricultural Lands Preservation Program
The proposed ALPP is a program focused on mitigating the effects of agricultural land conversion through the dedication of eligible agricultural conservation easements at a rate of at least one acre of agricultural land for each one acre of agricultural land to be converted (1:1 ratio) for projects that would convert agricultural land to nonagricultural uses. Since the proposed ALPP does not involve any land use changes that would require expanded police protection services, the implementation of the proposed ALPP would result in a less-than-significant cumulative impact with respect to police protection services.

Significance without Mitigation: Less than significant.

17 County of San Benito Planning and Building Department , March 16, 2015, Revised Draft Environmental Impact Report:
2035 San Benito County General Plan Update.

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4.15.3 SCHOOLS

ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING
Regulatory Framework
State Regulations
Senate Bill (SB) 50
Senate Bill (SB) 50, funded by Proposition 1A, approved in 1998, limits the power of cities and counties to require mitigation of school facilities impacts as a condition of approving new development and provides instead for a standardized developer fee. SB 50 also provides for three levels of statutory impact fees. In setting the fees, school districts must prepare nexus studies to demonstrate a reasonable connection between new development and the need for school improvements. The fees may only be used to finance the construction or modernization of school facilities. The fee application level depends on whether State funding is available, whether the school district is eligible for State funding and whether the school district meets certain additional criteria involving bonding capacity, year-round school, and the percentage of moveable classrooms in use.

California Government Code and Education Code
SB 50 amended California Government Code Section 65995 and is commonly referred to as this legislative bill number, contains limitations on Education Code Section 17620, the statute that authorizes school districts to assess development fees within school district boundaries. Government Code Section 65995(b)(3) requires the maximum square footage assessment for development to be increased every two years, according to inflation adjustments. The State Allocation Board (SAB) approves the allowable amount of statutory school facilities fees (Level I School Fees) for residential development and commercial/industrial development. According to California Government Code Section 65995(3)(h), the payment of statutory fees is “deemed to be full and complete mitigation of the impacts of any legislative or adjudicative act, or both, involving, but not limited to, the planning, use, or development of real property, or any change in governmental organization or reorganization on the provision of adequate school facilities.” Each school district is responsible for implementing the specific methods for mitigating school impacts under the Government Code.

Mitigation Fee Act (California Government Code 66000-66008) AB 1600, the Mitigation Fee Act, requires a local agency establishing, increasing, or imposing an impact fee as a condition of development to identify the purpose of the fee and the use to which the fee is to be put.18 The agency must also demonstrate a reasonable relationship between the fee and the purpose for

18 California Legislative Information, California Law, Code Section Group, Government Code Sections 66000-66008, https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawCode=GOV&division=1.&title=7.&part=&chapter=5.&article= accessed on April 8, 2020.

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which it is charged, and between the fee and the type of development project on which it is to be levied.

This Act became effective on January 1, 1989.

The Mello-Roos Communities Facilities Act of 1982
The Mello-Roos Community Facilities Act, Government Code Section 53311 et seq., provides an alternative method of financing certain public capital facilities and services through special taxes. This law empowers local agencies to establish CFDs to levy special taxes for facilities such as public schools.

Local Regulations
Hollister Municipal Code
The HMC includes various directives to ensure public schools are adequate to serve school-age children in Hollister. Most provisions related to public schools are included in Title 16, Subdivisions, as follows:
 Chapter 16.48, Site Reservations. This chapter pertains to site reservations, detailing the requirements, standards and formula for reservation of land, procedure, payment, and termination.  Section 16.48.010, Site Reservations Requirements. This section states that as a condition of approval of a map, the subdivider shall reserve sites appropriate in area and location for parks, recreational facilities, fire stations, libraries or other public uses, according to the standards and formula contained in this chapter.
 Section 16.48.020, Standards and formula for reservation of land. This section states that where a park, recreational facility, fire station, library or other public use is shown on an adopted specific plan or adopted general plan containing community facilities element, recreation and parks element and/or a public building element, subdivider may be required by the city to reserve sites as so determined by the city in accordance with the definite principles and standards contained in the above specific plan or general plan. The reserved area must be of such size and shape as to permit the balance of the property within which the reservation is located to develop in an orderly and efficient manner. The amount of land to be reserved shall not make development of the remaining land held by the subdivider economically infeasible. The reserved area shall conform to the adopted specific plan or general plan and shall be in such multiples of streets and parcels as to permit an efficient division of the reserved area in the event that it is not acquired within the prescribed period.
 Chapter 16.56, School Site Dedications. This chapter pertains to the dedication of lands for school sites, detailing the procedure, payments, and exemptions.  Section 16.56.010, Condition of approval of final map. This section states that as a condition of approval of the final map, a subdivider who develops or completes the development of one or more subdivisions within the Hollister elementary school district shall dedicate to the school district such lands as the council shall deem to be necessary for the purpose of constructing hereon schools necessary to assure the residents of the subdivision adequate elementary school service.

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 Section 16.56.020, Procedure. This section states that the requirement of dedication shall be imposed at the time of approval of the tentative map. If within 30 days after the requirement of dedication is imposed by the city council, the school district does not offer to enter into a binding commitment with the subdivider to accept the dedication, the requirement shall be automatically terminated. The required dedication may be made any time before, concurrently with or up to 60 days after the filing of the final map on any portion of the subdivision.  Section 16.56.030, Payments to subdivider. This section states the school district shall, if it accepts the dedication, repay to the subdivider or the subdivider's successors the original cost to the subdivider or the subdivider's successors of the dedicated land, plus a sum equal to the total of the following amounts:
 The cost of any improvements to the dedicated land since acquisition by the subdivider;  The taxes assessed against the dedicated land from the date of the school district's offer to enter into the binding commitment to accept the dedication;  Any other costs incurred by the subdivider in maintenance of such dedicated land, including interest costs incurred on any loan covering such land.

Existing Conditions
The EIR Study Area is served by four school districts: the Hollister School District (HSD), Southside Elementary School District (SESD), North Joint Union Elementary School District (NJUESD), and the San Benito High School District (SBHSD). HSD, for students in grades kindergarten (K) through eighth grade, also serves unincorporated areas of San Benito County surrounding the City Limits. SBHSD, for students in grades nine through twelve, is the high school district for both the city and most of unincorporated San Benito County. Both SESD and NJUESD are single-school elementary school districts located in unincorporated San Benito County but within the EIR Study Area. The names, locations, and grades of each school in the four school districts are shown in Table 4.15-1, EIR Study Area School Districts and Schools. The total number of K through eighth grade children attending public school in the EIR Study Area in the 2020-2021 school year was 5,963 students. All the schools were operating within the existing capacity for the 2020-2021 school year.

TABLE 4.15-1 EIR STUDY AREA SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND SCHOOLS School Name Location Grade Capacity
2020-2021
Enrollment
Hollister School District
Accelerated Achievement Academy a 1151 Buena Vista Rd K-5 250 213 Calaveras Elementary School a 1151 Buena Vista Rd K-5 550 493 Cerra Vista Elementary 2151 Cerra Vista Dr K-5 700 534
Hollister Dual Language Academy a 921 Santa Ana Rd K-5 900 b 801 Ladd Lane Elementary School 161 Ladd Lane K-5 750 665
Marguerite Maze Middle School 900 Meridian St 6-8 800 585 Rancho San Justo Middle School 1201 Rancho Dr 7-8 800 738 Rise Academy Virtual K-8 n/a n/a

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TABLE 4.15-1 EIR STUDY AREA SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND SCHOOLS School Name Location Grade Capacity
2020-2021
Enrollment
R.O. Hardin Elementary School 881 Line St K-5 700 438
Sunnyslope Elementary School 1475 Memorial Dr K-5 700 563 Rancho Santana School b 1454 Santa Ranch Dr K-8 850 n/a Southside Elementary School District
Southside Elementary School 4991 Southside Rd K-8 n/a 205 North Joint Union Elementary School District
Spring Grove Elementary School 500 Spring Grove Rd K-8 n/a 728 San Benito High School District
San Benito High School 1220 Monterey St 9-12 3,437 3,285 Notes:
a. This campus contains both a traditional school and a magnet school. b. Acreage is a general estimate.

Source: EdData, 2022, http://www.ed-data.org/ .

Hollister School District
HSD consists of seven K-5 grade schools, two K-8 schools, and two middle schools. Two of the elementary schools, Calaveras Elementary School and Gabilan Hills Elementary School, share a campus with two magnet schools, the Accelerated Achievement Academy and the Hollister Dual Language Academy, respectively. In 2020, total capacity was 4,550 students for the HSD elementary schools, 1,600 for the HSD middle schools, and 850 for the HSD K-8 grade schools.

Funded by Measure M, HSD performed facility upgrades at multiple schools starting in 2014. R.O. Hardin Elementary School and Rancho San Justo Middle School both underwent modernization projects.

Sunnyslope Elementary School carried out Phase I of their Master Plan to upgrade classrooms, restrooms, black top, and administration offices. Ladd Lane Elementary School underwent a re-roofing. The Cerra Vista Elementary School and the Calaveras Elementary/Accelerated Achievement Academy campus both had HVAC upgrade projects.

The operating budget for HSD was $59.3 million for the 2019-2020 school year. HSD funds primarily come from the State Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), property taxes, federal revenue, other State revenue, Measures V and M, and other local revenue.19 In 2019, HSD charged impact fees of $3.33 per square foot of residential development and $0.56 per square foot of commercial development.20 These help fund constructing and rehabilitating school facilities.

19 Hollister School District. 2020. District Reports, https://www.hesd.org/district-reports , accessed August 18, 2020. 20 Chadwell, John. 2019. HSD Trustees Receive Report on Developer Fees. BenitoLink, https://benitolink.com/hsd-trustees- receive-report-on-developer-fees/, accessed June 10, 2020.

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Southside Elementary School District
SESD includes one elementary school, Southside Elementary School, approximately 1.5 miles south of the City Limits. The SESD serves students from K to 8th grade, with 213 students enrolled for the 2018-2019 school year.21
The current campus was constructed in 1978 and contains 11 classrooms with 15.5 staff members (9.5 teachers, five classified staff, and one administrator).22 Facility improvements are identified through an annual site report and grounds inspections, and no major improvements are anticipated at this time. The school is currently in the process of repainting, and the well water pump was replaced in 2018.

For the 2019-2020 school year, SESD had a budget of approximately $1.29 million, comprised of LCFF funds, LCFF supplemental and concentration funds, lottery, Title II, other supplemental and concentration funds, the Friends of Southside School Endowment fund, the "Bumpy" Picetti Southside School Fund, and other sources.

North County Joint Union School District
The NCJUSD encompasses approximately 190 square miles in northern unincorporated San Benito County, and includes one school, Spring Grove Elementary School, located approximately 2.3 miles northeast of the City Limits. Grades offered range from K through 8th, and approximately 720 students were enrolled for the 2018-2019 school year.

The current campus was built in 1975, and there are 60 certificated teachers and classified employees.23 The NCJUSD does not anticipate major improvements in the foreseeable future but maintains funds for deferred maintenance for classroom and campus improvements.

For the 2020-2021 school year, NCJUSD had a budget of approximately $7.2 million, comprised of LCFF funds, LCFF supplemental and concentration funds, lottery, federal funds for special purpose programs, other state revenues, local science camp revenues, pre-kindergarten costs, fees for facility use, Special Education Local Plan Area transfer, and other local funds.24

21 California Department of Education, Data Reporting Office, https://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/dqcensus , accessed August 18, 2020.
22 Southside Elementary School District, 2019-20 Local Control and Accountability Plan, https://www.ssesd.org/view/85.pdf , accessed August 18, 2020.
23 North County Joint Union School District, 2019-20 Local Control and Accountability Plan, https://www.ncjusd.org/content/uploads/2019_Local_Control_and_Accountability_Plan__Annual_Update_Spring_Grove_Eleme ntary_School_201905181.pdf, accessed August 18, 2020.
24 North County Joint Union School District, Resolution #19/20 – 13. https://www.ncjusd.org/content/uploads/Regular_Board_Meeting_Packet_June_25_2020.pdf , accessed August 18, 2020.

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San Benito High School District
San Benito High School is the only school in the SBHSD. In the 2018-2019 school year, there were 3,005 students enrolled at San Benito High School. The school campus has the capacity to accommodate 3,437 students, and projected enrollment by 2022-2023 will be 3,404. The SBHSD reports that new facilities will need to be constructed to accommodate additional students beyond the 2022-2023 school year.25 Funded by Measures G and U, the SBHSD completed extensive campus improvements and infrastructure upgrades such as new classrooms, PE/athletic areas including tennis courts, a multi-use field, a softball field and stadium, and Baler Aquatics Complex. Other projects included construction of a new career technical education (CTE) building, a new science and robotics building, a new communications and public address system, and a new visual and performing arts and academic building. Classrooms throughout the campus were modernized, and a new solar photovoltaic system was installed. Unfunded projects include a new multi-purpose building, relocating the maintenance building, and abasement and demolition of the old CTE building. In anticipation of increased student enrollment, the SBHSD anticipates needing to construct a new, smaller high school in the next few years. The estimated cost of the new high school is approximately $165 million. The SBHSD reports needing City support to encourage developers to negotiate voluntary mitigation agreements that call for alternative financing mechanisms for the new high school and notes a new CFD could help achieve this goal.

The operating budget for SBHSD was $38.8 million for the 2019-2020 school year. SBHSD funding primarily come from the State Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), LCFF supplemental/concentration grants, federal revenue, other State revenue, and other local revenue.26 The development impact fees for SBHSD as of 2020 were $1.43 per square foot for most residential development and $0.21 per square foot for commercial development.27 These fees contribute to SBHSD’s the construction and rehabilitation of school facilities. In total, the SBHSD has authorized two bond measures over the past six years, Measures G and U, to fund facility upgrades totaling $102.5 million.

Gavilan College
Gavilan College, established in 1919 as San Benito Junior College and renamed in 1963, offers associate degrees in a variety of fields, as well as other academic programming. The college serves approximately 6,886 students with a main campus in Gilroy and satellite campuses in Hollister and Morgan Hill.28 Classes are held in the day and evening in a variety of formats, including on campus and online, to accommodate students’ diverse schedules.

The Hollister satellite campus of Gavilan College is located in the Briggs Building at 365 Fourth Street, in Downtown Hollister. This campus offers general education courses, librarian services, academic

25 San Benito High School District. 2020. Draft Facility Master Plan. 26 San Benito High School District. 2020. 2020-2021 Proposed Budget and 2019-20 Estimated Actuals, https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZBWU2PFYfpLtO7yZRdqO4RqdQ8Csf3MX/view , accessed July 7, 2020. 27 San Benito High School District. 2019. Finance and Operations: Developer Fee Information. https://sbhsd.k12.ca.us/content/finance-operations , accessed June 10, 2020. 28 Gavilan College, 2017, Education Master Plan,
https://www.gavilan.edu/administration/budget/EducationMasterPlanFlipbook.php , accessed August 18, 2020.

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counseling, tutoring, a computer drop-in lab, and more. Classes include, but are not limited to, English, Computer Science, Political Science, English as a Second Language, Communications, Child Development, Math, Psychology, History, Art, Spanish, and Sociology.29 In addition, the college plans to expand services, and the district has purchased 80 acres of land in the Planning Area to build a permanent educational center there long-term.

STANDARDS OF SIGNIFICANCE
Implementation of the proposed project would have a significant impact related to public school services if it would:

5. Result in substantial adverse physical impacts associated with the provision of new or physically altered school facilities, need for new or physically altered school facilities, the construction of which could cause significant environmental impacts, in order to maintain acceptable service ratios, or other performance objectives for public school services.

6. In combination with past, present, and reasonably foreseeable projects, result in a cumulative impact with respect to public school services.

IMPACT DISCUSSION
PS-5 Implementation of the proposed project would not result in the need for new or physically altered school facilities, the construction of which could cause significant environmental impacts, in order to maintain acceptable service ratios, or other performance objectives. 2040 General Plan
A significant impact would result if, in order for the school districts to adequately serve the EIR Study Area, increased school enrollment would require the construction of new facilities or the expansion of existing schools, the construction or operation of which would cause significant environmental impacts.

The proposed 2040 General Plan forecasts an increase in student population over the next approximately 15 years. However, the full projected increase in students across the EIR Study Area would likely be gradual for the duration of the proposed project as more housing units are added to the EIR Study Area.

The public school districts that serve the EIR Study Area would continue to collect the development impact fees, which each district has adopted, throughout implementation of the proposed 2040 General Plan. Therefore, potential future development would incrementally pay for any needed facility upgrades and expansions, which, pursuant to California Government Code Section 65995 (SB 50), has been deemed sufficient to provide full and complete school facilities mitigation for the impacts from the proposed 2040 General Plan, regardless of whether the fees are adequate to fully fund the expansion or construction of needed facilities. Additionally, in the case of proposed subdivisions, which tend to generate families with

29 Gavilan College, Hollister Site, https://www.gavilan.edu/about/hollister.php , accessed August 18, 2020.

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school-aged children, HMC Section 16.48.010 requires that as a condition of approval of a map, the subdivider shall reserve sites appropriate in the area and location for parks, recreational facilities, fire stations, libraries or other public uses, which would include high schools, and HMC Section 16.56.010 requires that as a condition of approval of the final map, a subdivider who develops or completes the development of one or more subdivisions within the HSD shall dedicate to the school district such lands as the council shall deem to be necessary for the purpose of constructing hereon schools necessary to assure the residents of the subdivision adequate elementary school service. Any future construction of new schools would be subject to separate project-level environmental review pursuant to CEQA, as required, to identify potential environmental impacts and mitigation measures as needed and would also be subject to the mitigation measures contained throughout this Draft EIR to reduce potential environmental impacts. Moreover, the proposed Community Services and Facilities (CSF) and Health and Safety (HS) Elements of the 2040 General Plan contain goals, policies, and actions that require local planning and development decisions to consider and mitigate impacts that potential future development could have on school service facilities. The following proposed 2040 General Plan goals, policies, and actions would serve to reduce impacts to schools and education services:

Goal CSF-1: Provide an adequate level and maintenance of public services and facilities to ensure the continued health, education, welfare, and safety of all residents and businesses. (Goal CSF4)  Policy CSF-1.4: Development Review Criteria for Public Services. Prior to granting approval, evaluate each new development in terms of the following criteria:

1. The project shall share a common border with a property that has already been developed.

2. The project shall be adequately served by infrastructure (e.g., water, sewer, streets, schools, parks), which is already in place or mitigated.

3. The project shall be within the existing service areas of local service providers (i.e., fire protection, police protection, solid waste disposal, schools), and not result in a reduction in their current capabilities. (Numbers 1 to 3, Policy CSF1.7)

4. The project shall have adequate water supply of sufficient quantity and quality.

5. There shall be adequate sanitary sewer capacity and treatment capability that can be provided to serve the proposed project.

6. There shall be adequate fire protection for the proposed project.

7. There shall be adequate police protection for the proposed project.

8. The proposed project shall result in no impact on local parks and recreational facilities, or the applicant will provide the resources required to mitigate the impacts associated with the proposed development.

9. There shall be an adequate level of solid waste collection services and disposal capacity to serve the proposed project.

10. There shall be an appropriate level of utility services (gas, electric, and telephone) to serve the proposed project.

11. The project applicant shall finance the full costs associated with any drainage improvements necessary to accommodate peak flows from the proposed project.

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12. The proposed project shall not make a significant contribution to the emission of regional air pollutants.

13. There shall be adequate elementary, middle, and high schools to serve the proposed project. (Numbers 4 to 13, Implementation Measure CSF.D)
Goal CSF-8: Support high-quality education for Hollister’s students. (new)  Policy CSF-8.1: New School Funding Incentives. Consider incentives, such as density bonuses and waiver or reductions of development standards, when a proposed project voluntarily provides school fee contributions beyond their fair share for new school facilities. (new).  Policy CSF-8.2: Coordination with School Districts. Encourage joint planning with local school districts in determining the location of educational facilities. (Policy CSF4.2).  Policy CSF-8.3: School Development Impact Fees. Require all new development to mitigate its fair share of the impact of such development on school facilities to the maximum extent permitted under State law. (Policy CSF4.2)
 Policy CSF-8.4: Community Use of School Facilities. Collaborate with schools to enter into joint-use agreements to provide access to school facilities for neighborhood, community, and recreational activities. (Policy CSF4.2)
 Policy CSF 8.5: Construction of a Second High School. Support the San Benito High School District’s efforts to construct a new high school. (Implementation Measure CSF.NN) Goal HS-3: Protect the community from seismic and geologic hazards. (new)  Policy HS-3.4: High-Occupancy Structures. High-occupancy structures (such as schools, hospitals, office buildings, and multifamily housing) or critical emergency facilities (such as fire and police stations, emergency relief storage facilities, and water storage tanks) should not be located in an active fault’s “zone of potential surface deformation.” In addition, high-occupancy structures should be designed or redesigned to protect human life to the highest degree possible during the “maximum probable event” of seismic activity. Existing and new high-occupancy structures should also have emergency plans approved by the City. (Policy HS2.1)
In addition to the mandatory payment of developer impact fees for new development pursuant to California Government Code Section 65995 (SB 50), the proposed 2040 General Plan policies work to ensure there are adequate school facilities during the buildout horizon of the General Plan. Specifically, as listed: proposed Policy CSF-1.4, Development Review Criteria for Public Services, requires that prior to granting approval, each new development shall be evaluated to ensure it would be adequately served by schools that are already in place or mitigated and that projects shall be located within the existing service areas of local schools and not result in a reduction in their current capabilities; proposed Policy CSF-8.1, New School Funding Incentives, requires the consideration of incentives, such as density bonuses and waiver or reductions of development standards, when a proposed project voluntarily provides school fee contributions beyond their fair share for new school facilities, would support providing adequate school facilities to accommodate additional students through 2040; and, proposed Policy CSF-8.3, School Development Impact Fees, requires all new development to mitigate its fair share of the impact of such development on school facilities to the maximum extent permitted under state law. Accordingly, with the

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required payment of developer impact fees for new development pursuant to California Government Code Section 65995 (SB 50) and the implementation of the proposed General Plan goals, policies, and actions that support school facilities in the EIR Study Area, impacts to the public school districts that serve the EIR Study Area would be less than significant.

Significance without Mitigation: Less than Significant.

Climate Action Plan
The proposed CAP is a strategic plan focused on GHG emissions reduction through recommended community-wide GHG reduction strategies and an implementation plan. Since the proposed CAP does not involve any land use changes that would require new or expanded schools, implementation of the proposed CAP would not result in the need for new or physically altered school facilities, the construction of which could cause significant environmental impacts, in order to maintain acceptable service ratios, or other performance objectives and impacts would be less than significant.

Significance without Mitigation: Less than significant.

Agricultural Lands Preservation Program
The proposed ALPP is a program focused on mitigating the effects of agricultural land conversion through the dedication of eligible agricultural conservation easements at a rate of at least one acre of agricultural land for each one acre of agricultural land to be converted (1:1 ratio) for projects that would convert agricultural land to nonagricultural uses. Since the proposed ALPP does not involve any land use changes that would require new or expanded schools, implementation of the proposed ALPP would not result in the need for new or physically altered school facilities, the construction of which could cause significant environmental impacts, in order to maintain acceptable service ratios, or other performance objectives and impacts would be less than significant.

Significance without Mitigation: Less than significant.

PS-6 In combination with past, present, and reasonably foreseeable projects, implementation of the proposed project would not result in a cumulatively considerable impact to school services.
2040 General Plan
As discussed in Chapter 4, Environmental Evaluation, of this Revised Draft EIR, this EIR takes into account growth from development under the proposed project within the City combined with the estimated growth in the service areas of each service provider. In the case of schools, this would be the service area of the school districts within the EIR Study Area. As described under Impact Discussion PS-5, the proposed project would contribute to an increased population that is served by various school districts, and would require expansion of school facilities. Through the proposed 2040 General Plan goals, policies, and actions and school impact fees, the proposed project would not result in significant impact to schools. Any

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development that would affect school capacity such as that within the EIR Study Area would be subject to school impact fees. Pursuant to California Government Code Section 65995 (SB 50), the payment of impact fees is deemed to fully mitigate the impacts of new development on school facilities. Therefore, cumulative impacts related to school facilities would also be less than significant.

Significance Without Mitigation: Less than significant.

Climate Action Plan
The proposed CAP is a strategic plan focused on GHG emissions reduction through recommended community-wide GHG reduction strategies and an implementation plan. Since the proposed CAP does not involve any land use changes that would require new or expanded schools, the implementation of the proposed CAP would result in a less-than-significant cumulative impact with respect to schools.

Significance without Mitigation: Less than significant.

Agricultural Lands Preservation Program
The proposed ALPP is a program focused on mitigating the effects of agricultural land conversion through the dedication of eligible agricultural conservation easements at a rate of at least one acre of agricultural land for each one acre of agricultural land to be converted (1:1 ratio) for projects that would convert agricultural land to nonagricultural uses. Since the proposed ALPP does not involve any land use changes that would require new or expanded schools, the implementation of the proposed ALPP would result in a less-than-significant cumulative impact with respect to schools.

Significance without Mitigation: Less than significant.

4.15.4 LIBRARIES

ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING
Regulatory Framework
State Regulations
The Mello-Roos Communities Facilities Act of 1982
The Mello-Roos Community Facilities Act, Government Code Section 53311 et seq., provides an alternative method of financing certain public capital facilities and services through special taxes. This State law empowers local agencies to establish CFDs to levy special taxes for facilities such as libraries.

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Regional Regulations
San Benito County Free Library Strategic Plan, 2011
The 2011 San Benito County Free Library Strategic Plan, prepared by the San Benito County Free Library (SBCFL), which sets forth goals and objectives for a 5-year horizon. The goals and objectives identify ways to improve the libraries existing services by providing customer-focused service, building community ties, enhancing technology, and optimizing space.30
Local Regulations
Hollister Municipal Code
The HMC includes various directives to ensure public schools are adequate to serve school-age children in Hollister. Most provisions related to libraries are included in Title 16, Subdivisions, and Title 17, Zoning, as follows:
 Chapter 16.48, Site Reservations. This chapter pertains to site reservations, including requirements, standards and formula for reservation of land, procedure, payment, and termination.  Section 16.48.010, Site reservation requirements. This section states that as a condition of approval of a map, the subdivider shall reserve sites appropriate in area and location for parks, recreational facilities, fire stations, library or other public uses, according to the standards and formula contained in Chapter 16.48.
 Section 16.48.020, Standards and formula for reservation of land. This section states that where a park, recreational facility, fire station, library or other public use is shown on an adopted specific plan or adopted general plan containing community facilities element, recreation and parks element and/or a public building element, subdivider may be required by the city to reserve sites as so determined by the city in accordance with the definite principles and standards contained in the above specific plan or general plan. The reserved area must be of such size and shape as to permit the balance of the property within which the reservation is located to develop in an orderly and efficient manner. The amount of land to be reserved shall not make development of the remaining land held by the subdivider economically infeasible. The reserved area shall conform to the adopted specific plan or general plan and shall be in such multiples of streets and parcels as to permit an efficient division of the reserved area in the event that it is not acquired within the prescribed period.
 Section 17.04.280, Development incentives or concessions. This section allows for application of the deferral until occupancy of development impact fees (including, but not limited to, park fees, fire fees, sanitary sewer trunk line fees, storm drain trunk line fees, street tree fees, library fees, or traffic impact fees).

30 San Benito County Free Library, 2011, San Benito County Free Library Strategic Plan.

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Existing Conditions
Facility and Services
The SBCFL, located at 470 5th Street, is the only public library in the county. To supplement the main facility, the SBCFL operates a mobile “Bookmobile” that travels throughout the county to supply unincorporated areas with direct access to library resources. The Bookmobile has a fixed schedule with visits to rural schools during the school year and a summer schedule. Library materials can be checked out from and returned to the Bookmobile.

Existing Facility and Service Demands
In 2019, there were over 98,000 library visits to the SBCFL and 21,000 program participants. Demand for library services and programs is high, but the SBCFL reports that access to these services, programs, and resources is limited due to lack of space, safety concerns such as maximum capacity limitations, and limited parking at their Hollister facility.

The existing library facility lacks adequate space, which inhibits the library’s ability to meet the community’s library needs. Specifically, the library has a need, but not space, for adult, teen, and children's spaces, collections, study spaces, conference/meeting rooms, a multi-purpose community room, computer labs for both adults and youth, law library resources, and a digital library with a teleworking center.

Facility Needs
The existing library facility also lacks sufficient working space for employees and volunteers. Existing workspaces and computer workstations are shared amongst many employees, making access to email and other technology difficult and inhibits ongoing logistics and system processes. The library also needs storage space, which adds to the overcrowding of staff work areas. SBCFL also reports that outdoor space and public art spaces, while important to modern libraries, are deficient. Given the library facility’s status as a hub of the community, the SBCFL reports there is demand for an on-site cafe.

The current library facility also needs modern digital and technological infrastructure. There are insufficient electrical outlets and poor network connections. In addition, the telephone network is inadequate and there are several plumbing issues, which have interrupted library service to the community and incurred costs for the County.31
The SBCFL conducted a needs assessment in 2016, which identified the need for a new 60,000 square foot library. Modern industry standard for public libraries is 1 square foot per capita with infrastructure.

Libraries typically accommodate new technology, study areas, meeting rooms, library collections, and community programs and classes to address the informational, technological, and educational needs of the multi-cultural, multi-lingual, diverse community. For San Benito County, this industry standard would

31 Conte, Nora. County Librarian, San Benito County Free Library. Personal communication with PlaceWorks. June 2, 2020.

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dictate a library building of at least 60,000 square feet.32 Built in 1960, the current 15,000 square foot library facility has a public service area of just over 7,000 square feet. Using the 1 square foot of library space per resident, the SBCFL only has capacity for 12 percent of the county’s population. In addition, 4,435 square feet of the original 15,000 square foot library is dedicated to the sole use of the San Benito County Office of Education.Error! Bookmark not defined.

Library Staffing
Current library staffing includes one full-time County Librarian and 5.5 full-time library staff. SBCFL reports that the existing staff level is inadequate to meet current and future community needs. To maintain library safety, the SBCFL requires at least three staff members on the public floor, including one permanent, benefited supervisor available during all hours of public operation, including night and weekend hours. A greater level of security is needed during busier times, which are more frequent due to increased library usage. In addition to the main library facility staffing needs, at least two staff members must board the bookmobile during bookmobile runs. There is often only one staff member available at the main library facility, and one volunteer typically provides additional support.Error! Bookmark not defined.

Library Funding
In 2017-2018, San Benito County provided funding for 87 percent of the SBCFL’s budget. The County of San Benito collects library facilities impact fees for new residential development within the unincorporated area of San Benito County. The City of Hollister also collects library impact fees for new residential development within the City Limits.

Additional funding comes from contributions of library partners and internal library revenue, which accounts for approximately 8 and 7 percent of the SBCFL budget respectively. Partners include the Friends of the Library, the California State Library, the City of Hollister, the Community Foundation, the United Way, San Francisco State University, Gavilan College, Youth Alliance, LULAC, First 5 San Benito, and local schools, businesses, and individual community volunteers.33

STANDARDS OF SIGNIFICANCE
Implementation of the proposed project would have a significant impact related to library services if it would:

7. Result in substantial adverse physical impacts associated with the provision of new or physically altered library facilities, need for new or physically altered library facilities, the construction of which could cause significant environmental impacts, in order to maintain acceptable service ratios or other performance objectives for library services.

8. In combination with past, present, and reasonably foreseeable projects, result in a cumulative impact with respect to library services.

32 There are approximately 60,000 residents in San Benito County. 1 square foot x 60,000 residents = 60,000 square feet of library space is needed to meet the modern industry standard. 33 San Benito County Free Library. 2019. SBCFL 2018-2019 Statistics. http://sbcfl.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/SBCFL- 2019-2019-Statistics.pdf, accessed June 2, 2020.

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IMPACT DISCUSSION
PS-7 Implementation of the proposed project would not result in the need for new or physically altered library facilities, the construction of which could cause significant environmental impacts, in order to maintain acceptable service ratios, or other performance objectives. 2040 General Plan
A significant impact would result if, in order for the library system to adequately serve the city, increased demand in the EIR Study Area would require the construction of new facilities or the expansion of existing library facilities, the construction or operation of which would cause significant environmental impacts. It is projected that by 2040, the horizon year of the proposed 2040 General Plan, 10,530 new housing units would be developed, and the population would increase by 31,575 new residents. New residents would utilize library services, which could impact library facilities.

As discussed in Section 4.15.4.1, Environmental Setting, demand for library services and programs is high and the existing library facility lacks adequate space, which inhibits the library’s ability to meet the community’s library needs. In 2016, the SBCFL conducted a needs assessment, which identified the need for a new 60,000 square foot library. Using the 1 square foot of library space per resident, the SBCFL only has capacity for 12 percent of the county’s population. In addition, 4,435 square feet of the original 15,000 square foot library is dedicated to the sole use of the San Benito County Office of Education.Error! Bookmark not defined. .

The proposed Community Services and Facilities (CSF) Element of the 2040 General Plan contains goals, policies, and actions that require local planning and development decisions to consider and mitigate impacts that potential future development could have on libraries. The following proposed 2040 General Plan goals, policies, and actions would serve to reduce impacts to libraries and library services:

Goal CSF-1: Provide an adequate level and maintenance of public services and facilities to ensure the continued health, education, welfare, and safety of all residents and businesses. (Goal CSF4)  Policy CSF-1.4: Development Review Criteria for Public Services. Prior to granting approval, evaluate each new development in terms of the following criteria:

1. The project shall share a common border with a property that has already been developed.

2. The project shall be adequately served by infrastructure (e.g., water, sewer, streets, schools, parks), which is already in place or mitigated.

3. The project shall be within the existing service areas of local service providers (i.e., fire protection, police protection, solid waste disposal, schools), and not result in a reduction in their current capabilities. (Numbers 1 to 3, Policy CSF1.7)

4. The project shall have adequate water supply of sufficient quantity and quality.

5. There shall be adequate sanitary sewer capacity and treatment capability that can be provided to serve the proposed project.

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6. There shall be adequate fire protection for the proposed project.

7. There shall be adequate police protection for the proposed project.

8. The proposed project shall result in no impact on local parks and recreational facilities, or the applicant will provide the resources required to mitigate the impacts associated with the proposed development.

9. There shall be an adequate level of solid waste collection services and disposal capacity to serve the proposed project.

10. There shall be an appropriate level of utility services (gas, electric, and telephone) to serve the proposed project.

11. The project applicant shall finance the full costs associated with any drainage improvements necessary to accommodate peak flows from the proposed project.

12. The proposed project shall not make a significant contribution to the emission of regional air pollutants.

13. There shall be adequate elementary, middle, and high schools to serve the proposed project. (Numbers 4 to 13, Implementation Measure CSF.D)
Goal CSF-9: Support the provision of library services to meet the informational and educational needs of Hollister. (new)
 Policy CSF-9.1: County Partnership. Partner with the San Benito County Free Library to maximize public use of libraries for community cultural and educational events and classes, particularly to support youth, seniors, job training, adult education, technology, literacy, and English as a second language. (new)
 Action CSF-9.1: Library Service Expansion Study. Conduct a study to investigate the needs and funding mechanisms to expand library services in the Hollister Planning Area. (Implementation Measure CSF.J) Based on the increased projected buildout and population growth of Hollister by 2040 under the proposed 2040 General Plan, the SBCFL would likely need to expand to accommodate potential new users. Future construction of new libraries would be subject to separate project-level environmental review pursuant to CEQA, as required, to identify potential environmental impacts and mitigation measures as needed and would also be subject to the mitigation measures contained throughout this Revised Draft EIR to reduce potential environmental impacts.

While there are no set limitations to when growth occurs, due to the programmatic nature of the proposed 2040 General Plan, it is expected that new growth under the proposed project would most likely occur incrementally over the next approximately 15 years and not all at once. Proposed 2040 General Plan Policy CSF-1.4, Development Review Criteria for Public Services, requires that prior to granting approval, each new development shall be evaluated to ensure it would be adequately served by public services, which includes public libraries, that are already in place or mitigated and that projects shall be located within the existing service areas of local schools and not result in a reduction in their current capabilities.

Proposed General Plan Action CSF-9.1, Library Service Expansion Survey, requires the City to conduct a study to investigate the needs and funding mechanisms to expand library services in the Hollister Planning Area. The potential need for future library facility expansions would be assessed as development occurs.

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Adherence to the proposed 2040 General Plan goals, polices, and actions listed above, as well as mitigation measures for future development under the proposed 2040 General Plan included throughout this EIR, would ensure that there is a less-than-significant impact relating to the provision of new or physically altered library facilities.

Significance without Mitigation: Less than significant.

Climate Action Plan
The proposed CAP is a strategic plan focused on GHG emissions reduction through recommended community-wide GHG reduction strategies and an implementation plan. Since the proposed CAP does not involve any land use changes that would require new or expanded libraries, implementation of the proposed CAP would not result in the need for new or physically altered library facilities, the construction of which could cause significant environmental impacts, in order to maintain acceptable service ratios, or other performance objectives and impacts would be less than significant.

Significance without Mitigation: Less than significant.

Agricultural Lands Preservation Program
The proposed ALPP is a program focused on mitigating the effects of agricultural land conversion through the dedication of eligible agricultural conservation easements at a rate of at least one acre of agricultural land for each one acre of agricultural land to be converted (1:1 ratio) for projects that would convert agricultural land to nonagricultural uses. Since the proposed ALPP does not involve any land use changes that would require new or expanded libraries, implementation of the proposed ALPP would not result in the need for new or physically altered library facilities, the construction of which could cause significant environmental impacts, in order to maintain acceptable service ratios, or other performance objectives and impacts would be less than significant.

Significance without Mitigation: Less than significant.

PS-8 In combination with past, present, and reasonably foreseeable projects, implementation of the proposed project would not result in a cumulatively considerable impact to libraries.
2040 General Plan
As discussed in Chapter 4, Environmental Analysis, of this Revised Draft EIR, this EIR takes into account growth from development under the proposed project within the City combined with the estimated growth in the service areas of each service provider. As described in Section 4.15.4.1, Environmental Setting, the SBCFL in Hollister is the only public library in the county. New development in the EIR Study Area under the proposed 2040 General Plan would be served by the SBCFL.

As explained in the San Benito County 2035 General Plan EIR, the County plans for future population growth within the unincorporated county that could result in substantial changes to existing library

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services, requiring the construction of new or physically altered library facilities. Similar to development in Hollister, San Benito County 2035 General Plan policies to minimize the number of new or expanded facilities necessary and to reduce or avoid environmental effects coupled with required site-specific environmental review would work to minimize environmental impacts to or from library facilities for San Benito County.34 Similar growth in incorporated cities throughout the county would also be subject to their own local policies for ensuring a reduction of impacts to library facilities. For potential future development in Hollister, compliance with the proposed 2040 General Plan goals, policies, and actions listed under Impact Discussion PS-7, would ensure that library services are adequate to serve the EIR Study Area. With adequate planning in place in both the city and the unincorporated San Benito County service area, the proposed project would not result in a cumulatively considerable impact to library services and cumulative impacts would be less than significant.

Significance Without Mitigation: Less than significant.

Climate Action Plan
The proposed CAP is a strategic plan focused on GHG emissions reduction through recommended community-wide GHG reduction strategies and an implementation plan. Since the proposed CAP does not involve any land use changes that would require new or expanded libraries, the proposed CAP would result in a less-than-significant cumulative impact with respect to libraries.

Significance without Mitigation: Less than significant.

Agricultural Lands Preservation Program
The proposed ALPP is a program focused on mitigating the effects of agricultural land conversion through the dedication of eligible agricultural conservation easements at a rate of at least one acre of agricultural land for each one acre of agricultural land to be converted (1:1 ratio) for projects that would convert agricultural land to nonagricultural uses. Since the proposed ALPP does not involve any land use changes that would require new or expanded libraries, the proposed ALPP would result in a less-than-significant cumulative impact with respect to libraries.

Significance without Mitigation: Less than significant.

34 County of San Benito Planning and Building Department , March 16, 2015, Revised Draft Environmental Impact Report:
2035 San Benito County General Plan Update.

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4.15.5 PARKS AND RECREATION

ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING
Regulatory Framework
State Regulations
The Quimby Act
The 1975 Quimby Act (California Government Code Section 66477) authorizes cities and counties to adopt ordinances requiring developers to set aside land, donate conservation easements, or pay fees for park improvements. Revenues generated through the Quimby Act cannot be used for operation and maintenance of park facilities.35 A 1982 amendment (AB 1600) requires agencies to clearly show a reasonable relationship between the public need for the recreation facility or parkland and the type of development project upon which the fee is imposed. Cities with a high ratio of park space to inhabitants can set a standard of up to 5 acres per 1,000 persons for new development. Cities with a lower ratio can only require the provision of up to 3 acres of park space per 1,000 persons. The calculation of a city’s park space to population ratio is based on a comparison of the population count of the last federal census to the amount of city-owned parkland.

Regional Regulations
San Benito County Parks and Recreation Facilities Master Plan San Benito County developed the Parks and Recreation Facilities Master Plan to:
 Define a 20-year vision for parks and recreation in San Benito County for the next 20 years and beyond.
 Develop a realistic implementation program to achieve the vision.  Define the County’s role and responsibilities to maintain and enhance countywide parks and recreation.

Goals from the San Benito County Parks and Recreation Facilities Master Plan include, but are not limited to:
 Encouraging and developing access and connections between parklands through an expanded alternative transportation network.
 Locating parks with active recreation facilities near urban centers.  Establishing greenbelts around urban development areas.  Protecting natural, historic, and cultural resources.  Coordinating parkland locations and facilities to diversity their geographic distribution.

35 Westrup, Laura, 2002, Quimby Act 101: An Abbreviated Overview, Sacramento: California Department of Parks and Recreation.

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The San Benito County Parks and Recreation Facilities Master Plan recommends the following capital projects in Hollister on County-owned land or through partnerships with the City in the near and long term:
 San Benito River Parkway: interim trails, community or regional park, and dog park.  Community Cultural Center.
 Existing Park Improvements: Veterans Memorial Park improvements, BBQ pit installations, entrance signage.
 Existing School Improvements: McCarthy Park playground, Marguerite Maze Middle School, San Benito High School.

San Benito River Parkway Master Plan
San Benito County adopted the San Benito River Parkway Master Plan in 2013 to develop a 20-mile contiguous park along the San Benito River and a segment of Tres Pinos Creek through the county. The plan provides opportunities for nature education, bird watching, hiking, biking, and horseback riding through the park. The parkway is directly adjacent to Hollister’s Water Reclamation Recreational Facility, which is slated for park improvements by the City, discussed further below. The San Benito River Parkway Master Plan proposes a link between the City’s park and the regional park to facilitate park accessibility and encourage park use.

Local Regulations
Hollister Municipal Code
The HMC includes various directives to ensure library facilities are adequate to serve the residents of Hollister. Most provisions related to parks and recreation are included in Title 3, Revenue and Finance, and Title 16, Subdivisions, as follows:
 Chapter 3.12, Park Development Fees. This chapter requires all park development fees collected to be placed in a master park development fund. Funds within such account shall be used exclusively for the acquisition and development of new and existing parks and recreational facilities within the city.  Section 16.24.080, Recreation facilities. This section states that recreation facilities shall be provided as required by the planning commission to achieve the living environment appropriate to the type of development.
 Chapter 16.55, Park and Recreation Area Dedication and Fees. This chapter requires a subdivider to dedicate land and provide recreational improvements to the dedicated land, pay a fee in lieu of dedicating land and recreational improvements, or a combination of both, at the option of the City, for park or recreation purposes as a condition of approval of a final map or a parcel map at the time and according to the standards and formula contained in the chapter.

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Hollister Park Facility Master Plan
Hollister’s 2019 Park Facility Master Plan (PFMP) assesses existing City parks and recreation facilities and recommends future priority projects and potential funding mechanisms. Recommendations regarding future parks and joint use agreements to maximize City facilities focus on:
 Future park and trail projects:
 McCarthy Park Development with expanded amenities;
 Dog Park at Valley View Park following park expansion;  Pedestrian connection via footbridge to the Water Reclamation Recreational Facility;  Leatherback Property recreational development;
 Hollister Fire Station No. 2 Neighborhood Park and outdoor fitness park; and  Santa Ana Creek Linear Trail connector.
 Development of an aquatic facility via joint use agreement with a school district.  Adoption of formal dual use flood control basin/park design typology to ensure adequate recreational usage in the event of inundation.
 Revision of development in-lieu fees to require 5 acres of park land per 1,000 population.  New amenities to be added to Dunne Park, Jerry Gabe Memorial Park, Las Brisas Park, Tony Aguirre Memorial Park, and Valley View Park.

Existing Conditions
Although both open space and parks provide open space benefits, these two types of land provide differing benefits. Open space refers to space managed for resource conservation, hazard reduction, and scenic value, while parks refer to land that has been improved in such a way to support active recreation.

Typical park improvements include sports fields, playgrounds, picnic areas, tennis courts, running tracks, recreation centers, and basketball courts. Larger parks support programmed services such as classes, swim and tennis lessons, activities for children and seniors, and league sports. Programs and other recreational services are coordinated by the City’s Recreation Department.

The City of Hollister Recreation Department is one of several park service providers in the EIR Study Area.

Other service providers include San Benito County, the HSD, and the SBHSD. Public park services are supplemented by private facilities such as swim and fitness clubs, and the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA). Private golf courses and swimming and tennis facilities are located in surrounding unincorporated land south of Hollister.

Park Facilities
The City of Hollister classifies parks into three categories:
 Pocket Parks (Less than 2.5 acres)
 Neighborhood Parks and Neighborhood/School Parks (Between 2.5 and 10 acres)  Community Parks (Greater than 10 acres)
The existing parks and recreation facilities in the City Limits owned or leased by the City are shown in Table 4.15-2, City-Owned or City-Leased Parks in Hollister.

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TABLE 4.15-2 CITY-OWNED OR CITY-LEASED PARKS IN HOLLISTER Community Parks
Water Reclamation Recreational Facility 49.7 acres
Neighborhood Parks
Allendale Park 6.3 acres
Dunne Park 4.8 acres
Frank Klauer Memorial Park 4.8 acres
Santa Ana Park 3.0 acres
Valley View Park 2.7 acres
Vista Park Hill 5.0 acres
Pocket Parks
Apricot Park 2.0 acres
Jerry Gabe Memorial Park 2.0 acres
John Z. Hernandez Memorial Park 0.2 acres
Las Brisas Park 1.0 acres
McCarthy Park 1.5 acres
Mirabella Park 0.4 acres
Nora Drive Park 0.1 acres
Tony Aguirre Memorial Park 1.0 acres
Joint-Use Parks
Neighborhood/School Parks (School District Property)
Calaveras School Park 5.0 acres
Cerra Vista School Park 7.0 acres
Ladd Lane School Park 4.3 acres
Marguerite Maze Sports Complex 11.0 acres
Rancho San Justo Sports Complex 9.2 acres
R.O. Hardin School Park 6.3 acres
San Benito High School Tennis Courts 0.8 acres
County Parks (Leased Acreage)
Hollister Skate Park (within Veterans Memorial Park) 1.3 acres Hollister Softball Fields (within Veterans Memorial Park) 2.3 acres Total 131.7 acres
Source: City of Hollister, 2020, Hollister Park Facility Master Plan.

The PFMP also prioritized future park locations to address “blank spots” in the City not within easy walking distance of a City park. Priority locations identified within the City Limits include:
 Proximate to new developments in south Hollister (Homestead neighborhood area);  North of Maple Street and east of San Felipe Road;
 Area near Airline Highway and Union Road (vicinity of Hollister Fire Station No. 2); and  The neighborhoods immediately surrounding San Benito High School.

HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN, CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, AND

AGRICULTURAL LANDS PRESERVATION PROGRAM REVISED DRAFT EIR

CITY OF HOLLISTER

PUBLIC SERVICES AND RECREATION
PLACEWORKS 4.15-47
Parkland owned exclusively by the City of Hollister totals 84.25 acres. All parks and recreational facilities within the City Limits either owned by the City or leased by the City under joint-use agreements totals 131.7 acres. All other parks and recreational facilities in the City Limits owned by the County or private developers, including school district-owned recreational areas and County-owned Veterans Memorial Park, are not included in the parkland total but contribute an additional 37 acres of parkland for community use.

The proposed San Benito River Parkway of the PFMP sits immediately adjacent to the City’s Water Reclamation Recreational Facility, which is planned for future integration to the 20-mile regional park corridor. Priority locations for future park development outside City Limits but within the EIR Area include:
 West Hollister, north of Buena Vista Road
 East Hollister, north of Santa Ana Road
 Southeast Hollister, east of Fairview Road
 North-Central Hollister, immediately south of the airport on Flynn Road, adjacent to the County Jail  East Hollister, west of Fairview Road, north of Hillcrest, east of Santa Ana Creek Joint Use Agreements
The City holds joint use agreements with the HSD and SBHSD to make school district-owned properties available for public use. Similarly, the City leases property from San Benito County’s Veterans Memorial Park to provide tournament softball and skate park amenities to the public.

Service Standards
Quimby Act fee calculations count areas of parkland, provided they are publicly accessible for community and neighborhood recreation. Therefore, the parkland ratio of the EIR Study Area is approximately 3.3 acres per 1,000 residents, including the acreage from joint-use parks.

To meet the City’s goal of 5 acres of parks per 1,000 residents, the PFMP recommends increasing in-lieu fees to finance the construction of new parks. The PFMP would ultimately like to achieve providing 5 acres of parks per 1,000 residents.

Recreational Programs
The City of Hollister Recreation Division offers youth and adult sports and summer and special population programs throughout the year. Youth sports include soccer, flag football, basketball, volleyball, and running, and baseball and tennis are offered in partnership with San Benito County. Adult sports leagues typically include softball and basketball.

Summer programs offered by the Recreation Division include Kids at the Park, Movies Under the Stars, Art in the Park, Science in the Park, 4th of July Kiddie Parade, and the Hollister Recreation 5k Fun Run.

Seasonal and holiday events include fun runs, children’s fall crafting events, an annual Trick or Treat Street, and an annual Breakfast with Santa.