Hollister City Council
December 3, 2024

HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN, CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, AND

AGRICULTURAL LANDS PRESERVATION PROGRAM FINAL EIR

CITY OF HOLLISTER

REVISIONS TO THE DRAFT EIR

PLACEWORKS 5-11
 17 CCR, Sections 1,2,3,4,5,6,8 and Appendix A of Method 310: Consumer Products Regulation. The State of California recently completed its revisions to the state's Regulations for Reducing VOC Emissions from Consumer Products. The amendments target insecticides and cleaning products— specifically aerosol air fresheners—with the intent of significantly reducing VOC content in certain items and eliminating the sale of others that contained a published list of toxic substances.

The bulleted list under the “MBARD Rules” subheading in Section 4.3.2.3, Regulatory Framework, on page

4.3-13 of the Revised Draft EIR is hereby amended as follows:

The following MBARD rules limit emissions of air pollutants from construction and operation from development projects:
 Rule 400 – Visible Emissions. Discharge of visible air pollutant emissions into the atmosphere from any emission source for a period or periods aggregating more than three minutes in any one hour, as observed using an appropriate test method, is prohibited.  Rule 402 – Nuisances. No person shall discharge from any source whatsoever such quantities of air contaminants or other materials which cause injury, detriment, nuisance, or annoyance to any considerable number of persons or to the public; or which endanger the comfort, repose, health, or safety of any such persons or the public; or which cause, or have a natural tendency to cause, injury or damage to business or property.
 Rule 424 – National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants. All suspect building materials, in each building, that will be disturbed by planned demolition or renovation activities shall be sampled and analyzed for asbestos or assumed to be asbestos containing.  Rule 426 – Architectural Coatings. This rule limits the emissions of ROGs from the use of architectural coatings.

Table 4.3-4, Attainment Status of Criteria Pollutants in the NCCAB, under Section 4.3.2.4, Existing Conditions, on page 4.3-18 of the Revised Draft EIR is hereby amended as follows:

TABLE 4.3-4 ATTAINMENT STATUS OF CRITERIA POLLUTANTS IN THE NCCAB Pollutant State Federal
Ozone Nonattainment Attainment Attainment
PM10 Nonattainment Attainment
PM2.5 Attainment Attainment
CO Unclassified a Attainment
NO2 Attainment Attainment
SO2 Attainment Attainment
Lead Attainment Attainment
Note:
a. State designation for San Benito County.

Sources: Monterey Bay Air Resources District, March 15, 2017, 2012-2015 Air Quality Management Plan, Table 3-2, Attainment Status for the North Central Coast Air Basin, https://www.mbard.org/files/6632732f5/2012-2015-AQMP_FINAL.pdf.; California Air Resources Board, November 14, 2023, Public Hearing to Consider the Proposed 2023 Amendments to the Area Designations for State Air Quality Standards Staff Report: Initial Statement of Reasons, Appendix C: Maps and Tables of Area Designations for State and National Ambient Air Quality Standards. https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/sites/default/files/barcu/regact/2024/areades/appc.pdf .

HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN, CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, AND

AGRICULTURAL LANDS PRESERVATION PROGRAM FINAL EIR

CITY OF HOLLISTER

REVISIONS TO THE DRAFT EIR
5-12 OCTOBER 2024
The second paragraph under the “Operation (Long-Term Emissions)” subheading of Impact Discussion AIR-2 on page 4.3-38 of the Revised Draft EIR is hereby amended as follows:

Implementation of the proposed project would result in direct and indirect criteria air pollutant emissions from transportation, energy (e.g., natural gas use), and area sources (e.g., aerosols and landscaping equipment). Mobile-source criteria air pollutant emissions are based on the traffic analysis conducted by Kimley-Horn (see Appendix F, Revised Transportation Data, of this Revised Draft EIR). Emissions from consumer products are based on the statewide per capita consumer product use emission rates in the CalEEMod User’s Guide and do not reflect the recent adoption of CARB’s Consumer Product Regulations.

The emissions forecast for the EIR Study Area from implementation of the proposed project compared to existing conditions (with 2040 emissions rates) is shown in Table 4.3-9, EIR Study Area Criteria Air Pollutant Emissions Forecast. As shown in Table 4.3-9, implementation of the proposed project would result in an increase in criteria air pollutant emissions from existing conditions. This increase is based on the difference between existing land uses and land uses associated with development that could occur over the buildout horizon of the proposed 2040 General Plan, as well as an estimate of population and employment in the EIR Study Area in the 2040 horizon year.

The third paragraph under the “Operation (Long-Term Emissions)” subheading of Impact Discussion AIR-2 on page 4.3-39 of the Revised Draft EIR is hereby amended as follows:

As shown in the Table 4.3-9, potential future development that could occur over the buildout horizon of the proposed 2040 General Plan would generate operational (long-term) air pollutant emissions that exceed MBARD’s regional significance thresholds for VOC, NOX, and CO in 2040. Emissions of VOC and NOX that exceed the MBARD regional threshold would cumulatively contribute to the O3 nonattainment designation of levels in the NCCAB.34 Emissions of CO that exceed MBARD’s regional significance thresholds would cumulatively contribute to the O3 and particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) nonattainment designations of the NCCAB.

Footnote 34: The NCCAB was recently redesignated as attainment for Ozone. California Air Resources Board, November 14, 2023, Public Hearing to Consider the Proposed 2023 Amendments to the Area Designations for State Air Quality Standards Staff Report:

Initial Statement of Reasons, Appendix C: Maps and Tables of Area Designations for State and National Ambient Air Quality Standards. https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/sites/default/files/barcu/regact/2024/areades/appc.pdf .

The third paragraph under the “Construction (Short-Term Emissions)” subheading of Impact Discussion AIR-2 on page 4.3-46 of the Revised Draft EIR is hereby amended as follows:

Construction activities that could occur under the proposed project would occur over the buildout horizon of the proposed 2040 General Plan, causing short-term emissions of criteria air pollutants. However, information regarding specific development projects, soil types, and the locations of receptors would be needed in order to quantify the level of impact associated with construction activity from potential future development. Due to the scale of development activity associated with buildout through 2040, emissions would likely exceed the MBARD regional significance thresholds. In accordance with the MBARD methodology, emissions that exceed the regional significance thresholds would cumulatively contribute to the nonattainment designations of the NCCAB. The NCCAB is designated as nonattainment for the O3 and PM10.36 Emissions of VOC and NOX are precursors to the formation of O3. In addition, NOX is a precursor to

PLACEWORKS 6-1
Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting
Program
This Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (MMRP) has been prepared for the proposed City of Hollister 2040 General Plan (2040 General Plan), Climate Action Plan (CAP), and Agricultural Lands Preservation Program (ALPP) project, herein referred to as the “proposed project.” The purpose of the MMRP is to ensure the implementation of mitigation measures identified as part of the environmental review for the proposed project. The MMRP includes the following information:
 The full text of the mitigation measures;
 The party responsible for implementing the mitigation measures;  The timing for implementation of the mitigation measure;  The agency responsible for monitoring the implementation; and  The monitoring action and frequency.

The mitigation measures in this MMRP shown in Table 6-1, Hollister 2040 General Plan Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program, shall be applied to all future development anywhere in the EIR Study Area. The City of Hollister must adopt this MMRP, or an equally effective program, if it approves the proposed project with the mitigation measures that were adopted or made conditions of project approval.

6.

HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN, CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, AND

AGRICULTURAL LANDS PRESERVATION PROGRAM FINAL EIR

CITY OF HOLLISTER

MITIGATION MONITORING AND REPORTING PROGRAM
6-2 OCTOBER 2024
TABLE 6-1 HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN MITIGATION MONITORING AND REPORTING PROGRAM Implementation Monitoring Status
General Plan Policies/Actions and CEQA-Required Mitigation Party Responsible
for Implementation
Implementation
Timing
Agency Responsible
for Monitoring
Monitoring
Action
Monitoring
Frequency
Completion
Date

AGRICULTURAL RESOURCES (AG)
Policy OS-2.1: Offsets for Loss of Agricultural Land. Require that all new developments that convert agricultural land to urban uses provide for preservation of the same amount agricultural land in perpetuity.

Project applicants Prior to project
approval
City of Hollister
Community
Development
Department
Project approval Once
Action OS-2.1: Offsets for Agricultural Land Conversion. Require the creation and adoption of an agricultural preservation program to address the conversion of land classified as Prime Farmland, Unique Farmland, or Farmland of Statewide Importance in the City Limits and Sphere of Influence to nonagricultural uses.

City of Hollister
Community
Development
Department
City of Hollister
Community
Development
Department
Once

AIR QUALITY (AQ)
Policy NRC-3.6: Technical Assessments. Require project applicants to prepare technical assessments evaluating potential project construction and operation phase-related air quality impacts to the City of Hollister for review and approval prior to project approval.

Such evaluations shall be prepared in conformance with Monterey Bay Air Resources District (MBARD) criteria and methodology in assessing air quality impacts. If air pollutants are found to have the potential to exceed the MBARD-adopted thresholds of significance, ensure mitigation measures, such as those listed in the General Plan Environmental Impact Report, are incorporated to reduce air pollutant emissions during construction or operational activities.

Project applicants Prior to project
approval
City of Hollister
Community
Development
Department
Project approval Once
Policy NRC-3.14: Construction Health Risk Assessment. Require project applicants of discretionary projects on sites greater than one acre, within 1,000 feet of sensitive land uses (e.g., residences, schools, day care facilities, and nursing homes, etc.), as measured from the property line of the project, that utilize off-road equipment of 50 horsepower or more, and that occur for more than 12 months of active construction (i.e., exclusive of interior renovations) to prepare a construction health risk assessment (HRA) in accordance with policies and procedures of the State Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment and Monterey Bay Air Resources District (MBARD). If the construction HRA shows that the incremental cancer risk exceeds 10 in a million, the appropriate noncancer hazard index exceeds 1.0; or the thresholds as determined by the MBARD, require Project applicants Prior to project
approval
City of Hollister
Community
Development
Department
Project approval Once

HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN, CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, AND

AGRICULTURAL LANDS PRESERVATION PROGRAM FINAL EIR

CITY OF HOLLISTER

MITIGATION MONITORING AND REPORTING PROGRAM
PLACEWORKS 6-3
TABLE 6-1 HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN MITIGATION MONITORING AND REPORTING PROGRAM Implementation Monitoring Status
General Plan Policies/Actions and CEQA-Required Mitigation Party Responsible
for Implementation
Implementation
Timing
Agency Responsible
for Monitoring
Monitoring
Action
Monitoring
Frequency
Completion
Date
the project applicant to identify and demonstrate measures, such as those listed in the General Plan Environmental Impact Report, that can reduce potential cancer and noncancer risks to an acceptable level.

Policy NRC-3.15: Operational Health Risk Assessment. Require project applicants of discretionary projects to prepare an operational health risk assessment (HRA) for industrial or warehousing land uses and commercial land uses that would generate substantial diesel truck travel (i.e., 100 diesel trucks or 40 or more trucks with diesel- powered transport refrigeration units per day based on the California Air Resources Board recommendations for siting new sensitive land uses) prior to project approval. The operational HRA shall be prepared in accordance with policies and procedures of the State Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment and the Monterey Bay Air Resources District (MBARD). If the operational HRA shows that the incremental cancer risk exceeds 10 in a million, the appropriate noncancer hazard index exceeds 1.0; or the thresholds as determined by the MBARD, the City shall require the project applicant to identify and demonstrate measures, such as those listed in the General Plan Environmental Impact Report, that can reduce potential cancer and noncancer risks to an acceptable level.

Project applicants Prior to project
approval
City of Hollister
Community
Development
Department
Project approval Once

BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES (BIO)
Policy NRC-1.4: Specialized Surveys for Special-Status Species and Sensitive Natural Communities. Require that sites with suitable natural habitat, including creek corridors through urbanized areas, be surveyed for special-status species and sensitive natural communities prior to development approval as part of the environmental review process. Such surveys shall be conducted by a qualified biologist and occur prior to development-related vegetation removal. All surveys shall take place during appropriate seasons to determine presence or absence, including nesting or breeding occurrences, with a determination on whether the project site contains suitable habitat for such species and sensitive natural community types. These results would inform the site assessment and environmental review process for proposed developments and other activities that could adversely affect special-status species.

Project applicants;
Qualified biologists
Prior to project
approval
City of Hollister
Community
Development
Department
Project approval Once

HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN, CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, AND

AGRICULTURAL LANDS PRESERVATION PROGRAM FINAL EIR

CITY OF HOLLISTER

MITIGATION MONITORING AND REPORTING PROGRAM
6-4 OCTOBER 2024
TABLE 6-1 HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN MITIGATION MONITORING AND REPORTING PROGRAM Implementation Monitoring Status
General Plan Policies/Actions and CEQA-Required Mitigation Party Responsible
for Implementation
Implementation
Timing
Agency Responsible
for Monitoring
Monitoring
Action
Monitoring
Frequency
Completion
Date
Policy NRC-1.5: Biological Site Assessment. Require a biological resource assessment for proposed development on sites with natural habitat conditions that may support special-status species, sensitive natural communities, or regulated wetlands and waters. The assessment shall be prepared prior to project approval and conducted by a qualified biologist to determine the presence or absence of any sensitive resources that could be affected by proposed development, shall provide an assessment of the potential impacts, and shall define measures for protecting the resource and surrounding buffer habitat, in compliance with City policy and state and federal laws. An assessment shall not be necessary for locations where past and existing development have eliminated natural habitat and the potential for presence of sensitive biological resources and regulated waters.

Project applicants;
Qualified biologists
Prior to project
approval
City of Hollister
Community
Development
Department
Project approval Once
Policy NRC-1.6: Mitigation of Potential Impacts on Special-Status Species and Sensitive Habitat Areas. Require that potential significant impacts on special-status species, occurrences of sensitive natural communities, or regulated wetlands and waters be minimized through adjustments and controls on the design, construction, and operations of a proposed project prior to project approval. Where impacts to these sensitive biological habitat areas are unavoidable, appropriate compensatory mitigation shall be required by the City.

Such compensatory mitigation shall be developed and implemented in accordance with City policy and any relevant state and federal regulations. These may include on-site set asides, off-site acquisitions (conservation easements, deed restrictions, etc.), and specific restoration efforts that benefit the special-status species and sensitive habitat areas.

Project applicants Prior to project
approval
City of Hollister
Community
Development
Department
Project approval Once
Policy NRC-1.7: Preconstruction Surveys for the San Joaquin Kit Fox.

Require preconstruction surveys for the San Joaquin kit fox prior to project approval, in accordance with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Guidelines for Preconstruction Surveys for the endangered San Joaquin Kit Fox, for new developments in the County-designated kit fox habitat area. Development in the habitat area boundaries Project applicants Prior to project
approval
City of Hollister
Community
Development
Department
Project approval Once

HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN, CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, AND

AGRICULTURAL LANDS PRESERVATION PROGRAM FINAL EIR

CITY OF HOLLISTER

MITIGATION MONITORING AND REPORTING PROGRAM
PLACEWORKS 6-5
TABLE 6-1 HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN MITIGATION MONITORING AND REPORTING PROGRAM Implementation Monitoring Status
General Plan Policies/Actions and CEQA-Required Mitigation Party Responsible
for Implementation
Implementation
Timing
Agency Responsible
for Monitoring
Monitoring
Action
Monitoring
Frequency
Completion
Date
shall be assessed an impact fee by the County for every home or acre developed.

Policy NRC-1.8: California Red-Legged Frog and California Tiger Salamander Site Assessments. Require site assessments by a qualified biologist to evaluate the potential for proposed projects in identified Critical Habitat areas for the California red-legged frog and/or California tiger salamander to have a negative effect on these species. Such assessments shall be prepared prior to project approval and identify any high-quality habitat for these species and shall be peer reviewed by a second qualified biologist. Protocol surveys may be warranted to confirm presence or absence of these species based on the results of the habitat assessment. Development in areas with identified high-quality occupied habitat shall be avoided. High-quality habit includes sites known to be occupied by the species, breeding habitat, large areas of suitable habitat, and the absence of nearby development.

Project applicants;
Qualified biologists
Prior to project
approval
City of Hollister
Community
Development
Department
Project approval Once
Policy NRC-1.9: Surveys and Mitigation for Burrowing Owls. Require project applicants with proposed projects on grazing or fallow agricultural land to conduct a survey for burrowing owls in accordance with the latest guidelines of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife prior to project approval. Project applicants in the Fairview Road/Santa Ana Road area shall be required to develop and implement a mitigation plan to avoid or otherwise compensate for any disturbance to the burrowing owl colony in that area. This plan shall be developed in coordination with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Project applicants Prior to project
approval
City of Hollister
Community
Development
Department
Project approval Once
Policy NRC-1.10: Preconstruction Surveys for Nesting Birds. Require preconstruction surveys for nesting native birds, to be conducted prior to site disturbance by a qualified biologist, for those projects that would affect on-site oaks or orchards, or which would involve vegetation removal and construction during the nesting season (February 1 to August 31). The City shall allow no construction activities that would result in the disturbance of an active native bird nest (including tree removal) to proceed until after it has been Project applicants;
Qualified biologists
Prior to project
approval
City of Hollister
Community
Development
Department
Project approval Once

HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN, CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, AND

AGRICULTURAL LANDS PRESERVATION PROGRAM FINAL EIR

CITY OF HOLLISTER

MITIGATION MONITORING AND REPORTING PROGRAM
6-6 OCTOBER 2024
TABLE 6-1 HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN MITIGATION MONITORING AND REPORTING PROGRAM Implementation Monitoring Status
General Plan Policies/Actions and CEQA-Required Mitigation Party Responsible
for Implementation
Implementation
Timing
Agency Responsible
for Monitoring
Monitoring
Action
Monitoring
Frequency
Completion
Date
determined by a qualified biologist that the nest has been abandoned.

Policy NRC-1.13: Wetland Preservation. Require appropriate public and private wetlands preservation, restoration, and/or rehabilitation through compensatory mitigation in the development process for unavoidable impacts. Continue the City’s practice of requiring mitigation for projects that would affect wetlands in conjunction with requirements of state and federal agencies.

Project applicants Prior to project
approval
City of Hollister
Community
Development
Department
Project approval Once
Policy NRC-1.14: Wetlands Delineation. Require a delineation of jurisdictional waters by a qualified wetland specialist at the outset of the project planning stage of any proposed development that may contain wetlands or other regulated waters. This delineation shall be verified and approved by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers or the Regional Water Quality Control Board where federally regulated waters are absent prior to project approval.

Project applicants;
Qualified wetland
specialists
Prior to project
approval
City of Hollister
Community
Development
Department
Project approval Once

CULTURAL RESOURCES (CUL)
Policy LU-19.1: Historic Structure Preservation, Renovation, and Rehabilitation. Require the preservation, renovation and rehabilitation of historic structures that conform to the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Structures and the California Historical Building Code and require project applicants to demonstrate compliance with these standards when proposing new or
redevelopment that could affect historic structures in Hollister.

Project applicants Prior to project
approval
City of Hollister
Community
Development
Department
Project approval Once
Policy LU-19.5: Historic Structure Alteration. Prior to approving alteration (including demolition) of historically significant buildings, require the evaluation of alternatives, including structural preservation, relocation or other mitigation, and demonstrate that financing has been secured for replacement use. Demolition of historically significant buildings shall only be considered after all other options have been thoroughly reviewed and exhausted.

Project applicants Prior to project
approval
City of Hollister
Community
Development
Department
Project approval Once

HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN, CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, AND

AGRICULTURAL LANDS PRESERVATION PROGRAM FINAL EIR

CITY OF HOLLISTER

MITIGATION MONITORING AND REPORTING PROGRAM
PLACEWORKS 6-7
TABLE 6-1 HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN MITIGATION MONITORING AND REPORTING PROGRAM Implementation Monitoring Status
General Plan Policies/Actions and CEQA-Required Mitigation Party Responsible
for Implementation
Implementation
Timing
Agency Responsible
for Monitoring
Monitoring
Action
Monitoring
Frequency
Completion
Date
Policy NRC-2.3: Protection and Preservation of Archaeological Resources. Require project applicants to comply with state and federal standards to evaluate and mitigate impacts to tribal resources prior to project approval. Continue to require that project areas found to contain significant archaeological resources be examined by a qualified consulting archaeologist with
recommendations for protection and preservation.

Project applicants;
Qualified consulting
archaeologists
Prior to project
approval
City of Hollister
Community
Development
Department
Project approval Once
Policy NRC-2.4: Tribal Coordination During Project Construction.

Require the developer of a proposed project that could impact a tribal cultural resource to contact an appropriate tribal representative to train construction workers on appropriate avoidance and minimization measures, requirements for
confidentiality and culturally appropriate treatment, other applicable regulations, and consequences of violating State laws and regulations prior to construction.

Project applicants Prior to project
approval
City of Hollister
Community
Development
Department
Project approval Once
Policy NRC-2.5: Preconstruction Investigations. Require project applicants to prepare preconstruction investigations of potential tribal cultural resources and on-site mitigation for all developments prior to the issuance of building permits.

Project applicants Prior to project
approval
City of Hollister
Community
Development
Department
Project approval Once

GEOLOGY AND SOILS (GEO)
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.

City of Hollister
Community
Development
Department

HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN, CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, AND

AGRICULTURAL LANDS PRESERVATION PROGRAM FINAL EIR

CITY OF HOLLISTER

MITIGATION MONITORING AND REPORTING PROGRAM
6-8 OCTOBER 2024
TABLE 6-1 HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN MITIGATION MONITORING AND REPORTING PROGRAM Implementation Monitoring Status
General Plan Policies/Actions and CEQA-Required Mitigation Party Responsible
for Implementation
Implementation
Timing
Agency Responsible
for Monitoring
Monitoring
Action
Monitoring
Frequency
Completion
Date
Policy HS-1.2: Safety Considerations in Development Review. Require project applicants to prepare appropriate studies to assess identified hazards and ensure that impacts are adequately mitigated prior to project approval.

Project applicants Prior to project
approval
City of Hollister
Community
Development
Department
Project approval Once
Policy HS-3.2: Geotechnical and Geologic Review. Require all geologic hazards to be adequately addressed and mitigated prior to the issuance of certificate of occupancy through project development.

Development proposed within areas of potential geological hazards shall not be endangered by, nor contribute to, the hazardous conditions on the site or on adjoining properties.

Project applicants Prior to issuance
of certificate of
occupancy
City of Hollister
Community
Development
Department
Issuance of
certificate of
occupancy
Once
Policy HS-3.3: Engineering Tests for Geologic Conditions. Require engineering tests prior to issuance of building permits for those development projects that may be exposed to impacts associated with expansive soils, so that building foundation footings, utility lines, roadways, and sidewalks can be designed to accept the estimated degree of soil contraction, expansion, and settlement, according to the standards of the Uniform Building Code.

Project applicants Prior to issuance
of building permit
City of Hollister
Community
Development
Department
Issuance of
building permit
Once

NOISE (NOI)
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.

Project applicants Prior to project
approval
City of Hollister
Community
Development
Department
Project approval Once

HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN, CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, AND

AGRICULTURAL LANDS PRESERVATION PROGRAM FINAL EIR

CITY OF HOLLISTER

MITIGATION MONITORING AND REPORTING PROGRAM
PLACEWORKS 6-9
TABLE 6-1 HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN MITIGATION MONITORING AND REPORTING PROGRAM Implementation Monitoring Status
General Plan Policies/Actions and CEQA-Required Mitigation Party Responsible
for Implementation
Implementation
Timing
Agency Responsible
for Monitoring
Monitoring
Action
Monitoring
Frequency
Completion
Date
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.

Project applicants Prior to project
approval
City of Hollister
Community
Development
Department
Project approval Once
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.

City of Hollister
Community
Development
Department

Action HS-8.8: Noise and Vibration Thresholds. Require 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.

City of Hollister
Community
Development
Department

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.

City of Hollister
Community
Development
Department

HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN, CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, AND

AGRICULTURAL LANDS PRESERVATION PROGRAM FINAL EIR

CITY OF HOLLISTER

MITIGATION MONITORING AND REPORTING PROGRAM
6-10 OCTOBER 2024
TABLE 6-1 HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN MITIGATION MONITORING AND REPORTING PROGRAM Implementation Monitoring Status
General Plan Policies/Actions and CEQA-Required Mitigation Party Responsible
for Implementation
Implementation
Timing
Agency Responsible
for Monitoring
Monitoring
Action
Monitoring
Frequency
Completion
Date

TRANSPORTATION (TRANS)
Policy C-1.5: Transportation Demand Management. Require new development to reduce single-occupant vehicle usage using Transportation Demand Management strategies prior to project approval.

Project applicants Prior to project
approval
City of Hollister
Community
Development
Department
Project approval Once
Action C-1.1: Performance and Monitoring. Require the monitoring of the City's mode split progress on reducing VMT and reducing GHG emissions from VMT, as data is available.

City of Hollister
Community
Development
Department

Action C-1.2: VMT Mitigation Banking Fee Program. Require the establishment of a Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) Mitigation Banking Fee Program. This program shall fund the construction of facilities throughout Hollister that support active transportation (cycling and walking) and transit ridership to mitigate VMT impacts from new development.

City of Hollister
Community
Development
Department

Policy C-4.6: Transportation Demand Management Requirements.

Require new or existing developments that meet specific size, capacity, and/or context conditions to implement Transportation Demand Management strategies and other single-occupancy vehicle reduction methodologies. Require new developments to comply with tiered trip reduction and VMT reduction targets and monitoring that are consistent with the targets of the City’s VMT CEQA thresholds prior to project approval.

Project applicants Prior to project
approval
City of Hollister
Community
Development
Department
Project approval Once

ORANGE COUNTY • BAY AREA • SACRAMENTO • CENTRAL COAST • LOS ANGELES • INLAND EMPIRE placeworks.com

Notice of Availability
Revised Draft Environmental Impact Report
City of Hollister
Notice of Availability Page 1 of 2
Hollister 2040 General Plan, Climate Action Plan, and Agricultural Lands Preservation Program Revised Draft EIR Date: July 3, 2024
To: State Clearinghouse From: Eva Kelly, Planning Manager State Responsible Agencies City of Hollister
State Trustee Agencies Development Services Department – Planning Division Other Public Agencies 339 Fifth Street
Interested Organizations Hollister, CA 95023

Subject: Notice of Availability of the Revised Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Hollister 2040 General Plan, Climate Action Plan, and Agricultural Lands Preservation Program Lead Agency: City of Hollister Development Services Department Project Title: Hollister 2040 General Plan, Climate Action Plan, and Agricultural Lands Preservation Program Project Area: City of Hollister and the Planning Area

Notice is hereby given that the City of Hollister has prepared a Revised Draft EIR (State Clearinghouse No. 2021040277) for the proposed Hollister 2040 General Plan, Climate Action Plan, and Agricultural Lands Preservation Program (proposed project).

Project Description: The Hollister 2040 General Plan (2040 General Plan) brings the current General Plan up to date with the latest State and federal legislation around urban development, transportation, climate resilience, and safety and responds to local and regional housing needs, fosters economic growth and local job creation, enhances civic identity and placemaking, and protects sensitive natural resources. The proposed Climate Action Plan (CAP) identifies strategies and measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions generated by existing and future uses in Hollister. The proposed Agricultural Lands Preservation Program (ALPP) ensures the benefits of agricultural activities are maintained by requiring that activities that convert existing agricultural lands to non-agricultural uses (i.e., urban uses) directly address that loss through a program that funds agricultural conservation easements.

Recirculation: A Draft EIR was prepared for the proposed project and was circulated for review in 2023 (2023 Draft EIR). Since the release of the 2023 Draft EIR but prior to certification, changes were made to the proposed project.

Accordingly, the City is recirculating the Draft EIR to provide additional analysis as a result of the changes to the project description. The Revised Draft EIR provides an additional assessment of potential environmental consequences of the approval and implementation of the proposed project as revised. The revisions to the proposed 2040 General Plan include changes to some proposed land use designations and the sphere of influence boundary has been further modified from what was proposed in the 2023 Draft EIR. Subsequently, the potential buildout estimates have increased from what was proposed in the 2023 Draft EIR. The proposed changes to the CAP involve adjustments to the emissions estimates. The proposed changes to the ALPP are limited to reducing the rate of land dedication from two acres to one acre of Agricultural Land for each one acre of Agricultural Land to be converted. A complete summary of changes is included in Chapter 1, Introduction, of the Revised Draft EIR.

Environmental Review: The Revised Draft EIR identifies less-than-significant impacts for aesthetics, biological resources, cultural and tribal cultural resources, energy, geology and soils, greenhouse gas emissions, hazards and hazardous materials, hydrology and water quality, land use and planning, mineral resources, population and housing, public services and recreation, utilities and service systems, and wildfire. The Draft EIR identifies potential significant and unavoidable at the program level in the topics of agricultural resources, air quality, noise, and transportation.

Document Availability: This notice, the Revised Draft EIR, project information, including relevant documents, information on upcoming meetings, and ways you can provide feedback can be viewed online at https://hollister2040.org/ .

Notice of Availability Page 2 of 2
Hollister 2040 General Plan, Climate Action Plan, and Agricultural Lands Preservation Program Revised Draft EIR Submitting Comments: Members of the public, agencies, and interested organizations are invited to provide comments on the Revised Draft EIR that focus on whether the Revised Draft EIR is sufficient in discussing possible impacts to the physical environment, ways in which potential adverse effects may be avoided or minimized through mitigation measures, and alternatives to the project in light of the purpose of the EIR to provide useful and accurate information about such factors. A public meeting to accept verbal comments will be held on Tuesday, July 16, 2024, at 3:30 p.m. The meeting can be attended two ways: at City Hall Council Chambers (375 Fifth Street, Hollister, CA 95023) or via the Zoom platform ( https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_O9HCwqNTRrKcbyZtAJ2XPQ) Comments can be submitted prior to, during, or after the public meeting, but should be submitted by the end of the 45-day review period at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, August 16, 2024. Please send your written comments to Eva Kelly, at the address shown above or email [email protected] with “Hollister GPU 2040, CAP, and ALPP Revised EIR” as the subject. Public agencies providing comments are asked to include a contact person for the agency.

Hazardous Materials/Waste Disclosure: A search of the online databases on February 13, 2024, identified sites that have not been fully remediated or closed. The complete list and location of active cleanup sites within the EIR Study Area is shown in Table 4.9-1, Active Hazardous Material Cleanup Sites in the EIR Study Area, and on Figure 4.9-1, Hazardous Materials Cleanup Sites, of the Draft EIR.

Attachment:

EIR Study Area

Public Draft | July 2024
SCH: 2021040277
Climate Action Plan and Agricultural Lands Preservation Program

REVISED ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT

Public Draft | July 2024

CITY OF HOLLISTER
ORANGE COUNTY • BAY AREA • SACRAMENTO • CENTRAL COAST • LOS ANGELES • INLAND EMPIRE placeworks.com
Prepared By: PlaceWorks
2040 Bancroft Way, Suite 400
Berkeley, California 94704
t 510.848.3815
In Association with:

Environmental Collaborative
Kimley-Horn
Climate Action Plan and Agricultural Lands Preservation Program

REVISED ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT

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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 1-1

1.1 Proposed Action .......................................................................................................... 1-1

1.2 EIR Scope ...................................................................................................................... 1-1

1.3 Environmental Review Process ................................................................................... 1-1

1.4 Use of General Plan EIR ............................................................................................... 1-1

2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................... 2-1

2.1 Environmental Procedures .......................................................................................... 2-1

2.2 Report Organization .................................................................................................... 2-1

2.3 Types and Purpose of this Revised Draft EIR .............................................................. 2-1

2.4 Summary of Proposed Project .................................................................................... 2-1

2.5 Summary of Project Alternatives ................................................................................ 2-1

2.6 Issues to be Resolved ................................................................................................... 2-1

2.7 Areas of Controversy ................................................................................................... 2-1

2.8 Summary of Impacts and Mitigation Measures ........................................................ 2-1 PROJECT DESCRIPTION ............................................................................................................. 3-1

3.1 Background .................................................................................................................. 3-1

3.2 Overview ....................................................................................................................... 3-1

3.3 Location and Setting ................................................................................................... 3-1

3.4 Planning Boundaries and EIR Study Area .................................................................. 3-1

3.5 Planning Process Summary ......................................................................................... 3-1

3.6 Project Objectives........................................................................................................ 3-1

3.7 Project Components ................................................................................................... 3-1

3.8 Development Projections ............................................................................................ 3-1

3.9 Intended Uses of the EIR .............................................................................................. 3-1 ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS ..................................................................................................... 4-1

4.1 Aesthetics .................................................................................................................. 4.1-1

4.2 Agricultural Resources .............................................................................................. 4.2-1

4.3 Air Quality .................................................................................................................. 4.3-1

4.4 Biological Resources ................................................................................................. 4.4-1

4.5 Cultural and Tribal Cultural Resources .................................................................... 4.5-1

4.6 Energy ........................................................................................................................ 4.6-1

4.7 Geology and Soils ..................................................................................................... 4.7-1

4.8 Greenhouse Gas Emissions ...................................................................................... 4.8-1

4.9 Hazards and Hazardous Materials .......................................................................... 4.9-1

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4.10 Hydrology and Water Quality ................................................................................ 4.10-1

4.11 Land Use and Planning .......................................................................................... 4.11-1

4.12 Mineral Resources ................................................................................................... 4.12-1

4.13 Noise ......................................................................................................................... 4.13-1

4.14 Population and Housing ......................................................................................... 4.14-1

4.15 Public Services and Recreation ............................................................................. 4.15-1

4.16 Transportation.......................................................................................................... 4.16-1

4.17 Utilities and Service Systems ................................................................................... 4.17-1

4.18 Wildfire...................................................................................................................... 4.18-1 ALTERNATIVES TO THE PROPOSED PROJECT ........................................................................... 5-1

5.1 Purpose ......................................................................................................................... 5-1

5.2 Project Objectives........................................................................................................ 5-1

5.3 Selection of a Reasonable Range of Alternatives ................................................... 5-1

5.4 Alternative A: No Project ............................................................................................. 5-1

5.5 Alternative B: Focused Growth ................................................................................... 5-1

5.6 Environmentally Superior Alternative ......................................................................... 5-1

6. CEQA REQUIRED ASSESSMENT ................................................................................................. 6-1

6.1 Impacts Found Not to be Significant ......................................................................... 6-1

6.2 Significant and Unavoidable Impacts ....................................................................... 6-1

6.3 Growth Inducement .................................................................................................... 6-1

6.4 Significant and Irreversible Changes ......................................................................... 6-1 ORGANIZATIONS AND PERSONS CONSULTED ........................................................................ 7-1

7.1 Lead Agency ............................................................................................................... 7-1

7.2 Persons Consulted ........................................................................................................ 7-1

7.3 Consultants ................................................................................................................... 7-1 COMMON ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ....................................................................... 8-1

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APPENDICES
Appendix A: Notice of Preparation and Scoping Comments
Appendix B: Revised Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data Appendix C: Biological Resources Data
Appendix D: Cultural Resources Data
Appendix E: Revised Noise Data
Appendix F: Revised Transportation Data

SOURCES
In addition to the technical appendices, all documents cited in this report and used in its preparation are hereby incorporated by reference into this Draft EIR. Copies of documents referenced herein are available for review online at www.hollister2040.org .

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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1-1 Areas Changes Between the 2023 Draft EIR and the Revised Draft EIR ................. 1-1 Figure 3-1 Regional and Vicinity Map ......................................................................................... 3-1 Figure 3-2 2040 General Plan Planning Boundaries .................................................................... 3-1 Figure 3-3 EIR Study Area .............................................................................................................. 3-1 Figure 3-4 2005 General Plan Land Use Map .............................................................................. 3-1 Figure 3-5 2040 General Plan Land Use Map .............................................................................. 3-1 Figure 3-6 Specific Plan Areas ...................................................................................................... 3-1 Figure 3-7 Special Planning Areas ................................................................................................ 3-1 Figure 3-8 Existing and Proposed Sphere of Influence ............................................................... 3-1 Figure 4.2-1 Important Farmland and Williamson Act Contracts ............................................. 4.2-1 Figure 4.3-1 CalEnviroScreen 4.0 – Cumulative Score ............................................................... 4.3-1 Figure 4.3-2 CalEnviroScreen 4.0 – Pollution Burden .................................................................. 4.3-1 Figure 4.3-3 CalEnviroScreen 4.0 – Diesel Particulate Matter .................................................... 4.3-1 Figure 4.3-4 CalEnviroScreen 4.0 – Ozone ................................................................................... 4.3-1 Figure 4.3-5 CalEnviroScreen 4.0 – Asthma ................................................................................. 4.3-1 Figure 4.4-1 Land Cover ................................................................................................................ 4.4-1 Figure 4.4-2 Special-Status Plant Species .................................................................................... 4.4-1 Figure 4.4-3 Special-Status Animal Species and Critical Habitat .............................................. 4.4-1 Figure 4.4-4 National Wetland Inventory Map............................................................................ 4.4-1 Figure 4.5 -1 Historic Districts in Hollister ........................................................................................ 4.5-1 Figure 4.7-1 Soils Map .................................................................................................................... 4.7-1 Figure 4.7-2 Fault Map ................................................................................................................... 4.7-1 Figure 4.7-3 Ground Shake Potential ........................................................................................... 4.7-1 Figure 4.7-4 Liquefaction Susceptibility ....................................................................................... 4.7-1 Figure 4.9-1 Hazardous Material Cleanup Sites .......................................................................... 4.9-1 Figure 4.9-2 Airport Influence Area .............................................................................................. 4.9-1 Figure 4.10-1 Subwatersheds ........................................................................................................ 4.10-1 Figure 4.10-2 FEMA 100-Year Flood Zones ................................................................................... 4.10-1 Figure 4.10-3 Dam Inundation Zones ........................................................................................... 4.10-1 Figure 4.12-1 Regionally Significant Construction Aggregate Resources Areas ..................... 4.12-1 Figure 4.12-2 Plant 25 (Mine ID: 91-35-0004) ................................................................................ 4.12-1 Figure 4.12-3 Sandman, Inc. (Mine ID: 91-35-0015) .................................................................... 4.12-1 Figure 4.12-4 San Benito Sand Plant (Mine ID: 91-35-0011) ........................................................ 4.12-1 Figure 4.13-1 Approximate Noise Monitoring Locations ............................................................ 4.13-1 Figure 4.13-2 Existing Transportation Noise Contours ................................................................. 4.13-1 Figure 4.13-3 Hollister Municipal Airport 2025 Noise Contours ................................................... 4.13-1 Figure 4.13-4 2040 Transportation Noise Contours ...................................................................... 4.13-1 Figure 4.16-1 Roadway Classifications ........................................................................................ 4.16-1 Figure 4.16-2 County Express Fixed-Route Map .......................................................................... 4.16-1 Figure 4.16-3 Existing and Planned Bicycle Facilities .................................................................. 4.16-1 Figure 4.17-1 Water Service Areas ............................................................................................... 4.17-1 Figure 4.17-2 Water Distribution System Major Facilities ............................................................. 4.17-1

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Figure 4.17-3 Hollister Sanitary Sewer System .............................................................................. 4.17-1 Figure 14.7-4 Hollister Storm Drain Infrastructure ......................................................................... 4.17-1 Figure 4.18-1 Wildfire Responsibility and Fire Hazard Severity Zones......................................... 4.18-1 Figure 4.18-2 Wildland Urban Interface Areas ............................................................................ 4.18-1 Figure 4.18-3 Evacuation Routes .................................................................................................. 4.18-1 Figure 4.18.4 Evacuation-Constrained Residential Parcels ....................................................... 4.18-1

LIST OF TABLES
Table 1-1 Changes in Land Use Designations Between the 2023 Draft EIR and the Revised Draft EIR .......................................................................................................... 1-1 Table 2-1 Summary of Significant Impacts, Mitigating Policies, and Mitigation Measures ....................................................................................................................... 2-1 Table 3-1 2040 General Plan Required by State Law ................................................................ 3-1 Table 3-2 Proposed 2040 Buildout Projections in the EIR Study Area ....................................... 3-1 Table 4.2-1 Farmland Acreages in the EIR Study Area ............................................................. 4.2-1 Table 4.2-2 San Benito County Agricultural Land Conversion 1984 to 2016 ........................... 4.2-1 Table 4.3-1 Criteria Air Pollutant Health Effects Summary ........................................................ 4.3-1 Table 4.3-2 CARB Recommendations for Siting New Sensitive Land Uses .............................. 4.3-1 Table 4.3-3 Ambient Air Quality Standards for Criteria Pollutants ............................................ 4.3-1 Table 4.3-4 Attainment Status of Criteria Pollutants in the NCCAB ......................................... 4.3-1 Table 4.3-5 Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Summary .............................................................. 4.3-1 Table 4.3-6 Existing EIR Study Area Criteria Air Pollutant Emissions Inventory .......................... 4.3-1 Table 4.3-7 MBARD Regional Criteria Air Pollutants Significance Thresholds .......................... 4.3-1 Table 4.3-8 Comparison of Population and Employment Forecast ........................................ 4.3-1 Table 4.3-9 EIR Study Area Criteria Air Pollutant Emissions Forecast ........................................ 4.3-1 Table 4.3-10 Net Change in Regional Criteria Air Pollutant Emissions from Existing Baseline ...................................................................................................................... 4.3-1 Table 4.4-1 Estimates of Land Cover Types in the Planning Area ............................................ 4.4-1 Table 4.4-2 Special-Status Plant Species Known or Suspected in the Planning Area ............ 4.4-1 Table 4.4-3 Special-status animal species Known or Suspected in the Planning Area ......... 4.4-1 Table 4.6-1 Estimated existing electricity and Natural Gas demand ...................................... 4.6-1 Table 4.6-2 Existing Operation-Related Annual Fuel Usage ..................................................... 4.6-1 Table 4.6-3 Year 2040 Forecast Electricity Consumption .......................................................... 4.6-1 Table 4.6-4 Year 2040 Forecast Natural Gas Consumption ...................................................... 4.6-1 Table 4.6-5 Operation-Related Annual Fuel Usage: Net Change from Existing Conditions .................................................................................................................. 4.6-1 Table 4.8-1 GHG Emissions and Their Relative Global Warming Potential Compared to CO2 ............................................................................................................................. 4.8-1 Table 4.8-2 Summary of GHG Emissions Risk to California ........................................................ 4.8-1 Table 4.8-3 Priority Strategies for Local Government Climate Action Plans ........................... 4.8-1 Table 4.8-4 List of State GHG Regulations .................................................................................. 4.8-1 Table 4.8-5 Existing EIR Study Area GHG Emissions Inventory ................................................... 4.8-1

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Table 4.8-6 EIR Study Area Year 2045 GHG Emissions Forecast ................................................ 4.8-1 Table 4.8-7 Proposed CAP Local GHG Reduction Strategies .................................................. 4.8-1 Table 4.8-8 Year 2045 GHG Emissions-Reduction Target Analysis with the proposed CAP ............................................................................................................................ 4.8-1 Table 4.9-1 Active Hazardous Material Cleanup Sites in the EIR Study Area.......................... 4.9-1 Table 4.10-1 Designated Beneficial Uses of Surface Waters Near the EIR Study Area .......... 4.10-1 Table 4.10-2 Listed Impaired Water Bodies in EIR Study Area .................................................. 4.10-1 Table 4.10-3 Construction Best Management Practices to Prevent Erosion........................... 4.10-1 Table 4.13-1 Typical Noise Levels ................................................................................................ 4.13-1 Table 4.13-2 Human Reaction to Typical Vibration Levels in Peak Particle Velocity ............. 4.13-1 Table 4.13-3 Human Reaction to Typical Vibration Levels in Vibration Decibels ................... 4.13-1 Table 4.13-4 Normally Compatible Community Sound Levels ................................................. 4.13-1 Table 4.13-5 State Community Noise and Land Use Compatibility ......................................... 4.13-1 Table 4.13-6 Long-Term Noise Measurement Summary (dB(A)) .............................................. 4.13-1 Table 4.13-7 Short-Term Noise Measurement Summary (dB(A)) .............................................. 4.13-1 Table 4.13-8 Existing Traffic Noise Levels ..................................................................................... 4.13-1 Table 4.13-9 Existing Railroad Noise Levels ................................................................................. 4.13-1 Table 4.13-10 Building Architectural Vibration Damage Limits .................................................. 4.13-1 Table 4.13-11 FTA Groundborne Vibration Potential Annoyance Criteria ................................ 4.13-1 Table 4.13-12 Typical Construction equipment Noise Emission Levels ...................................... 4.13-1 TABLE 4.13-13 Vehicle Traffic Noise Increases In The EIR Study Area ......................................... 4.13-1 Table 4.13-14 Reference Vibration Levels for Construction Equipment .................................... 4.13-1 Table 4.14-1 Total Population, 2010 to 2019 ............................................................................... 4.14-1 Table 4.14-2 Housing Units, 2010 to 2019 .................................................................................... 4.14-1 Table 4.14-3 Employment among Residents, 2019 .................................................................... 4.14-1 Table 4.14-4 Regional Growth Projections, 2019 to 2040 .......................................................... 4.14-1 Table 4.14-5 Proposed 2040 General Plan Growth Projections ................................................ 4.14-1 Table 4.15-1 EIR Study Area School Districts and Schools ......................................................... 4.15-1 Table 4.15-2 City-Owned or City-Leased Parks in Hollister ........................................................ 4.15-1 Table 4.16 -1 VMT by Land Use and Scenario............................................................................. 4.16-1 Table 4.17-1 Hollister and SSCWD Existing and Future Water Supplies (af) ............................. 4.17-1 Table 4.17-2 Hollister and SSCWD 2020 Existing Water Demand (af) ...................................... 4.17-1 Table 4.17-3 Hollister and SSCWD Projected Normal, Dry, and Multiple Dry Year Supply and Demand (af) ................................................................................................... 4.17-1 Table 4.17-4 Projected Water Demand (afy) ............................................................................ 4.17-1 Table 4.17-5 Recommended Wastewater Capital Improvement Projects ............................ 4.17-1 Table 4.17-6 Projected WasteWater Demand Increase ........................................................... 4.17-1 Table 4.17-7 Existing and Future Wastewater Demands ........................................................... 4.17-1 Table 4.17-8 Landfills ..................................................................................................................... 4.17-1 Table 4.17-9 Solid Waste Landfill Disposal Rates at Buildout .................................................... 4.17-1 Table 4.17-10 Year 2040 Forecast Electricity Consumption ........................................................ 4.17-1 Table 4.17-11 Year 2040 Forecast Natural Gas Consumption .................................................... 4.17-1

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Table 5-1 Forecasted Additional Growth for the Proposed Project and the Alternatives to the Proposed Project ......................................................................... 5-1 Table 5-2 Comparison of Impacts of the Project Alternatives and the Proposed Project ........................................................................................................................... 5-1 Table 5-3 2019 to 2040 Growth Under the Proposed Project and Alternative A .................... 5-1

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Introduction
Pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines, Chapter 14, California Code of Regulations, Section 15378(a), the proposed City of Hollister 2040 General Plan (2040 General Plan), Climate Action Plan (CAP), and Agricultural Lands Preservation Program (ALPP), are considered a “project” subject to environmental review. Their implementation is “an action [undertaken by a public agency], which has the potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment.”1 The Hollister 2040 General Plan, CAP, and ALPP, herein referred to separately, or together referred to as the “proposed project.” The City of Hollister (City) is the lead agency for the proposed project.

A Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) was prepared for the proposed project to provide an assessment of the potential environmental consequences of adoption and implementation of the proposed project. The Draft EIR was circulated for review in 2023 and is herein referred to as “2023 Draft EIR.” Since the release of the 2023 Draft EIR, changes have been made to each of the key components of the proposed project (see Section 1.3.3.1, Summary of the Revisions). Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15088.5, a lead agency is required to recirculate an EIR when significant new information is added to the EIR after public notice is given of the availability of the Draft EIR for public review pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15087 but before certification. Accordingly, the City is recirculating the Draft EIR for the proposed project to provide additional analysis as a result of these changes to the project description.

This Revised Draft EIR, herein referred to as “Revised Draft EIR”, provides an additional assessment of potential environmental consequences of the approval and implementation of the proposed project as revised.

This Revised Draft EIR is intended to inform the City of Hollister Planning Commission and City Council, responsible agencies, and the public-at-large of the nature of the proposed project and its potential impacts. Additionally, this Revised Draft EIR identifies mitigation measures that, if adopted, would reduce or avoid potentially significant impacts on the environment. This Revised Draft EIR has been prepared in accordance with CEQA, the CEQA Guidelines, and the City’s local procedures for implementing CEQA.

1.1 PROPOSED ACTION
If approved by the Hollister City Council, the proposed project would replace the City’s existing 2005 General Plan, which has a buildout horizon to 2023, with an updated 2040 General Plan; would adopt the City’s first CAP; and would approve the ALPP. The proposed project would build off the existing 2005 General Plan to provide a framework for land use, transportation, and conservation decisions through the horizon year of 2040. The CAP will serve as the City’s qualified greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction

1 California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Section 15378(a).

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plan and will include a blueprint for how the City can reduce their emissions through 2045 to meet state targets. The proposed ALPP would amend the Hollister Municipal Code to ensure the benefits of agricultural activities are maintained by requiring that activities that convert existing agricultural lands to urban uses directly address that loss through a program that funds agricultural conservation easements.

Adoption and implementation of the proposed project is projected to result in up to 10,530 new housing units, 31,575 new residents, and 11,170 new jobs by 2040. See Chapter 3, Project Description, of this Revised Draft EIR for additional details on the proposed project. See the No Project Alternative in Chapter 5, Alternatives to the Proposed Project, of this Revised Draft EIR, for a comparison of the existing 2005 General Plan and the proposed 2040 General Plan.

1.2 EIR SCOPE
This Revised Draft EIR is a program EIR that analyzes the adoption and implementation of the proposed project. This is in contrast to a project-level EIR, which is used to identify and analyze the potential impacts of site-specific construction and operation. CEQA and the CEQA Guidelines allow lead agencies to prepare a number of types of EIRs. Different types of EIRs are used for varying situations and intended uses. Section 15168 of the CEQA Guidelines states that program EIRs are appropriate when a project consists of a series of actions related to the issuance of rules, regulations, and other planning criteria.

In this case, the proposed project that is the subject of this Draft EIR consists of a long-term plan and set of regulatory changes that would be implemented over time as policy documents and regulations guiding future development activities and City actions. No specific development projects are proposed as part of the proposed project. Therefore, this EIR is a program-level EIR that analyzes the potential environmental effects of the adoption and implementation of the proposed project. As a program EIR, it does not evaluate the impacts of individual projects that may be proposed in the future under the proposed project. However, if the program EIR addresses the program’s effects as specifically and comprehensively as is reasonably possible, and later activities are within the scope of the effects examined in the program EIR, then additional environmental review may not be required for those future projects.2 When a program EIR is relied on for a subsequent activity, the lead agency must incorporate feasible mitigation measures and alternatives developed in the program EIR into the subsequent activities (CEQA Guidelines Section 15168[c][3]). If a subsequent activity would have effects that are not within the scope of the program EIR, the lead agency must prepare a new Initial Study leading to a Negative Declaration, a Mitigated Negative Declaration, or an EIR, unless the activity qualifies for an exemption. For these subsequent environmental review documents, this program EIR will serve as the first-tier environmental analysis. The program EIR can also serve to streamline future environmental review of subsequent projects.

2 CEQA Guidelines Section 15168(c) and CEQA streamlining provisions.

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1.3 ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW PROCESS

1.3.1 NOTICE OF PREPARATION AND SCOPING MEETING
Pursuant to CEQA Section 21080(d) and CEQA Guidelines Section 15063, the City determined that the proposed project could result in potentially significant environmental impacts and that a program EIR would be required. In compliance with CEQA Section 21080.4, the City circulated the Notice of Preparation (NOP) of an EIR for the proposed project to the Office of Planning and Research (OPR) State Clearinghouse (SCH) and interested agencies and persons on April 9, 2021, for a 30-day review period. A public scoping meeting was held on April 22, 2021, at 6:00 p.m. via the Zoom platform due to the COVID- 19 pandemic. The NOP and scoping process solicited comments regarding the scope of the Draft EIR from responsible agencies and interested parties. Appendix A, Notice of Preparation and Scoping Comments, of this Revised Draft EIR contains the NOP and the comments received by the City in response to the NOP.

1.3.2 2023 DRAFT EIR
Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15085, a Notice of Completion of the 2023 Draft EIR was filed with Office of Planning and Research State Clearinghouse and State agencies on May 17, 2023, for a 45-day review period ending on June 30, 2023. Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15087, the City provided a Notice of Availability and the 2023 Draft EIR was distributed to various public agencies, private organizations and groups for the 45-day public review period. During this review period, a public meeting was held on June 22, 2023, to provide an overview of the 2023 Draft EIR including the findings and to invite public comments on the 2023 Draft EIR. Copies of the 2017 Draft EIR were available for review at the project website at https://hollister2040.org/ . During the 45-day public review period the City received five comment letters from public agencies and six letters from private organizations and individuals.

1.3.3 REVISED DRAFT EIR
After preparation of the 2023 Draft EIR, but prior to its certification, the City made modifications to the proposed project and evaluated those modifications and any subsequent residual impacts in response to written and verbal comment made during the 45-day public review period. In compliance with CEQA Guidelines Section 15088.5(f), the 2023 Draft EIR was revised to include the new analysis. The purpose of recirculation of this Revised Draft EIR is to allow interested public agencies, groups, and individuals the opportunity to review and comment on new information provided in this Revised Draft EIR for the proposed project. This Revised Draft EIR will be available for review by the public and interested parties, agencies, and organizations for a 45-day comment period starting Wed nesday, July 3, 2024, and ending on Friday, August 16, 2024. During the comment period, the public is invited to provide written comments on the Revised Draft EIR via mail or email to the City of Hollister Planning Division by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, August 16, 2024. Comments should be submitted as follows:

Written: City of Hollister, Development Service Department -Planning Division 339 Fifth Street, Hollister, California 95023
Email: [email protected] with “Hollister GP 2040, CAP, and ALPP Revised EIR” as the subject.

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SUMMARY OF REVISIONS
Section 15088.5(g) of the CEQA Guidelines requires that “[w]hen recirculating a revised EIR, either in whole or in part, the lead agency shall, in the revised EIR or by an attachment to the revised EIR, summarize the revisions made to the previously circulated Draft EIR.” The following provides a summary of the proposed changes to the key components of the proposed project.

Revisions to the 2040 General Plan
The revisions to the proposed 2040 General Plan include changes to the land use designations. The areas of change between the 2023 Draft EIR and this Revised Draft EIR are shown on Figure 1-1, Areas of Change Between the 2023 Draft EIR and the Revised Draft EIR. As shown on Figure 1-1, the majority of the land use designation changes were revised to Specific Plan from Residential Estate, Low Density, Medium Density, and High Density Residential, Agriculture, Open Space, Public, and Industrial. The majority of other changes are from one type of residential density to another residential density with the exception of the changes from residential to commercial and agriculture to residential. These changes are shown in Table 1 -1, Changes in Land Use Designations Between the 2023 Draft EIR and the Revised Draft EIR.

TABLE 1-1 CHANGES IN LAND USE DESIGNATIONS BETWEEN THE 2023 DRAFT EIR AND THE REVISED DRAFT EIR Assessor Parcel Number (APN) 2023 Draft EIR Land Use Designation Revised Draft EIR Land Use Designation 020-330-003 Residential General Commercial
191-200-050 High Density Residential Medium Density Residential 191-200-080 High Density Residential Medium Density Residential 191-200-220 High Density Residential Medium Density Residential 191-200-340 High Density Residential Medium Density Residential 191-200-350 High Density Residential Medium Density Residential 193-100-090 Residential Estate Medium Density Residential 193-100-510 Residential Estate Medium Density Residential 193-100-520 Residential Estate Medium Density Residential 193-100-630 Residential Estate Medium Density Residential 193-500-060 High Density Residential Medium Density Residential 193-500-090 High Density Residential Medium Density Residential 193-500-100 High Density Residential Medium Density Residential 200-400-280 Residential Estate Medium Density Residential 200-400-560 Residential Estate High Density Residential 200-400-570 Residential Estate Medium Density Residential 200-800-220 High Density Residential Low Density Residential 201-700-370 Agriculture Low Density Residential
201-700-380 Agriculture Low Density Residential
201-700-390 Agriculture Low Density Residential
520-900-190 Residential Estate Low Density Residential
Note: Parcels with land use designation changes to Specific Plan are not listed in this table but are shown on Figure 1-1, Areas of Change Between the 2023 Draft EIR and the Revised Draft EIR.

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In addition to the land use designation changes, the sphere of influence (SOI) boundary has been further modified from what was proposed in the 2023 Draft EIR. Subsequently, the potential buildout estimates have increased from what was proposed in the 2023 Draft EIR as follows: from 6,455 to 10,530 new housing units; from 21,635 to 31,575 new residents; and from 5,755 to 11,170 new jobs by 2040. Some goals, policies, and actions have also been revised to reflect these changes.

Revisions to the Climate Action Plan
The revisions to the proposed CAP are limited to emissions estimates and reduction strategies that reflect the changes to the 2040 General Plan land use designations, modified proposed SOI boundary, buildout projections.

Revisions to the Agricultural Lands Preservation Program The proposed revisions are limited to reducing the rate of land dedication from two acres to one acre of Agricultural Land for each one acre of Agricultural Land to be converted. This change is shown as follows:

Section 17.13.050, Overall Requirement. Before any Development Project that involves conversion of one (1) acre or more of Agricultural Land to uses other than Agricultural Uses may occur, Agricultural Conservation Easements on other Agricultural Lands that comply with criteria established in Section

17.13.090 shall be dedicated to the City of Hollister or to an Easement Holder selected by the City of Hollister, at a rate of at least two one (21) acre s of Agricultural Land for each one (1) acre of Agricultural Land to be converted [21:1 ratio].

Revisions to the 2023 Draft EIR
All applicable EIR figures were updated to reflect the modified proposed SOI boundary. The proposed 2040 General Plan policies and actions referenced in the Draft EIR were updated to be consistent with the revisions and additions made in the revised General Plan. Information on special-status species, hazardous materials sites, and fire hazard severity zones (FHSZ) were updated with current data. Revised quantified modeling and analysis was prepared for the topics of air quality, agricultural resources, GHG emissions, energy, noise, population and housing, public services and recreation, transportation, and utilities and service systems. An updated request for Native American Consultation was also initiated by the City. In summary, this Revised Draft EIR includes the incorporation of the following:
 New Air Quality/GHG Emissions Modeling and Evaluation: Evaluations of the potential air quality and GHG impacts of the proposed project in the North Central Coast Air Basin based on the methodology identified in the Monterey Bay Air Resources District’s CEQA Air Quality Guidelines (2008) have been updated based on the changes in buildout projections and to the transportation and utilities analysis, as well as the CAP. The analyses are provided in Chapter 4.2, Air Quality, Chapter 4.8, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and Appendix B, Revised Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data, of this Revised Draft EIR.
 New Farmland Acreage Calculations: Acreages for agricultural lands in the EIR Study Area under the modified proposed SOI boundary and acreage conversion of farmland under the modified proposed

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land use designations have been recalculated. This update is provided in Chapter 4.2, Agricultural Resources, of the Revised Draft EIR.
 New Special-Status Species Information: Updated information from the California Natural Diversity Data Base of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife; records on sensitive resources available from the California Native Plant Society, the City and County, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service due to the modified proposed SOI boundary has been included. This update is provided in Chapter

4.4, Biological Resources, of this Revised Draft EIR.
 New Native American Tribal Outreach: An updated tribal contract list was requested from and provided by the Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC) in February 2024. One new tribe was included in this list that was not included in the previous NAHC contact list provided in May 2020. The City initiated consultation with the new tribe and distributed tribal outreach letters informing the tribes about updates to the proposed project since the initial outreach letter sent in May 2020. This update is provided in Chapter 4.5, Cultural and Tribal Cultural Resources, and Appendix D, Revised Cultural Resources Data, of this Revised Draft EIR.
 New Energy Modeling and Evaluation: Evaluation of the potential energy impacts of the proposed project has been revised based on the changes in buildout projections. This analysis is provided in Chapter 4.6, Energy, of this Revised Draft EIR.
 New Hazardous Materials Sites Information: Updated information from the Department of Toxic Substances Control’s online EnviroStor database and the State Water Resources Control Board’s online GeoTracker database due to the modified proposed SOI boundary has been included. This update is provided in Chapter 4.9, Hazards and Hazardous Materials, of this Revised Draft EIR.  New Noise Modeling and Evaluation: Evaluation of the potential noise impacts of the proposed project has been revised based on the changes in buildout projections. Noise contour maps have also been updated to reflect the changes in buildout projections and transportation analysis. The analysis is provided in Chapter 4.13, Noise, and Appendix E, Revised Noise Data, of this Revised Draft EIR.  New Population and Housing Evaluation: Evaluation of the potential impacts of the proposed project to population and housing from growth inducing potential, including indirect growth from increased employment opportunities, has been revised based on the changes in buildout projections. This analysis is provided in Chapter 4.14, Population and Housing, of this Revised Draft EIR.  New Public Services/Recreation Calculations and Evaluation: Evaluation of the potential impacts of the proposed project on public services and recreation has been revised based on the changes in buildout projections. This analysis is provided in Chapter 4.15, Public Services, of this Revised Draft EIR.  New Transportation Modeling: Evaluation of the potential transportation impacts of the proposed project using Level of Service and Vehicle Miles Traveled as measures of effectiveness has been revised based on the changes in buildout projections and modified proposed land use designations.

This analysis is provided in Chapter 4.16, Transportation, and Appendix F, Revised Transportation Data, of this Revised Draft EIR.
 New Utilities Calculations and Evaluation: Evaluation of the potential utilities and service system impacts of the proposed project has been revised based on the changes in buildout projections and modified proposed SOI boundary. Comments made during the public review period of the 2023 Draft

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EIR regarding the deficiencies of the wastewater treatment plant capacity and energy provider (PG&E) have also been addressed. This analysis is provided in Chapter 4.17, Utilities and Service Systems, of this Revised Draft EIR.
 New Wildfire Maps: Since publication of the 2023 Draft EIR, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) has released updated FHSZ maps. Accordingly, the discussion of FHSZ and Figure 4.18, Wildfire Responsibility and Fire Hazard Severity Zones, has been revised to reflect this CAL FIRE FHSZ update. This update is provided in Chapter 4.18, Wildfire, of this Revised Draft EIR.

1.3.4 FINAL EIR
Upon completion of the 45-day review period for the Draft EIR, the City will review all written comments received and prepare written responses to each comment on the adequacy of the Draft EIR. A Final EIR will be prepared, which contains all of the comments previously received on the 2023 Draft EIR and those received on this Revised Draft EIR. The Final EIR will include responses to comments raising environmental issues and any changes to the 2023 Draft EIR and Revised Draft EIR. The Final EIR will then be presented to the Hollister Planning Commission where a public hearing will allow for public comment on the Final EIR and to consider recommendation for certification of the Final EIR. Following the public hearing, the Final EIR will be presented to City Council for consideration of the certification as the environmental document for the proposed project. All persons who commented on the Draft EIR will be notified of the availability of the Final EIR and the date of the public hearing, which is tentatively scheduled for fall 2024.

All responses to comments submitted on the 2023 Draft EIR and the Revised Draft EIR by agencies will be provided to those agencies at least 10 days prior to certification of the EIR. The City Council will make findings regarding the extent and nature of the impacts as presented in the EIR. The EIR will need to be certified as having been prepared in compliance with CEQA by the City prior to making a decision to approve or deny the proposed project. Public input is encouraged at all public hearings before the City.

If the City Council certifies the EIR, it may then consider action on the proposed project. If approved, the City Council would adopt and incorporate all feasible mitigation measures identified in the EIR and may also require other feasible mitigation measures.

In some cases, the City Council may find that certain mitigation measures are outside the jurisdiction of the City to implement, or that no feasible mitigation measures have been identified for a given significant impact. In that case, the City Council would have to adopt a statement of overriding considerations that determines that economic, legal, social, technological, or other benefits of the proposed project outweigh the unavoidable, significant effects on the environment.

1.3.5 MITIGATION MONITORING
CEQA Section 21081.6 requires that the lead agency adopt a Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (MMRP) for any project for which it has made findings pursuant to CEQA Section 21081. Such a program is intended to ensure the implementation of all mitigation measures adopted through the preparation of an EIR. If mitigation measures are required, the MMRP for the proposed project will be completed congruently as part of the Final EIR process.

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1.4 USE OF GENERAL PLAN EIR

1.4.1 TIERING PROCESS
CEQA includes several provisions to streamline the environmental review of qualified projects based on several factors. These include where environmental review has already occurred (e.g., a program-level EIR), which could apply to future development in the EIR Study Area.3 The CEQA concept of “tiering ” refers to the evaluation of general environmental matters in a broad program-level EIR, with subsequent focused environmental documents for individual projects. CEQA and the CEQA Guidelines encourage the use of tiered environmental documents to reduce delays and excessive paperwork in the environmental review process. This is accomplished in tiered documents by eliminating repetitive analyses of issues that were adequately addressed in the program EIR and by incorporating those analyses by reference.

Section 15168(d) of the CEQA Guidelines provides for simplifying the preparation of environmental documents by incorporating by reference analyses and discussions. Where an EIR has been prepared or certified for a program or plan, the environmental review for a later activity consistent with the program or plan should be limited to effects that were not analyzed as significant in the prior EIR or that are susceptible to substantial reduction or avoidance (CEQA Guidelines Section 15152[d]).

By tiering from the program EIR, the environmental analysis for a future project would rely on the program EIR for the following:

1. A discussion of general background and setting information for environmental topic areas;

2. Overall growth-related issues;

3. Issues that were evaluated in sufficient detail in the program EIR for which there is no significant new information or change in circumstances that would require further analysis;

4. Assessment of cumulative impacts; and

5. Mitigation measures adopted and incorporated into the proposed project.

BASE RESOURCE FOR GENERAL PLAN IMPLEMENTATION AND

REVIEW OF FUTURE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS
As a program EIR, this document and the mitigation measures presented herein will be used as a guide for implementing the 2040 General Plan policies and actions,4 as well as adopting changes in City codes, regulations, and practices.

3 Section 3.3.3, EIR Study Area, in Chapter 3, Project Description, of this Revised Draft EIR, provided a detailed description of the area evaluated in this EIR.
4 Pursuant Public Resources Code Section 21081.6(b) the General Plan must incorporate approved mitigation measures identified in the EIR into its policies and actions.

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This program EIR will also be used as a base resource for reviewing future development projects. This document will assist in guiding the assessment of projects and provide environmental review tiering, where appropriate. Currently, the City completes the following steps in reviewing development projects, which will be carried forward under the 2040 General Plan if adopted.  Project Consistency with the General Plan and City Codes. When a new development project is filed with the City, it is reviewed for completeness and consistency with the General Plan goals, policies, and actions, and City codes and practices. Because City policies, actions, and codes presented in this program EIR will minimize impacts, development projects will inherently implement these measures to: (a) mitigate environmental impacts and (b) achieve consistency with the General Plan and compliance with City codes.
 Projects Subject to Environmental Review. For future development projects subject to environmental review, the resources contained within this EIR and carried forward in the 2040 General Plan will guide the scope of this review. For project-level environmental review, many of the topic areas studied in this program EIR will adequately cover and provide environmental clearance for the project.

However, the preparation of site-specific studies and reports may be necessary based on the location and nature of the development project. The resources presented in this program EIR will assist in determining when and where a special, site-specific study is warranted.  Projects Exempt from Environmental Review. CEQA includes a long list of environmental review exemptions. Some of the future development projects may be exempt from environmental review as the project impacts will be adequately covered by this program EIR. However, many of the CEQA exemptions require compliance with specific criteria for the development project to qualify for the exemption. The resources contained within this EIR and carried forward in the 2040 General Plan will be used to determine if the CEQA-prescribed criteria have been met to qualify for the exemption. One example of a CEQA exemption is for projects that are infill development and consistent with the General Plan land use designation and zoning district. CEQA provides for these types of projects to conduct streamlined review under CEQA Guidelines Section 15332, Infill Development Projects, and CEQA Guidelines Section 15138.3, Streamlining for Infill Projects, where the project meets certain criteria.

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2. Executive Summary
This chapter presents an overview of the proposed City of Hollister 2040 General Plan (2040 General Plan), Climate Action Plan (CAP), and Agricultural Lands Preservation Program (ALPP), herein referred to separately or together as the “proposed project.” This executive summary also provides a summary of the alternatives to the proposed project, identifies issues to be resolved, areas of controversy, and conclusions of the analysis in Chapters 4.1 through 4.18 of this Revised Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR). For a complete description of the proposed project, see Chapter 3, Project Description, of this Revised Draft EIR.

For a discussion of alternatives to the proposed project, see Chapter 5, Alternatives to the Proposed Project, of this Revised Draft EIR.

This Revised Draft EIR addresses the environmental effects associated with adoption and implementation of the proposed project. The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires that local government agencies, prior to taking action on projects over which they have discretionary approval authority, consider the environmental consequences of such projects. An EIR is a public document designed to provide the public, local, and state government decision makers with an analysis of potential environmental consequences to support informed decision making.

This Revised Draft EIR has been prepared pursuant to the requirements of CEQA 1 and the CEQA Guidelines2 to determine if approval of the identified discretionary actions and related subsequent development could have a significant impact on the environment. The City of Hollister (City), as the lead agency, has reviewed and revised as necessary all submitted drafts, technical studies, and reports to reflect its own independent judgment, including reliance on applicable City technical personnel and review of all technical reports. Information for this Revised Draft EIR was obtained from on-site field observations; discussions with public service agencies; analysis of adopted plans and policies; review of available studies, reports, data, and similar literature in the public domain; and specialized environmental assessments (e.g., air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, noise, and transportation).

2.1 ENVIRONMENTAL PROCEDURES
This Revised Draft EIR has been prepared to assess the environmental effects associated with implementation of the proposed project. The main objectives of this document as established by CEQA are:
 To disclose to decision makers and the public the significant environmental effects of proposed activities.
 To identify ways to avoid or reduce environmental damage.

1 The CEQA Statute is found at California Public Resources Code, Division 13, Sections 21000–21177. 2 The CEQA Guidelines are found at California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Division 6, Chapter 3, Sections 15000–15387.

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 To prevent environmental damage by requiring implementation of feasible alternatives or mitigation measures.
 To disclose to the public reasons for agency approval of projects with significant environmental effects.
 To foster interagency coordination in the review of projects.  To enhance public participation in the planning process.

An EIR is the most comprehensive form of environmental documentation identified in the CEQA statute and in the CEQA Guidelines. It provides the information needed to assess the environmental consequences of a proposed project, to the extent feasible. EIRs are intended to provide an objective, factually supported, full-disclosure analysis of the environmental consequences associated with a proposed project that has the potential to result in significant, adverse environmental impacts. An EIR is also one of various decision-making tools used by a lead agency to consider the merits and disadvantages of a project that is subject to its discretionary authority. Prior to approving a proposed project, the lead agency must consider the information contained in the EIR, determine whether the EIR was properly prepared in accordance with CEQA and the CEQA Guidelines, determine that it reflects the independent judgment of the lead agency, adopt findings concerning the project’s significant environmental impacts and alternatives, and adopt a Statement of Overriding Considerations3 if the proposed project would result in significant impacts that cannot be avoided.

2.2 REPORT ORGANIZATION
This Revised Draft EIR is organized into the following chapters:
 Chapter 1: Introduction. Provides an overview describing the Revised Draft EIR document.

Chapter 2: Executive Summary. Summarizes environmental consequences that would result from implementation of the proposed project, describes recommended mitigation measures, and indicates the level of significance of environmental impacts with and without mitigation.  Chapter 3: Project Description. Describes the proposed project in detail, including the characteristics, objectives, and the structural and technical elements of the proposed action.  Chapter 4: Environmental Analysis. Organized into 18 subchapters corresponding to the environmental resource categories identified in CEQA Guidelines Appendix G, Environmental Checklist, this chapter provides a description of the physical environmental conditions in the vicinity of the proposed project as they existed at the time the Notice of Preparation (NOP) was published and by referencing historic conditions that are supported with substantial evidence, from both a local and regional perspective. Additionally, this chapter provides an analysis of the potential environmental impacts of the proposed project and recommended mitigation measures, if required, to reduce the impacts to less than significant where possible, and to reduce their magnitude or significance when impacts cannot be reduced to a less-than-significant level. The environmental setting included in each subchapter provides baseline physical conditions, which provide a context, which the lead agency

3 CEQA Guidelines Section 15093.

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uses to determine the significance of environmental impacts resulting from the proposed project.

Each subchapter also includes a description of the thresholds used to determine if a significant impact would occur, the methodology to identify and evaluate the potential impacts of the proposed project, and the potential cumulative impacts associated with the proposed project.  Chapter 5: Alternatives to the Proposed Project. Considers alternatives to the proposed project, including the CEQA-required “No Project Alternative” and “environmentally superior alternative.”  Chapter 6: CEQA Required Conclusions and Findings. Discusses growth inducement, cumulative impacts, unavoidable significant effects, and significant irreversible changes as a result of the proposed project.
 Chapter 7: Organizations and Persons Consulted. Lists the people and organizations that were contacted during the preparation of this EIR for the proposed project.  Chapter 8: Common Acronyms and Abbreviations. Lists the common acronyms and abbreviations found in this Revised Draft EIR.
 Appendices: The appendices for this document contain the following supporting documents:
 Appendix A: Notice of Preparation and Scoping Comments  Appendix B: Revised Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data  Appendix C: Biological Resources Data
 Appendix D: Revised Cultural Resources Data
 Appendix E: Revised Noise Data
 Appendix F: Revised Transportation Data

2.3 TYPES AND PURPOSE OF THIS REVISED DRAFT EIR
According to Section 15121(a) of the CEQA Guidelines, the purpose of an EIR is to inform public agency decision makers and the public generally of the significant environmental effects of a project, identify possible ways to minimize the significant effects, and describe reasonable alternatives to the project.

As described in the CEQA Guidelines, different types of EIRs are used for varying situations and intended uses. Because of the long-term planning horizon of the proposed project and the permitting, planning, and development actions that are related both geographically and as logical parts in the chain of contemplated actions for implementation, this Revised Draft EIR has been prepared as a program EIR for the proposed project, pursuant to Section 15168 of the CEQA Guidelines.

Once a program EIR has been certified, subsequent activities within the program must be evaluated to determine whether additional CEQA review needs to be prepared. However, if the program EIR addresses the program’s effects as specifically and comprehensively as possible, subsequent activities could be found to be within the program EIR scope, and additional environmental review may not be required (CEQA Guidelines Section 15168[c]). When a program EIR is relied on for a subsequent activity, the lead agency must incorporate feasible mitigation measures and alternatives developed in the program EIR into the subsequent actions (CEQA Guidelines Section 15168[c][3]). If a subsequent activity would have effects that are not within the scope of a program EIR, the lead agency must prepare a new Initial Study leading

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to a Negative Declaration, a Mitigated Negative Declaration, or an EIR. For these subsequent environmental review documents, this Program EIR will serve as the first-tier environmental analysis.

2.3.1 RECIRCULATION
The Draft EIR was circulated for review in 2023 and is herein referred to as “2023 Draft EIR.” Since the release of the 2023 Draft EIR, the City revised the key components of the proposed project (i.e., 2040 General Plan, CAP, and ALPP). Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15088.5, a lead agency is required to recirculate an EIR when significant new information is added to the EIR after public notice is given of the availability of the Draft EIR for public review pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15087 but before certification. Accordingly, the City is recirculating the Draft EIR for the proposed project to provide additional analysis as a result of the changes to the proposed project. This document, herein referred to as “Revised Draft EIR”, provides an additional assessment of potential environmental consequences of the approval and implementation of the proposed project as revised.

2.3.2 SUMMARY OF REVISIONS
As described in Section 1.3.3.1, Summary of Revisions, in Chapter 1, Introduction, of this Revised Draft EIR, the changes to the proposed project include the following:
 2040 General Plan. The land use designations of several parcels have been revised and the sphere of influence (SOI) boundary has been further modified from what was proposed in the 2023 Draft EIR.

Subsequently, the potential buildout estimates have increased from what was proposed in the 2023 Draft EIR. Some goals, policies, and actions have also been revised to reflect these changes.  Climate Action Plan. The emissions estimates and reduction strategies have been revised to reflect the changes to the 2040 General Plan land use designations, modified proposed SOI boundary, buildout projections.
 Agricultural Lands Preservation Program. The proposed revisions are limited to reducing the rate of land dedication from two acres to one acre of Agricultural Land for each one acre of Agricultural Land to be converted.
 2023 Draft EIR. Like the CAP, the analysis in the Revised Draft EIR has been updated to reflect the changes to the 2040 General Plan land use designations, modified proposed SOI boundary, buildout projections. All figures and sources have been updated to reflect the changes and the most current data available.

2.4 SUMMARY OF PROPOSED PROJECT
The proposed project would replace the City’s existing General Plan with an updated General Plan, the new CAP, and the ALPP. The existing General Plan was prepared in 2005 and included a horizon year of 2023. Because this horizon year has been met and the conditions inside and outside of Hollister have changed between 2005 and 2023, including the economic recovery from the Great Recession, a worsening housing crisis in California, and the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, the City embarked on a

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community-based General Plan update. The update addresses a number of state and federal laws guiding General Plan policies that have been updated during this time and focuses on meeting current community requirements and future needs.

The City determined that the current General Plan provided a good foundation for the proposed 2040 General Plan. The current General Plan included a comprehensive review process, resulting in a broad range of community goals and policies. Many of the community issues vetted in the current General Plan are still relevant, well addressed, and do not require major change. Therefore, the approach to the proposed 2040 General Plan is not a comprehensive update, rather, it builds off of the current General Plan by incorporating the topics that are now required by State mandate and revises relevant policies and programs to meet those requirements. It also incorporates regional forecasts for 2040, thus moving the planning horizon forward by approximately 15 years. Chapter 3, Project Description, of this Revised Draft EIR includes a detailed description of the proposed project.

2.5 SUMMARY OF PROJECT ALTERNATIVES
This Revised Draft EIR analyzes alternatives to the proposed project that are designed to reduce the significant environmental impacts of the proposed project and feasibly attain most of the proposed project objectives. There is no set methodology for comparing the alternatives or determining the environmentally superior alternative under CEQA. Identification of the environmentally superior alternative involves weighing and balancing all of the environmental resource areas by the City. The following alternatives to the proposed project were considered and analyzed in detail.  Alternative A: No Project. Consistent with Section 15126.6(e)(2) of the CEQA Guidelines, Alternative A presents the No Project scenario. This alternative assumes the current 2005 General Plan remains in effect and is not replaced by the proposed 2040 General Plan and that the Climate Action Plan (CAP) would not be adopted and the Zoning Ordinance would not be amended to include the Agricultural Lands Preservation Program (ALPP).
 Alternative B: Focused Growth. Alternative B assumes the same amount of households, residential units, population, and jobs would occur as under the proposed project, but would allow for more dense housing in parcels within the Medium-Density Residential, High-Density Residential, Mixed-Use Commercial and Residential, and Downtown Commercial and Mixed Use land use designations and also increase the maximum floor-area ratios (FAR)4 in the Mixed-Use Commercial and Residential and Downtown Commercial and Mixed Use land use designations when compared to the proposed project. In addition, Alternative B would maintain the currently adopted SOI thus encouraging more development and redevelopment in the City Limits and less growth on undeveloped land.

Chapter 5, Alternatives to the Proposed Project, of this Revised Draft EIR, includes a complete discussion of these alternatives. As discussed in Chapter 5, Alternative B is the Environmentally Superior Alternative pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15126.6.

4 FAR is a ratio of the building square footage permitted on a lot to the net square footage of the lot. For example, on a site with 10,000 square feet of net land area, a FAR of 1.0 will allow 10,000 square feet of building floor area to be built.

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2.6 ISSUES TO BE RESOLVED
Section 15123(b)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines requires that an EIR identify issues to be resolved, including the choice among alternatives and whether or how to mitigate significant impacts. With regard to the proposed project, the major issues to be resolved include decisions by the City of Hollister, as lead agency, related to:
 Whether this Revised Draft EIR adequately describes the environmental impacts of the proposed project.
 Whether the benefits of the proposed project override environmental impacts that cannot be feasibly avoided or mitigated to a level of insignificance.
 Whether the proposed land use changes are compatible with the character of the existing area.  Whether the identified goals, policies, or mitigation measures should be adopted or modified.  Whether there are other mitigation measures that should be applied to the proposed project besides those goals, policies, or mitigation measures identified in this Revised Draft EIR.  Whether there are any alternatives to the proposed project that would substantially lessen any of the significant impacts of the proposed project and achieve most of the basic objectives.

2.7 AREAS OF CONTROVERSY
The City issued an NOP on April 9, 2021. The CEQA-mandated scoping period for this EIR was between April 9, 2021, and May 10, 2021, during which interested agencies and the public could submit comments about the potential environmental impacts of the proposed project. During this time, the City received comment letters from a variety of state and local agencies as well as several organizations and members of the public. Appendix A, Notice of Preparation and Scoping Comments, of this Revised Draft EIR contains the NOP as well as the comments received by the City in response to the NOP.

The following is a discussion of issues that are likely to be of particular concern to agencies and interested members of the public during the environmental review process. Though every concern applicable to the CEQA process is addressed in this Revised Draft EIR, this list is not necessarily exhaustive, but rather attempts to capture concerns that are likely to generate the greatest interest based on the input received during the scoping process.
 Protection of cultural resources and tribal cultural resources  Protection of biological resources, including special-status species and habitat  Adequacy of existing water supply and increased water demand, and groundwater conservation  Loss of prime farmland and soils, and protection of farmland  Adequate public services and infrastructure to accommodate new growth

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2.8 SUMMARY OF IMPACTS AND MITIGATION MEASURES
Table 2 -1, Summary of Significant Impacts, Mitigating Policies, and Mitigation Measures, summarizes the conclusions of the environmental analysis in this Revised Draft EIR and presents a summary of the identified significant impacts and the proposed 2040 General Plan policies and actions and the CEQA- required mitigation measures that reduce impacts. 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 (*). Please see Section 4.1.3, 2040 General Plan Policies and Actions, in Chapter 4, Environmental Analysis, of this Draft EIR for further discussion of mitigating 2040 General Plan policies and actions.

As summarized in Table 2-1, and as required by CEQA, some impacts remain significant and unavoidable after implementation of 2040 General Plan policies and actions and consideration of feasible mitigation.

Table 2 -1 is organized to correspond with the environmental issues in Chapter 4, Environmental Analysis, and its subchapters, Sections 4.1 through 4.18 of this Revised Draft EIR. Table 2 -1 is arranged in four columns: (1) environmental impact, (2) significance without mitigation, (3) General Plan policies and actions and CEQA-required mitigation measures, and (4) significance with mitigation. All environmental topics not listed in this table were found to have less-than-significant impacts without mitigation. For a complete description of potential impacts, please refer to the specific discussions in Chapter 4, Environmental Analysis, and Sections 4.1 through 4.18 of this Revised Draft EIR.

HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN, CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, AND

AGRICULTURAL LANDS PRESERVATION PROGRAM REVISED DRAFT EIR

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TABLE 2-1 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS , MITIGATING POLICIES, AND MITIGATION MEASURES Environmental Impact
Significance
without
Mitigation
General Plan Policies/Actions and
CEQA-Required Mitigation
Significance
with
Mitigation

AGRICULTURAL RESOURCES (AG)
Impact AG-1: Implementation
of the proposed project would
result in the conversion of
Prime Farmland, Farmland of
Statewide Importance, or
Unique Farmland land
(together referred to as
“qualified Farmland”) to
nonagricultural land uses.

Significant Open Space and Agriculture (OS)
 *Policy OS-2.1: Offsets for Loss of Agricultural Land. Require that all new developments that convert agricultural land to urban uses provide for preservation of the same amount agricultural land in perpetuity. (new)
 *Action OS-2.1: Offsets for Agricultural Land Conversion. Require the creation and adoption of an agricultural preservation program to address the conversion of land classified as Prime Farmland, Unique Farmland, or Farmland of Statewide Importance in the City Limits and Sphere of Influence to nonagricultural uses. (new)
Significant and
Unavoidable
In compliance with CEQA, “each public agency shall mitigate or avoid the significant effects on the environment of the project it carries out or approves whenever it is feasible to do so.”5 The term “feasible” is defined in CEQA to mean, “capable of being accomplished in a successful manner within a reasonable period of time, taking into account economic, environmental, social, and technological factors.”6 CEQA Guidelines Section 15370 defines “mitigation” as: (1) avoiding the impact altogether by not taking a certain action or parts of an action; (2) minimizing impacts by limiting the degree or magnitude of an action and its implementation; (3) rectifying the impact by repairing, rehabilitating, or restoring the impacted environment; (4) reducing or eliminating the impact over time by preservation and maintenance operations during the life of the action; and (5) compensating for the impact by replacing or providing substitute resources or environments. The following is a brief discussion of the mitigation measures considered for mitigating or avoiding the impact of the conversion of agricultural lands to other uses and their infeasibility. However, as shown, no feasible mitigation measures are available that would reduce the agricultural resource impact to less-than-significant levels.  Replacement of Agricultural Resources. This measure would replace the existing agricultural use with the same use on other property that is not currently used for agriculture. From a statewide perspective, the replacement of farmland means that there will be no net loss of farmland in the state. However, qualified Farmlands would still be developed. There is limited undeveloped land within the proposed Sphere of Influence (SOI) of the EIR Study Area that is not currently designated as agricultural, restricting the amount of agricultural land that would be able to be replaced elsewhere in the area, and thus conversion of these lands would be insufficient to achieve no net loss. Moreover,

5 Public Resources Code, Section 21002.1(b).
6 Public Resources Code, Section 21061.1

HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN, CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, AND

AGRICULTURAL LANDS PRESERVATION PROGRAM REVISED DRAFT EIR

CITY OF HOLLISTER

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TABLE 2-1 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS , MITIGATING POLICIES, AND MITIGATION MEASURES Environmental Impact
Significance
without
Mitigation
General Plan Policies/Actions and
CEQA-Required Mitigation
Significance
with
Mitigation
even if adequate land could be identified to achieve no net loss, the challenges of creating the soil, irrigation, climatic, and economic conditions that are required for productive farmland (i.e., that achieves the same Important Farmland, Farmland of Statewide Importance, or Unique Farmland status) are significant and there would be no guarantee that replacement land could be successfully farmed. In addition, replacing existing undeveloped areas with active agriculture could trigger a range of negative environmental impacts, including increased groundwater consumption, habitat destruction, erosion, air quality impacts, and herbicide and pesticide application. As such, the replacement of the existing agricultural uses on other properties within the proposed SOI is infeasible.  Transfer of Development Rights. Transferring development rights would involve the purchasing of the right to develop land from a currently undeveloped piece of land and transferring those rights to farmland within the city. Thus, this option is also infeasible because there would still be a net loss of farmland (i.e., the farmland preserved would still likely be preserved anyhow). Even if farmland would be preserved elsewhere in San Benito County, the qualified Farmland in the city would be developed, resulting in a net loss of Farmland. Therefore, for the reasons outlined previously, and in this paragraph, it would not prevent significant impacts from occurring in the city and it would not be an effective CEQA mitigation measure, nor is this mitigation measure feasible from an economic perspective within this region.
 Relocation of Prime Farmland Topsoil. This measure would remove the top 12 to 18 inches of topsoil from affected areas and haul this soil to a farm site or several farm sites that have lower-quality soils.

The Prime Farmland, Farmland of Statewide Importance, or Unique Farmland soils may assist in increasing crop yield at the relocated site. This measure would have its own environmental impacts, including increased truck traffic on local roadways from both hauling soil off-site and replacement of soil on-site, increased diesel truck emissions, construction noise, and increased duration of construction. The relocation of prime farmland soils on another active farm would increase other environmental impacts and is therefore considered infeasible.

As described, these measures were considered and found to be infeasible for mitigating or avoiding the impact of the conversion of agricultural lands to other uses pursuant to the definition of CEQA in that there is no guarantee that measures would result in successfully establishing Important Farmland, Farmland of Statewide Importance, or Unique Farmland, if doing so could happen within a reasonable period of time, that their implementation would not potentially cause greater environmental impacts, and that acquiring additional lands to be established as Important Farmland, Farmland of Statewide Importance, or Unique Farmland would be economically possible.

HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN, CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, AND

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2-10 JULY 2024
TABLE 2-1 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS , MITIGATING POLICIES, AND MITIGATION MEASURES Environmental Impact
Significance
without
Mitigation
General Plan Policies/Actions and
CEQA-Required Mitigation
Significance
with
Mitigation
As discussed previously, implementation of the proposed 2040 General Plan would designate qualified Farmland as nonagricultural land uses. Through the proposed 2040 General Plan goals, policies, and actions, and the proposed Agricultural Lands Preservation Program (ALPP), impacts related to the conversion of qualifying agricultural lands would be reduced, but not to a less-than-significant level. The proposed 2040 General Plan contains a policy and action to mitigate and reduce the conversion of qualifying agricultural lands. Specifically, proposed *Policy OS-2.1, Offsets for Loss of Agricultural Land, and proposed *Action OS-2.1, Offsets for Agricultural Land Conversion, requiring all new developments that convert agricultural land to urban uses provide for the preservation of agricultural land at a 1:1 ratio, which are being implemented via the proposed ALPP. Proposed *Policy OS-2.1 and proposed *Action OS-

2.1 and the proposed ALPP, would not reduce the amount of acreage converted under buildout of the proposed 2040 General Plan; however, they would forestall development of the best agricultural land within the EIR Study Area. While these efforts and other mitigation measures were considered, such as preserving agricultural uses in the EIR Study Area, replacement of agricultural resources by replacing lost agricultural uses to other areas of the city, and relocation of Prime Farmland topsoil to other areas, these mitigations are not feasible. While these efforts and other mitigating efforts, such as proposed Policy OS-

2.3, San Benito County Future Development Areas, encouraging San Benito County to focus future development within the areas identified for development; proposed Policy OS-2.4, Coordination with San Benito County to Preserve Important Farmlands, requiring coordination with the County of San Benito in efforts to maintain prime farmlands, unique farmlands, and farmlands of statewide significance in active agricultural use; and proposed Action OS-2.3, Urban Growth Boundary, to establish and maintain an Urban Growth Boundary that delineates future urbanization areas from areas in which urbanization will not occur, work to mitigate impacts, the only way to fully avoid the agricultural impact from implementation of the proposed project is to not allow the conversion of state-designated Prime Farmland, Farmland of Statewide Importance, or Unique Farmland to nonagricultural land uses, thereby eliminating the agricultural impact. However, doing so is not feasible or practical as the City has a responsibility to meet other conflicting obligations, including increases in the number and type of jobs available in Hollister and to reduce the need for residents to commute to high-quality jobs. These measures are critical to reducing single-occupant vehicle travel to and from Hollister and meeting State targets for greenhouse gas reduction. The City needs to promote both economic development and corresponding residential development, as required by State housing law, within its City Limits. While possible forms of mitigation for, or avoidance of, conservation of agricultural lands in the EIR Study Area would be implemented by the City through proposed *Policy OS-2.1 and proposed *Action OS-2.1 and the proposed ALPP, doing so to reduce impacts to a less-than-significant level would be infeasible and inconsistent with City planning goals and objectives. Therefore, impacts would remain significant and

HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN, CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, AND

AGRICULTURAL LANDS PRESERVATION PROGRAM REVISED DRAFT EIR

CITY OF HOLLISTER

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PLACEWORKS 2-11

ADMINISTRATIVE DRAFT
TABLE 2-1 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS , MITIGATING POLICIES, AND MITIGATION MEASURES Environmental Impact
Significance
without
Mitigation
General Plan Policies/Actions and
CEQA-Required Mitigation
Significance
with
Mitigation
unavoidable.

Impact AG-2: Implementation
of the proposed project would
result in the loss of agricultural
land under the Williamson Act.

Significant Open Space and Agriculture (OS)
 *Policy OS-2.1: Offsets for Loss of Agricultural Land. Require that all new developments that convert agricultural land to urban uses provide for preservation of the same amount agricultural land in perpetuity. (new)
 *Action OS-2.1: Offsets for Agricultural Land Conversion. Require the creation and adoption of an agricultural preservation program to address the conversion of land classified as Prime Farmland, Unique Farmland, or Farmland of Statewide Importance in the City Limits and Sphere of Influence to nonagricultural uses. (new)
Significant and
Unavoidable
As described under Impact Discussion AG-1, pursuant to CEQA, the City has considered mitigation to reduce impacts from implementation of the proposed project that could conflict with lands under a Williamson Act contract. However, as shown, no feasible mitigation measures are available that would reduce the agricultural resource impact to less-than-significant levels. Specifically, the City considered a measure that would result in the replacement of Williamson Act contract farmland that would place other farmland under Williamson Act contract. Even if feasible, the placing of alternative farmland under Williamson Act contract would establish a commitment to retain that alternative farmland for agricultural use. The length of time that the alternative land will remain in agricultural use would depend on the terms of the Williamson Act contract. However, the Williamson Act contract will only reduce the potential that the alternative land will convert to nonagricultural use. The individual and cumulative loss of agricultural land caused by the proposed project would still occur. Therefore, this mitigation measure will not reduce impacts on agriculture to below the level of significance. For these reasons, placing alternative privately held land under permanent restriction through Williamson Act contracts is considered infeasible.

As described under Impact Discussion AG-1, the proposed 2040 General Plan includes a policy and action to mitigate and reduce the conversion of qualifying agricultural lands. Proposed *Policy OS-2.1, Offsets for Loss of Agricultural Land, and proposed *Action OS-2.1, Offsets for Agricultural Land Conversion, requiring all new developments that convert agricultural land to urban uses provide for the preservation of agricultural land at a 1:1 ratio, which are being implemented via the proposed Agricultural Land Preservation Program (ALPP). Proposed *Policy OS-2.1 and proposed *Action OS-2.1 and the proposed ALPP would also minimize impacts from conflicts with Williamson Act lands and reduce the likelihood of premature contract cancellations by the property owners of the Williamson Act parcels in the EIR Study Area. Additional mitigation for this impact was considered, including the placement of other farmland under Williamson Act contract. However, the individual and cumulative loss of agricultural land under the

HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN, CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, AND

AGRICULTURAL LANDS PRESERVATION PROGRAM REVISED DRAFT EIR

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

2-12 JULY 2024
TABLE 2-1 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS , MITIGATING POLICIES, AND MITIGATION MEASURES Environmental Impact
Significance
without
Mitigation
General Plan Policies/Actions and
CEQA-Required Mitigation
Significance
with
Mitigation
Williamson Act caused by the proposed project would still occur. Given that CEQA does not require that the project be changed to avoid an impact, and no additional mitigation is available, this would result in a significant and unavoidable impact.

Impact AG-4: The proposed
project, in combination with
past, present, and reasonably
foreseeable projects, could
result in a significant
cumulative impact with respect
to the conversion of Prime
Farmland, Farmland of
Statewide Importance, or
Unique Farmland land
(together referred to as
“qualified Farmland”) under
CEQA and Williamson Act
properties to nonagricultural
uses.

Significant Open Space and Agriculture (OS)
 *Policy OS-2.1: Offsets for Loss of Agricultural Land. Require that all new developments that convert agricultural land to urban uses provide for preservation of the same amount agricultural land in perpetuity. (new)
 *Action OS-2.1: Offsets for Agricultural Land Conversion. Require the creation and adoption of an agricultural preservation program to address the conversion of land classified as Prime Farmland, Unique Farmland, or Farmland of Statewide Importance in the City Limits and Sphere of Influence to nonagricultural uses. (new)
Significant and
Unavoidable
As described previously, implementation of the proposed project would result in significant impacts related to the conversion of qualified Farmland under CEQA and Williamson Act properties to nonagricultural uses. As such, the proposed project would contribute to the cumulative impact described in the San Benito County General Plan Update EIR. Although the proposed 2040 General Plan *Policy OS-

2.1, Offsets for Loss of Agricultural Land, and proposed *Action OS-2.1, Offsets for Agricultural Land Conversion, and the proposed Agricultural Lands Preservation Program would reduce and partially offset regional agricultural impacts, as well as consideration of mitigation measures to avoid conversion, the only way to fully avoid the agricultural impact of the proposed project is to not allow development on state-designated farmland. However, this would be infeasible and inconsistent with City planning goals and objectives. Further, the amount of growth foreseen in the region and the decisions of San Benito County and other surrounding counties regarding conversion of agricultural land are outside the control of the City of Hollister. Therefore, this impact would be significant and unavoidable.

AIR QUALITY (AIR)
Impact AIR-1: Implementation
of the proposed project would
result in the generation of
substantial operational (long-
term) criteria air pollutant
emissions that would exceed
Monterey Bay Air Resources
District’s (MBARD’s) regional
significance threshold for
Significant Natural Resource and Conservation (NRC)
 *Policy NRC-3.6: Technical Assessments. Require project applicants to prepare technical assessments evaluating potential project construction and operation phase-related air quality impacts to the City of Hollister for review and approval prior to project approval. Such evaluations shall be prepared in conformance with Monterey Bay Air Resources District (MBARD) criteria and methodology in assessing air quality impacts. If air pollutants are found to have the potential to exceed the MBARD- adopted thresholds of significance, ensure mitigation measures, such as those listed in the General Plan Environmental Impact Report, are incorporated to reduce air pollutant emissions during construction or operational activities. (new)
Significant and
Unavoidable

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AGRICULTURAL LANDS PRESERVATION PROGRAM REVISED DRAFT EIR

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PLACEWORKS 2-13

ADMINISTRATIVE DRAFT
TABLE 2-1 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS , MITIGATING POLICIES, AND MITIGATION MEASURES Environmental Impact
Significance
without
Mitigation
General Plan Policies/Actions and
CEQA-Required Mitigation
Significance
with
Mitigation
Volatile Organic Compounds
(VOC), nitrogen oxides (NOX),
and carbon monoxide (CO)
and would; therefore, not be
considered consistent with the
existing Air Quality
Management Plan (AQMP).

The various goals, policies, and actions of the proposed 2040 General Plan identified under Impact Discussions AIR-1 and AIR-2, in addition to applicable MBARD rules and regulations, would reduce operational (long-term) criteria air pollutant emissions to the extent feasible. Specifically, proposed *Policy NRC-3.6, Technical Assessments, would mitigate impacts by requiring project applicants to prepare technical assessments evaluating potential project construction and operation phase-related air quality impacts and submit to the City of Hollister for review and approval. Pursuant to proposed *Policy NRC-3.6, the evaluations must be prepared in conformance with MBARD criteria and methodology in assessing air quality impacts. Where the technical assessment finds that air pollutants have the potential to exceed the MBARD-adopted thresholds of significance, the technical assessment shall identify project- specific mitigation measures to reduce air pollutant emissions during construction or operational activities. Examples of types of project-specific mitigation measures that are available to future projects in Hollister are listed in Impact Discussion AIR-2. However, because of the magnitude and intensity of development accommodated by the proposed 2040 General Plan, as well as regional air quality influences beyond the control of Hollister, impacts associated with consistency with the MBARD would remain significant and unavoidable. No additional feasible mitigation measures or mitigating policies at the program level would ensure consistency of the proposed project with the MBARD’s AQMP. The identification of this program-level impact does not preclude the finding of less-than-significant impacts for subsequent individual projects that meet applicable project-level thresholds of significance.

Impact AIR-2a: Operation of
development projects that
could occur from
implementation of the project
would generate emissions that
would exceed Monterey Bay
Air Resources District’s
(MBARD’s) regional significance
thresholds for Volatile Organic
Compounds (VOC), nitrogen
oxides (NOX), and carbon
monoxide (CO).

Significant Natural Resource and Conservation (NRC)
 *Policy NRC-3.6: Technical Assessments. Require project applicants to prepare technical assessments evaluating potential project construction and operation phase-related air quality impacts to the City of Hollister for review and approval prior to project approval. Such evaluations shall be prepared in conformance with Monterey Bay Air Resources District (MBARD) criteria and methodology in assessing air quality impacts. If air pollutants are found to have the potential to exceed the MBARD- adopted thresholds of significance, ensure mitigation measures, such as those listed in the General Plan Environmental Impact Report, are incorporated to reduce air pollutant emissions during construction or operational activities. (new)
Significant and
Unavoidable
Long-term emissions for VOC that could occur over the buildout horizon of the proposed 2040 General Plan would exceed MBARD’s regional significance thresholds and cumulatively contribute to the nonattainment designation of the North Central Coast Air Basin (NCCAB). The goals, policies, and actions of the proposed 2040 General Plan, and implementation of MBARD Rule 207, Review of New or Modified Sources, would reduce air pollutant emissions to the extent feasible. Specifically, proposed *Policy NRC-

3.6, Technical Assessments, would mitigate impacts by requiring project applicants to prepare technical assessments evaluating potential project construction and operation phase-related air quality impacts to the City of Hollister for review and approval. Pursuant to proposed *Policy NRC-3.6, the evaluations must

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AGRICULTURAL LANDS PRESERVATION PROGRAM REVISED DRAFT EIR

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

2-14 JULY 2024
TABLE 2-1 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS , MITIGATING POLICIES, AND MITIGATION MEASURES Environmental Impact
Significance
without
Mitigation
General Plan Policies/Actions and
CEQA-Required Mitigation
Significance
with
Mitigation
be prepared in conformance with MBARD criteria and methodology in assessing air quality impacts.

Where the technical assessment finds that air pollutants have the potential to exceed the MBARD- adopted thresholds of significance, the technical assessment shall identify project-specific mitigation measures to reduce air pollutant emissions during construction or operational activities. Possible mitigation measures for potential future project-specific developments to reduce operational (long-term) emissions can include, but are not limited to the following:
 Provide preferential carpool/vanpool parking spaces
 Implement a parking surcharge for single occupant vehicles  Provide for shuttle/mini-bus service
 Provide bicycle storage/parking facilities and bicycle paths within major subdivisions that link to an external network
 Provide shower/locker facilities
 Provide onsite child care centers
 Provide transit design features within the development  Develop park-and-ride lots
 Off-site mitigation
 Employ a transportation/rideshare coordinator
 Implement a rideshare program
 Provide incentives to employees to rideshare or take public transportation  Implement flexible work schedules that do not reduce transit ridership  Implement compressed work schedules
 Implement telecommuting program
 Provide pedestrian facilities within major subdivisions The measures and policies covering topics such as expansion of the pedestrian and bicycle networks, promotion of public and active transit, and support to increase building energy efficiency and energy conservation would also reduce criteria air pollutants within the city. However, operational (long-term) emissions would remain significant and unavoidable due to the increase in VOCs from residential development and increase in NOX and CO from mobile sources associated with the project.

This EIR quantifies the increase in criteria air pollutants emissions in the city. However, at a programmatic level analysis, it is not feasible to quantify the increase in toxic air contaminants (TACs) from stationary

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ADMINISTRATIVE DRAFT
TABLE 2-1 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS , MITIGATING POLICIES, AND MITIGATION MEASURES Environmental Impact
Significance
without
Mitigation
General Plan Policies/Actions and
CEQA-Required Mitigation
Significance
with
Mitigation
sources associated with the proposed project or meaningfully correlate how regional criteria air pollutant emissions above the MBARD’s significance thresholds correlate with basin wide health impacts.

To determine cancer and noncancer health risk, the location, velocity of emissions, meteorology and topography of the area, and locations of receptors are equally important as model parameters as the quantity of TAC emissions. The white paper prepared by the Association of Environmental Professionals’ Climate Change Committee, We Can Model Regional Emissions, But Are the Results Meaningful for CEQA, describes several of the challenges of quantifying local effects—particularly health risks—for large-scale, regional projects, and these are applicable to both criteria air pollutants and TACs.

Similarly, the two amicus briefs filed by the air districts on the Friant Ranch case describe two positions regarding CEQA requirements, modeling feasibility, variables, and reliability of results for determining specific health risks associated with criteria air pollutants. The discussions also include the distinction between criteria air pollutant emissions and TACs with respect to health risks. Additionally, the MBARD’s CEQA Air Quality Guidelines demonstrate the infeasibility based on the current guidance/methodologies.

The following summarizes major points about the infeasibility of assessing health risks of criteria air pollutant emissions and TACs associated with implementation of a general plan. The white paper and amicus briefs are provided in Appendix B, Revised Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data, of this Revised Draft EIR.

To achieve and maintain air quality standards, the MBARD has established numerical emission indicators of significance for regional and localized air quality impacts for both construction and operational phases of a local plan or project. MBARD has established criteria for Negative Declarations, Mitigated Negative Declarations, and EIRs which can be used by lead agencies as a checklist to determine a project’s significance on air quality.7 The numerical emission indicators are based on the recognition that the NCCAB is a distinct geographic area with a critical air pollution problem for which ambient air quality standards have been promulgated to protect public health. The thresholds represent the maximum emissions from a plan or project that are expected not to cause or contribute to an exceedance of the most stringent applicable national or state ambient air quality standard. By analyzing the plan’s emissions against the thresholds, an EIR assesses whether these emissions directly contribute to any regional or local exceedances of the applicable ambient air quality standards and exposure levels.

7 The criteria for Negative Declarations are equivalent to those for a NEPA Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) while the criteria for an EIR are equivalent to those for a NEPA Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

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2-16 JULY 2024
TABLE 2-1 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS , MITIGATING POLICIES, AND MITIGATION MEASURES Environmental Impact
Significance
without
Mitigation
General Plan Policies/Actions and
CEQA-Required Mitigation
Significance
with
Mitigation
MBARD currently does not have methodologies that would provide the city with a consistent, reliable, and meaningful analysis to correlate specific health impacts that may result from a proposed project’s mass emissions. For criteria air pollutants, exceedance of the regional significance thresholds cannot be used to correlate a project to quantifiable health impacts unless emissions are sufficiently high to use a regional model. MBARD has not provided methodology to assess the specific correlation between mass emissions generated and their effect on health (note Appendix B, Revised Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data, of this Revised Draft EIR provides the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District’s amicus brief and South Coast Air Quality Management District’s amicus brief).

Ozone concentrations depend on a variety of complex factors, including the presence of sunlight and precursor pollutants, natural topography, nearby structures that cause building downwash, atmospheric stability, and wind patterns. Secondary formation of particulate matter (PM) and ozone can occur far from sources as a result of regional transport due to wind and topography (e.g., low-level jet stream).

Photochemical modeling depends on all emission sources in the entire domain (i.e., modeling grid). Low resolution and spatial averaging produce “noise” and modeling errors that usually exceed individual source contributions. Because of the complexities of predicting ground-level ozone concentrations in relation to the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (AAQS) and California AAQS, it is not possible to link health risks to the magnitude of emissions exceeding the significance thresholds.

Current models used in CEQA air quality analyses are designed to estimate potential project construction and operation emissions for defined projects. The estimated emissions are compared to significance thresholds, which are keyed to reducing emissions to levels that will not interfere with the region’s ability to attain the health-based standards. This serves to protect public health in the overall region, but there is currently no CEQA methodology to determine the impact of emissions (e.g., pounds per day) on future concentration levels (e.g., parts per million or micrograms per cubic meter) in specific geographic areas.

CEQA thresholds, therefore, are not specifically tied to potential health outcomes in the region.

Further, as shown in Table 4.3-10, Net Change in Regional Criteria Air Pollutant Emissions from Existing Baseline, compared to existing baseline year conditions, emissions of NOX are projected to decrease from current levels and be below MBARD’s regional significance threshold despite growth associated with the proposed 2040 General Plan. Meaning, that the finding that the project would cumulatively contribute to health effects is conservative in light of reductions in emissions as a result of improvements in technology. However, because cumulative development within the city would exceed the regional significance thresholds compared to the no project conditions, this EIR identifies that the proposed project could contribute to an increase in health effects in the NCCAB until the attainment standards are

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PLACEWORKS 2-17

ADMINISTRATIVE DRAFT
TABLE 2-1 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS , MITIGATING POLICIES, AND MITIGATION MEASURES Environmental Impact
Significance
without
Mitigation
General Plan Policies/Actions and
CEQA-Required Mitigation
Significance
with
Mitigation
met.

The EIR must provide an analysis that is understandable for decision making and public disclosure.

Regional-scale modeling may provide a technical method for this type of analysis, but it does not necessarily provide a meaningful way to connect the magnitude of a project’s criteria pollutant emissions to health effects without speculation. Additionally, this type of analysis is not feasible at a general plan level because the location of emissions sources and quantity of emissions are not known.

In summary, as described above, implementation of the proposed project would generate emissions that would exceed MBARD’s regional significance thresholds for VOC, NOX, and CO. The proposed 2040 General Plan includes goals, policies, and actions to reduce these long-term regional criteria air pollutant emissions. Proposed *Policy NCR-3.6, Technical Assessments, requires potential future development in Hollister to prepare and submit a technical assessment evaluating potential project operation phase- related air quality impacts to the City of Hollister for review and approval prior to project approval by the City. Where the technical assessment determines the MBARD-adopted thresholds are exceeded, the applicants for new development projects would be required to incorporate mitigation measures to reduce air pollutant emissions during operational activities. Due to the programmatic nature of this EIR, no additional mitigation measures or mitigating policies are available, and the impact is found to be significant and unavoidable. The identification of this program-level impact does not preclude the finding of less-than-significant impacts for subsequent individual projects that meet applicable thresholds of significance.

Impact AIR-2b: Construction
activities that could occur over
the buildout horizon of the
proposed 2040 General Plan
would generate substantial
short-term criteria air pollutant
emissions that would exceed
Monterey Bay Air Resources
District’s (MBARD’s) regional
significance thresholds and
cumulative contribute to the
nonattainment designations of
the North Central Coast Air
Basin (NCCAB).

Significant Natural Resource and Conservation (NRC)
 *Policy NRC-3.6: Technical Assessments. Require project applicants to prepare technical assessments evaluating potential project construction and operation phase-related air quality impacts to the City of Hollister for review and approval prior to project approval. Such evaluations shall be prepared in conformance with Monterey Bay Air Resources District (MBARD) criteria and methodology in assessing air quality impacts. If air pollutants are found to have the potential to exceed the MBARD- adopted thresholds of significance, ensure mitigation measures, such as those listed in the General Plan Environmental Impact Report, are incorporated to reduce air pollutant emissions during construction or operational activities. (new)
Significant and
Unavoidable
Implementation of the proposed project would occur over a period of 15 years or longer. Construction activities associated with development that could occur under the proposed project could generate short-term emissions that exceed the MBARD’s significance thresholds during this time and cumulatively contribute to the nonattainment designations of the NCCAB. Implementation of applicable regulatory measures (e.g., MBARD Rule 400, Visible Emissions, Rule 402, Nuisances, and Rule 426, Architectural

HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN, CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, AND

AGRICULTURAL LANDS PRESERVATION PROGRAM REVISED DRAFT EIR

CITY OF HOLLISTER

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

2-18 JULY 2024
TABLE 2-1 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS , MITIGATING POLICIES, AND MITIGATION MEASURES Environmental Impact
Significance
without
Mitigation
General Plan Policies/Actions and
CEQA-Required Mitigation
Significance
with
Mitigation
Coatings) and the proposed 2040 General Plan goals and policies listed above would reduce criteria air pollutant emissions from construction-related activities to the extent feasible and may result in reducing construction-related regional air quality impacts of subsequent individual projects to less than significant.

Specifically, proposed *Policy NRC-3.6, Technical Assessments, would mitigate impacts by requiring project applicants to prepare technical assessments evaluating potential project construction and operation phase-related air quality impacts to the City of Hollister for review and approval. Pursuant to proposed *Policy NRC-3.6, the evaluations must be prepared in conformance with MBARD criteria and methodology in assessing air quality impacts. Where the technical assessment finds that air pollutants have the potential to exceed the MBARD-adopted thresholds of significance, the technical assessment shall identify project-specific mitigation measures to reduce air pollutant emissions during construction or operational activities. Future project-specific mitigation measures to reduce construction-related emissions could include, but are not limited to:
 Using construction equipment rated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as having Tier 4 interim (model year 2008 or newer) or higher emission limits, applicable for engines between 50 and 750 horsepower. A list of construction equipment by type and model year shall be maintained by the construction contractor on-site, which shall be available for City review upon request.  Ensuring construction equipment is properly serviced and maintained to the manufacturer’s standards.
 Use of alternative-fueled or catalyst-equipped diesel construction equipment, if available and feasible.  Clearly posted signs that require operators of trucks and construction equipment to minimize idling time (e.g., five-minute maximum).
 Preparation and implementation of a fugitive dust control plan that may include the following measures:
 Water all active construction areas at least twice daily. Frequency should be based on the type of operation, soil, and wind exposure.
 Prohibit all grading activities during periods of high wind (over 15 miles per hour).  Apply chemical soil stabilizers on inactive construction areas (disturbed lands within construction projects that are unused for at least four consecutive days).  Apply non-toxic binders (e.g., latex acrylic copolymer) to exposed areas after cut and fill operations and hydro seed area.
 Haul trucks shall maintain at least two feet and zero inches of freeboard.  Cover all trucks hauling dirt, sand, or loose materials.

HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN, CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, AND

AGRICULTURAL LANDS PRESERVATION PROGRAM REVISED DRAFT EIR

CITY OF HOLLISTER

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
PLACEWORKS 2-19

ADMINISTRATIVE DRAFT
TABLE 2-1 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS , MITIGATING POLICIES, AND MITIGATION MEASURES Environmental Impact
Significance
without
Mitigation
General Plan Policies/Actions and
CEQA-Required Mitigation
Significance
with
Mitigation
 Plant tree windbreaks on the windward perimeter of construction projects, if adjacent to open land.
 Plant vegetative ground cover in disturbed areas as soon as possible.  Cover inactive storage piles.
 Install wheel washers at the entrance to construction sites for all exiting trucks.  Pave all roads on construction sites.
 Sweep streets if visible soil material is carried out from the construction site.  Post a publicly visible sign which specifies the telephone number and person to contact regarding dust complaints. This person shall respond to complaints and take corrective action within 48 hours. The phone number of the MBARD shall be visible to ensure compliance with Rule 402 (Nuisances).
 Limit the area under construction at any one time.

However, due to the programmatic nature of the proposed project, construction time frames and equipment for individual site-specific projects are not available and there is a potential for multiple developments to be constructed at any one time, resulting in significant construction-related emissions.

Therefore, despite adherence to proposed *Policy NRC-3.6, Technical Assessments, and due to the programmatic nature of the proposed project, no additional mitigation measures or mitigating policies are available, and this impact would remain significant and unavoidable. The identification of this program-level impact does not preclude the finding of less-than-significant impacts for subsequent individual projects that meet applicable thresholds of significance.

Impact AIR-3a: Implementation
of the proposed project could
expose air quality sensitive
receptors to substantial toxic
air contaminant concentrations
from non-permitted sources
during operation.

Significant Natural Resource and Conservation (NRC)
 *Policy NRC-3.15: Operational Health Risk Assessment. Require project applicants of discretionary projects to prepare an operational health risk assessment (HRA) for industrial or warehousing land uses and commercial land uses that would generate substantial diesel truck travel (i.e., 100 diesel trucks or 40 or more trucks with diesel-powered transport refrigeration units per day based on the California Air Resources Board recommendations for siting new sensitive land uses) prior to project approval. The operational HRA shall be prepared in accordance with policies and procedures of the State Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment and the Monterey Bay Air Resources District (MBARD). If the operational HRA shows that the incremental cancer risk exceeds 10 in a million, the appropriate noncancer hazard index exceeds 1.0; or the thresholds as determined by the MBARD, the City shall require the project applicant to identify and demonstrate measures, such as those listed in the General Plan Environmental Impact Report, that can reduce potential cancer and noncancer risks to an acceptable level. (new)
Significant and
Unavoidable

HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN, CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, AND

AGRICULTURAL LANDS PRESERVATION PROGRAM REVISED DRAFT EIR

CITY OF HOLLISTER

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

2-20 JULY 2024
TABLE 2-1 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS , MITIGATING POLICIES, AND MITIGATION MEASURES Environmental Impact
Significance
without
Mitigation
General Plan Policies/Actions and
CEQA-Required Mitigation
Significance
with
Mitigation
Potential future development from implementation of the proposed 2040 General Plan could result in a substantial increase in DPM near existing or planned air quality sensitive receptors (e.g., children, the elderly, the acutely ill, and the chronically ill, especially those with cardiorespiratory diseases, disadvantaged communities). Proposed 2040 General Plan *Policy NRC-3.15, Operational Health Risk Assessments, would mitigate impacts by requiring that applicants of industrial or warehousing land uses in addition to commercial land uses that would generate substantial diesel truck travel (i.e., 100 diesel trucks per day or 40 or more trucks with diesel-powered transport refrigeration units per day based on the California Air Resources Board recommendations for siting new sensitive land uses) to prepare and submit an operational health risk assessment (HRA) to the City of Hollister for review and approval. If the operational HRA determines the new development poses health hazards that increase the incremental cancer risk above the threshold established by the Monterey Bay Air Resource District (MBARD), project- specific mitigation measures shall be integrated to reduce cancer and acute risk below the MBARD threshold. The operational HRA is required to be prepared in accordance with policies and procedures of the State Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment and MBARD. If the operational HRA shows that the incremental cancer risk exceeds 10 in a million, the appropriate noncancer hazard index exceeds

1.0; or the thresholds as determined by the MBARD at the time a project is considered, the project applicant would be required to identify and demonstrate that measures can reduce potential cancer and noncancer risks to an acceptable level, including appropriate enforcement mechanisms.

Examples of project-specific mitigation measures that future projects in Hollister can apply to reduce risk impacts may include but are not limited to:
 Restricting idling onsite beyond Air Toxic Control Measures idling restrictions, as feasible.  Electrifying warehousing docks.
 Requiring use of newer equipment and/or vehicles.
 Restricting offsite truck travel through the creation of truck routes.

Implementation of proposed *Policy NRC-3.15, Operational Health Risk Assessments, would ensure mobile sources of emissions not covered under MBARD permits are considered and mitigated during subsequent project-level environmental review by the City of Hollister. Potential future development projects in the city that have the potential to generate potentially significant risks associated with the release of TACs are required to undergo an analysis of their potential health risks associated with (toxic air contaminants) TACs based upon the specific details of each individual project. Though individual projects would be required to have less-than-significant impacts, cumulative development in the City would result in an increase in diesel particulate matter (DPM) concentrations and could increase the

HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN, CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, AND

AGRICULTURAL LANDS PRESERVATION PROGRAM REVISED DRAFT EIR

CITY OF HOLLISTER

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
PLACEWORKS 2-21

ADMINISTRATIVE DRAFT
TABLE 2-1 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS , MITIGATING POLICIES, AND MITIGATION MEASURES Environmental Impact
Significance
without
Mitigation
General Plan Policies/Actions and
CEQA-Required Mitigation
Significance
with
Mitigation
environmental burden on sensitive populations, including environmental justice communities, in the North Central Coast Air Basin. Overall, because there are no specific development projects identified or approved under the proposed 2040 General Plan and the location and exact nature of future development projects are unknown, determining health risk at this time is considered speculative pursuant to Section 15145 of the CEQA Guidelines. Health risk impacts from development of industrial and commercial land uses are considered a significant and unavoidable project and cumulative impact.

However, the identification of this program-level impact does not preclude the finding of less-than- significant impacts for subsequent individual projects that meet applicable thresholds of significance.

Impact AIR-3b: Construction
activities associated with
potential future development
could expose nearby air quality
sensitive receptors to
substantial concentrations of
toxic air contaminants during
construction.

Significant Natural Resource and Conservation (NRC)
 *Policy NRC-3.6: Technical Assessments. Require project applicants to prepare technical assessments evaluating potential project construction and operation phase-related air quality impacts to the City of Hollister for review and approval prior to project approval. Such evaluations shall be prepared in conformance with Monterey Bay Air Resources District (MBARD) criteria and methodology in assessing air quality impacts. If air pollutants are found to have the potential to exceed the MBARD- adopted thresholds of significance, ensure mitigation measures, such as those listed in the General Plan Environmental Impact Report, are incorporated to reduce air pollutant emissions during construction or operational activities. (new)
 *Policy NRC-3.14: Construction Health Risk Assessment. Require project applicants of discretionary projects on sites greater than one acre, within 1,000 feet of sensitive land uses (e.g., residences, schools, day care facilities, and nursing homes, etc.), as measured from the property line of the project, that utilize off-road equipment of 50 horsepower or more, and that occur for more than 12 months of active construction (i.e., exclusive of interior renovations) to prepare a construction health risk assessment (HRA) in accordance with policies and procedures of the State Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment and Monterey Bay Air Resources District (MBARD). If the construction HRA shows that the incremental cancer risk exceeds 10 in a million, the appropriate noncancer hazard index exceeds 1.0; or the thresholds as determined by the MBARD, require the project applicant to identify and demonstrate measures, such as those listed in the General Plan Environmental Impact Report, that can reduce potential cancer and noncancer risks to an acceptable level. (new) Significant and
Unavoidable
Implementation of the proposed project would occur over a period of 15 years or longer. Construction activities associated with potential future development over the buildout horizon of the proposed 2040 General Plan could expose air quality sensitive receptors to short-term construction emissions.

Implementation of proposed 2040 General Plan *Policy NRC-3.14, Construction Health Risk Assessment, would mitigate impacts by requiring subsequent project-specific evaluation of qualifying future development projects to assess potential impacts and mitigate those impacts to acceptable levels.

HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN, CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, AND

AGRICULTURAL LANDS PRESERVATION PROGRAM REVISED DRAFT EIR

CITY OF HOLLISTER

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

2-22 JULY 2024
TABLE 2-1 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS , MITIGATING POLICIES, AND MITIGATION MEASURES Environmental Impact
Significance
without
Mitigation
General Plan Policies/Actions and
CEQA-Required Mitigation
Significance
with
Mitigation
Proposed *Policy NRC-3.14 would require new sources of air pollution that will generate new air quality impacts or expose to harmful emissions of toxic air pollutants to prepare a construction Health Risk Assessment in alignment with the State Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment and Monterey Bay Air Resource District’s CEQA Air Quality Guidelines. The construction Health Risk Assessment shall be submitted to the City of Hollister for review and approval and shall identify project- specific mitigation measures to reduce air pollutant emissions during construction activities such as the use of construction equipment with United States Environmental Protection Agency Tier 4-rated (or higher) engines. Implementation of proposed *Policy NRC-3.6, Technical Assessments, in addition to applicable regulatory measures, would reduce criteria air pollutant emissions from construction-related activities to the extent feasible and may result in reducing construction-related regional air quality impacts of subsequent individual projects to a less-than-significant level. However, due to the programmatic nature of the proposed project, construction time frames and equipment for individual site-specific projects are not available and there is a potential for multiple developments to be constructed at any one time, resulting in significant construction-related emissions. Therefore, despite adherence to proposed *Policy NRC-3.6, due to the programmatic nature of the proposed project, no additional mitigation measures or mitigating policies are available, and this impact would remain significant and unavoidable. The identification of this program-level impact does not preclude the finding of less-than-significant impacts for subsequent individual projects that meet applicable thresholds of significance.

Impact AIR-5: The emissions
that could occur over the
buildout horizon of the
proposed 2040 General Plan
could generate a substantial
increase in emissions that
exceeds the Monterey Bay Air
Resources District’s (MBARD’s)
significance thresholds and
cumulatively contribute to the
nonattainment designations
and health risk in the North
Central Coast Air Basin
(NCCAB).

Significant Natural Resource and Conservation (NRC)
 *Policy NRC-3.6: Technical Assessments. Require project applicants to prepare technical assessments evaluating potential project construction and operation phase-related air quality impacts to the City of Hollister for review and approval prior to project approval. Such evaluations shall be prepared in conformance with Monterey Bay Air Resources District (MBARD) criteria and methodology in assessing air quality impacts. If air pollutants are found to have the potential to exceed the MBARD- adopted thresholds of significance, ensure mitigation measures, such as those listed in the General Plan Environmental Impact Report, are incorporated to reduce air pollutant emissions during construction or operational activities. (new)
 *Policy NRC-3.14: Construction Health Risk Assessment. Require project applicants of discretionary projects on sites greater than one acre, within 1,000 feet of sensitive land uses (e.g., residences, schools, day care facilities, and nursing homes, etc.), as measured from the property line of the project, that utilize off-road equipment of 50 horsepower or more, and that occur for more than 12 months of active construction (i.e., exclusive of interior renovations) to prepare a construction health risk assessment (HRA) in accordance with policies and procedures of the State Office of Environmental Significant and
Unavoidable

HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN, CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, AND

AGRICULTURAL LANDS PRESERVATION PROGRAM REVISED DRAFT EIR

CITY OF HOLLISTER

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
PLACEWORKS 2-23

ADMINISTRATIVE DRAFT
TABLE 2-1 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS , MITIGATING POLICIES, AND MITIGATION MEASURES Environmental Impact
Significance
without
Mitigation
General Plan Policies/Actions and
CEQA-Required Mitigation
Significance
with
Mitigation
Health Hazard Assessment and Monterey Bay Air Resources District (MBARD). If the construction HRA shows that the incremental cancer risk exceeds 10 in a million, the appropriate noncancer hazard index exceeds 1.0; or the thresholds as determined by the MBARD, require the project applicant to identify and demonstrate measures, such as those listed in the General Plan Environmental Impact Report, that can reduce potential cancer and noncancer risks to an acceptable level. (new)  *Policy NRC-3.15: Operational Health Risk Assessment. Require project applicants of discretionary projects to prepare an operational health risk assessment (HRA) for industrial or warehousing land uses and commercial land uses that would generate substantial diesel truck travel (i.e., 100 diesel trucks or 40 or more trucks with diesel-powered transport refrigeration units per day based on the California Air Resources Board recommendations for siting new sensitive land uses) prior to project approval. The operational HRA shall be prepared in accordance with policies and procedures of the State Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment and the Monterey Bay Air Resources District (MBARD). If the operational HRA shows that the incremental cancer risk exceeds 10 in a million, the appropriate noncancer hazard index exceeds 1.0; or the thresholds as determined by the MBARD, the City shall require the project applicant to identify and demonstrate measures, such as those listed in the General Plan Environmental Impact Report, that can reduce potential cancer and noncancer risks to an acceptable level. (new)
Criteria air pollutant emissions generated by land uses of the proposed 2040 General Plan could exceed the MBARD regional thresholds (see Impact Discussions AIR-2 and AIR-3). Air quality impacts identified in the discussion under Impact AIR-2a, AIR-2b, AIR-3a, and AIR-3b constitute the proposed project’s contribution to cumulative air quality impacts in the NCCAB. Proposed 2040 General Plan *Policy NRC-

3.6, Technical Assessments, *Policy NRC-3.14, Construction Health Risk Assessments, and *Policy NRC-

3.15, Operational Health Risk Assessments, identified previously to mitigate impacts by reducing project- related emissions, would reduce impacts to the extent feasible. Due to the programmatic nature of the project, no additional mitigation measures are available. Air pollutant emissions associated with the project would result in a cumulatively considerable contribution to air quality 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.

BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES (BIO)
Impact BIO-1: Impacts to
special-status species or the
inadvertent loss of bird nests in
active use, which would
Significant Natural Resource and Conservation (NRC)
 *Policy NRC-1.4: Specialized Surveys for Special-Status Species and Sensitive Natural Communities.

Require that sites with suitable natural habitat, including creek corridors through urbanized areas, be surveyed for special-status species and sensitive natural communities prior to development approval Less than
significant

HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN, CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, AND

AGRICULTURAL LANDS PRESERVATION PROGRAM REVISED DRAFT EIR

CITY OF HOLLISTER

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

2-24 JULY 2024
TABLE 2-1 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS , MITIGATING POLICIES, AND MITIGATION MEASURES Environmental Impact
Significance
without
Mitigation
General Plan Policies/Actions and
CEQA-Required Mitigation
Significance
with
Mitigation
conflict with the federal
Migratory Bird Treaty Act and
California Fish and Game Code,
could occur as a result of
implementation of the
proposed project.
as part of the environmental review process. Such surveys shall be conducted by a qualified biologist and occur prior to development-related vegetation removal. All surveys shall take place during appropriate seasons to determine presence or absence, including nesting or breeding occurrences, with a determination on whether the project site contains suitable habitat for such species and sensitive natural community types. These results would inform the site assessment and environmental review process for proposed developments and other activities that could adversely affect special- status species. (Policy NRC1.7)
 *Policy NRC-1.5: Biological Site Assessment. Require a biological resource assessment for proposed development on sites with natural habitat conditions that may support special-status species, sensitive natural communities, or regulated wetlands and waters. The assessment shall be prepared prior to project approval and conducted by a qualified biologist to determine the presence or absence of any sensitive resources that could be affected by proposed development, shall provide an assessment of the potential impacts, and shall define measures for protecting the resource and surrounding buffer habitat, in compliance with City policy and state and federal laws. An assessment shall not be necessary for locations where past and existing development have eliminated natural habitat and the potential for presence of sensitive biological resources and regulated waters. (new)  *Policy NRC-1.6: Mitigation of Potential Impacts on Special-Status Species and Sensitive Habitat Areas.

Require that potential significant impacts on special-status species, occurrences of sensitive natural communities, or regulated wetlands and waters be minimized through adjustments and controls on the design, construction, and operations of a proposed project prior to project approval. Where impacts to these sensitive biological habitat areas are unavoidable, appropriate compensatory mitigation shall be required by the City. Such compensatory mitigation shall be developed and implemented in accordance with City policy and any relevant state and federal regulations. These may include on-site set asides, off-site acquisitions (conservation easements, deed restrictions, etc.), and specific restoration efforts that benefit the special-status species and sensitive habitat areas. (new)  *Policy NRC-1.7: Preconstruction Surveys for the San Joaquin Kit Fox. Require preconstruction surveys for the San Joaquin kit fox prior to project approval, in accordance with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Guidelines for Preconstruction Surveys for the endangered San Joaquin Kit Fox, for new developments in the County-designated kit fox habitat area. Development in the habitat area boundaries shall be assessed an impact fee by the County for every home or acre developed. (new)  *Policy NRC-1.8: California Red-Legged Frog and California Tiger Salamander Site Assessments.

Require site assessments by a qualified biologist to evaluate the potential for proposed projects in identified Critical Habitat areas for the California red-legged frog and/or California tiger salamander to

HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN, CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, AND

AGRICULTURAL LANDS PRESERVATION PROGRAM REVISED DRAFT EIR

CITY OF HOLLISTER

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
PLACEWORKS 2-25

ADMINISTRATIVE DRAFT
TABLE 2-1 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS , MITIGATING POLICIES, AND MITIGATION MEASURES Environmental Impact
Significance
without
Mitigation
General Plan Policies/Actions and
CEQA-Required Mitigation
Significance
with
Mitigation
have a negative effect on these species. Such assessments shall be prepared prior to project approval and identify any high-quality habitat for these species and shall be peer reviewed by a second qualified biologist. Protocol surveys may be warranted to confirm presence or absence of these species based on the results of the habitat assessment. Development in areas with identified high- quality occupied habitat shall be avoided. High-quality habit includes sites known to be occupied by the species, breeding habitat, large areas of suitable habitat, and the absence of nearby development. (new)
 *Policy NRC-1.9: Surveys and Mitigation for Burrowing Owls. Require project applicants with proposed projects on grazing or fallow agricultural land to conduct a survey for burrowing owls in accordance with the latest guidelines of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife prior to project approval.

Project applicants in the Fairview Road/Santa Ana Road area shall be required to develop and implement a mitigation plan to avoid or otherwise compensate for any disturbance to the burrowing owl colony in that area. This plan shall be developed in coordination with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. (Implementation Measure NRC.G & NRC.I)  *Policy NRC-1.10: Preconstruction Surveys for Nesting Birds. Require preconstruction surveys for nesting native birds, to be conducted prior to site disturbance by a qualified biologist, for those projects that would affect on-site oaks or orchards, or which would involve vegetation removal and construction during the nesting season (February 1 to August 31). The City shall allow no construction activities that would result in the disturbance of an active native bird nest (including tree removal) to proceed until after it has been determined by a qualified biologist that the nest has been abandoned. (Implementation Measure NRC.U)
 *Policy NRC-1.13: Wetland Preservation. Require appropriate public and private wetlands preservation, restoration, and/or rehabilitation through compensatory mitigation in the development process for unavoidable impacts. Continue the City’s practice of requiring mitigation for projects that would affect wetlands in conjunction with requirements of state and federal agencies. (Implementation Measure NRC.V and Policy NRC1.5)
 *Policy NRC-1.14: Wetlands Delineation. Require a delineation of jurisdictional waters by a qualified wetland specialist at the outset of the project planning stage of any proposed development that may contain wetlands or other regulated waters. This delineation shall be verified and approved by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers or the Regional Water Quality Control Board where federally regulated waters are absent prior to project approval. (Implementation Measure NRC.X) The proposed 2040 General Plan policies and actions would mitigate impacts to special-status species by requiring that detailed surveys and assessments be completed as part of future project approval and/or environmental review, when applicable, to identify occurrences of special-status species and minimize

HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN, CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, AND

AGRICULTURAL LANDS PRESERVATION PROGRAM REVISED DRAFT EIR

CITY OF HOLLISTER

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

2-26 JULY 2024
TABLE 2-1 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS , MITIGATING POLICIES, AND MITIGATION MEASURES Environmental Impact
Significance
without
Mitigation
General Plan Policies/Actions and
CEQA-Required Mitigation
Significance
with
Mitigation
adverse impacts on any species identified as an endangered, threatened, candidate, sensitive, or special- status species and their habitat. Where natural habitat remains that could support special-status species, wetlands, and other sensitive resources, further detailed studies and assessment would be performed to verify presence or absence. Specifically, proposed 2040 General Plan *Policy NRC-1.4, Specialized Surveys for Special-Status Species and Sensitive Natural Communities, requires surveys and project-specific mitigation for sites known to support special-status species; *Policy NRC-1.5, Biological Site Assessment, requires the preparation of biological resource assessment for proposed development on sites with natural habitat conditions that may support special-status species, sensitive natural communities, or regulated wetlands and waters; *Policy NRC-1.6, Mitigation of Potential Impacts on Special-Status Species and Sensitive Habitat Areas, requires that potential significant impacts on special-status species, occurrences of sensitive natural communities, or regulated wetlands and waters be minimized through adjustments and controls on the design, construction, and operations of a proposed project; *Policy NRC-1.7, Preconstruction Surveys for the San Joaquin Kit Fox, *Policy NRC-1.8, California Red-Legged Frog and California Tiger Salamander Site Assessments, *Policy NRC-1.9, Surveys and Mitigation for Burrowing Owls, *Policy NRC-1.10, Preconstruction Surveys for Nesting Birds, all require surveys and project-specific mitigation; and *Policy NRC-1.13, Wetland Preservation, and *Policy NRC-1.14, Wetlands Delineation, require the protection of wetlands through surveys and project-specific mitigation measures.

Additionally, future development on parcels with a proposed Specific Plan land use designation would be subject to additional site-specific policies to guide development and protect sensitive natural communities in these areas.

Furthermore, the location and nature of future development considered would be guided by the proposed 2040 General Plan and the Hollister Municipal Code. Future development would continue to be reviewed through the City’s entitlement process and CEQA review, where applicable, to ensure consistency with local, state, and federal regulations and proposed 2040 General Plan goals, policies, and actions intended to protect sensitive biological resources. Therefore, potential impacts on special-status species would be less than significant.

Impact BIO-2: Impacts to
riparian areas, drainages, and
sensitive natural communities
could occur from potential
future development under the
proposed 2040 General Plan
Significant Natural Resource and Conservation (NRC)
 *Policy NRC-1.4: Specialized Surveys for Special-Status Species and Sensitive Natural Communities.

Require that sites with suitable natural habitat, including creek corridors through urbanized areas, be surveyed for special-status species and sensitive natural communities prior to development approval as part of the environmental review process. Such surveys shall be conducted by a qualified biologist and occur prior to development-related vegetation removal. All surveys shall take place during appropriate seasons to determine presence or absence, including nesting or breeding occurrences, Less than
significant

HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN, CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, AND

AGRICULTURAL LANDS PRESERVATION PROGRAM REVISED DRAFT EIR

CITY OF HOLLISTER

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
PLACEWORKS 2-27

ADMINISTRATIVE DRAFT
TABLE 2-1 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS , MITIGATING POLICIES, AND MITIGATION MEASURES Environmental Impact
Significance
without
Mitigation
General Plan Policies/Actions and
CEQA-Required Mitigation
Significance
with
Mitigation
where natural habitat remains. with a determination on whether the project site contains suitable habitat for such species and sensitive natural community types. These results would inform the site assessment and environmental review process for proposed developments and other activities that could adversely affect special- status species. (Policy NRC1.7)
 *Policy NRC-1.5: Biological Site Assessment. Require a biological resource assessment for proposed development on sites with natural habitat conditions that may support special-status species, sensitive natural communities, or regulated wetlands and waters. The assessment shall be prepared prior to project approval and conducted by a qualified biologist to determine the presence or absence of any sensitive resources that could be affected by proposed development, shall provide an assessment of the potential impacts, and shall define measures for protecting the resource and surrounding buffer habitat, in compliance with City policy and state and federal laws. An assessment shall not be necessary for locations where past and existing development have eliminated natural habitat and the potential for presence of sensitive biological resources and regulated waters. (new)  *Policy NRC-1.6: Mitigation of Potential Impacts on Special-Status Species and Sensitive Habitat Areas.

Require that potential significant impacts on special-status species, occurrences of sensitive natural communities, or regulated wetlands and waters be minimized through adjustments and controls on the design, construction, and operations of a proposed project prior to project approval. Where impacts to these sensitive biological habitat areas are unavoidable, appropriate compensatory mitigation shall be required by the City. Such compensatory mitigation shall be developed and implemented in accordance with City policy and any relevant state and federal regulations. These may include on-site set asides, off-site acquisitions (conservation easements, deed restrictions, etc.), and specific restoration efforts that benefit the special-status species and sensitive habitat areas. (new) Implementation of the proposed 2040 General Plan goals, policies, and actions listed would serve to ensure that occurrences of sensitive natural communities are identified, avoided, or adequately mitigated. Specifically, proposed 2040 General Plan *Policy NRC-1.4, Specialized Surveys for Special- Status Species and Sensitive Natural Communities, *Policy NRC-1.5, Biological Site Assessment, and *Policy NRC-1.6, Mitigation of Potential Impacts on Special-Status Species and Sensitive Habitat Areas, would mitigate impacts through site surveys and project -specific mitigation measures. Additionally, future development within the Sphere of Influence on parcels with a proposed Specific Plan land use designation would be subject to additional site-specific policies to guide development and protect sensitive natural communities in these areas. Therefore, potential impacts on sensitive natural communities would be less than significant.

HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN, CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, AND

AGRICULTURAL LANDS PRESERVATION PROGRAM REVISED DRAFT EIR

CITY OF HOLLISTER

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

2-28 JULY 2024
TABLE 2-1 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS , MITIGATING POLICIES, AND MITIGATION MEASURES Environmental Impact
Significance
without
Mitigation
General Plan Policies/Actions and
CEQA-Required Mitigation
Significance
with
Mitigation
Impact BIO-3: Potential future
development from
implementation of the
proposed 2040 General Plan
could result in direct and
indirect impacts to wetland
habitat.

Significant Natural Resource and Conservation (NRC)
 *Policy NRC-1.5: Biological Site Assessment. Require a biological resource assessment for proposed development on sites with natural habitat conditions that may support special-status species, sensitive natural communities, or regulated wetlands and waters. The assessment shall be prepared prior to project approval and conducted by a qualified biologist to determine the presence or absence of any sensitive resources that could be affected by proposed development, shall provide an assessment of the potential impacts, and shall define measures for protecting the resource and surrounding buffer habitat, in compliance with City policy and state and federal laws. An assessment shall not be necessary for locations where past and existing development have eliminated natural habitat and the potential for presence of sensitive biological resources and regulated waters. (new)  *Policy NRC-1.6: Mitigation of Potential Impacts on Special-Status Species and Sensitive Habitat Areas.

Require that potential significant impacts on special-status species, occurrences of sensitive natural communities, or regulated wetlands and waters be minimized through adjustments and controls on the design, construction, and operations of a proposed project prior to project approval. Where impacts to these sensitive biological habitat areas are unavoidable, appropriate compensatory mitigation shall be required by the City. Such compensatory mitigation shall be developed and implemented in accordance with City policy and any relevant state and federal regulations. These may include on-site set asides, off-site acquisitions (conservation easements, deed restrictions, etc.), and specific restoration efforts that benefit the special-status species and sensitive habitat areas. (new)  *Policy NRC-1.13: Wetland Preservation. Require appropriate public and private wetlands preservation, restoration, and/or rehabilitation through compensatory mitigation in the development process for unavoidable impacts. Continue the City’s practice of requiring mitigation for projects that would affect wetlands in conjunction with requirements of state and federal agencies. (Implementation Measure NRC.V and Policy NRC1.5)
 *Policy NRC-1.14: Wetlands Delineation. Require a delineation of jurisdictional waters by a qualified wetland specialist at the outset of the project planning stage of any proposed development that may contain wetlands or other regulated waters. This delineation shall be verified and approved by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers or the Regional Water Quality Control Board where federally regulated waters are absent prior to project approval. (Implementation Measure NRC.X) Less than
significant
The proposed 2040 General Plan goals, policies, and actions would serve to ensure that wetlands and regulated waters are identified, avoided, or adequately mitigated. Specifically, proposed 2040 General Plan *Policy NRC-1.5, Biological Site Assessment, requires the preparation of biological resource assessment for proposed development on sites with natural habitat conditions that may support special-

HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN, CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, AND

AGRICULTURAL LANDS PRESERVATION PROGRAM REVISED DRAFT EIR

CITY OF HOLLISTER

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
PLACEWORKS 2-29

ADMINISTRATIVE DRAFT
TABLE 2-1 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS , MITIGATING POLICIES, AND MITIGATION MEASURES Environmental Impact
Significance
without
Mitigation
General Plan Policies/Actions and
CEQA-Required Mitigation
Significance
with
Mitigation
status species, sensitive natural communities, or regulated wetlands and waters; *Policy NRC-1.6, Mitigation of Potential Impacts on Special-Status Species and Sensitive Habitat Areas, requires that potential significant impacts on special-status species, occurrences of sensitive natural communities, or regulated wetlands and waters be minimized through adjustments and controls on the design, construction, and operations of a proposed project; and *Policy NRC-1.13, Wetland Preservation, and *Policy NRC-1.14, Wetlands Delineation, require the protection of wetlands through surveys and project- specific mitigation measures. Additionally, future development within the Sphere of Influence on parcels with a proposed Specific Plan Area land use designation would be subject to additional site-specific policies to guide development in these areas. Therefore, potential impacts on wetlands and regulated waters would be less than significant.

CULTURAL RESOURCES (CUL)
Impact CUL-1: Impacts to
known or yet to be classified
historic buildings or structures
could occur from potential
future development under the
proposed 2040 General Plan.

Significant Land Use (LU)
 *Policy LU-19.1: Historic Structure Preservation, Renovation, and Rehabilitation. Require the preservation, renovation and rehabilitation of historic structures that conform to the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Structures and the California Historical Building Code and require project applicants to demonstrate compliance with these standards when proposing new or redevelopment that could affect historic structures in Hollister. (new)
 *Policy LU-19.5: Historic Structure Alteration. Prior to approving alteration (including demolition) of historically significant buildings, require the evaluation of alternatives, including structural preservation, relocation or other mitigation, and demonstrate that financing has been secured for replacement use. Demolition of historically significant buildings shall only be considered after all other options have been thoroughly reviewed and exhausted. (new) Less than
significant
Implementation of the proposed 2040 General Plan goals, policies, and actions would ensure that new development and exterior remodels are compatible with cultural and historic resources; that landmarks and historic treasures would be preserved, enhanced, and rehabilitated; and that cultural and historic resources in the EIR Study Area would be protected and restored. Specifically, proposed *Policy LU-19.1, Historic Structure Preservation, Renovation, and Rehabilitation, would mitigate potential impacts by requiring the City to promote preservation, renovation and rehabilitation of historic structures that conform to the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Structures and the California Historical Building Code and require project applicants to demonstrate compliance with these standards when proposing new or redevelopment that could affect historic structures in Hollister, and proposed *Policy LU-19.5, Historic Structure Alteration, would require that prior to approving alteration (including demolition) of historically significant buildings, the City shall

HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN, CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, AND

AGRICULTURAL LANDS PRESERVATION PROGRAM REVISED DRAFT EIR

CITY OF HOLLISTER

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

2-30 JULY 2024
TABLE 2-1 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS , MITIGATING POLICIES, AND MITIGATION MEASURES Environmental Impact
Significance
without
Mitigation
General Plan Policies/Actions and
CEQA-Required Mitigation
Significance
with
Mitigation
require the evaluation of alternatives, including structural preservation, relocation or other mitigation, and demonstrate that financing has been secured for replacement use. Demolition of historically significant buildings shall only be considered after all other options have been thoroughly reviewed and exhausted. Additionally, implementation of the proposed 2040 General Plan would require the formation of a historic resources commission whose function would be to evaluate the proposed demolition or alteration of historic buildings or cultural resources to minimize development impact.

Furthermore, Hollister Municipal Code (HMC) Section 15.04.050 adopts the California State Historic Building Code, which provides regulations for permitting repairs, alterations, and additions necessary for the preservation, rehabilitation, relocation, related construction, change of use, or continued use of a qualified historical building or structure. Section 15.16.060 of the HMC outlines the responsibilities of the Historic Resources Commission, including establishing criteria to conduct a comprehensive survey in conformance with federal and state survey standards and guidelines of historic resources; maintaining a local register of historic resources; and reviewing and commenting on the conduct of land use, housing and redevelopment, municipal improvement, and other types of planning and programs as they relate to the survey results and historic resources. Additionally, any permits for work for or on a designated historic resource are to be reviewed and approved by the commission staff, as outlined in HMC Section

15.16.090. HMC Section 17.16.030 establishes the procedure in the event of discovery of a historic resource during construction. Construction activities are to cease, and the City’s Planning Department is to be notified so that a qualified historian may record the extent and location of discovered materials.

Additionally, the City’s Downtown Design Guidelines contain design guidelines for new development projects as well as downtown projects that involve renovating or modifying historic buildings (as determined by the National Register or local equivalent). These guidelines also apply to property owners who wish to maintain the historical integrity of a building. The Downtown Design Guidelines include standards for renovating or modifying historic buildings and addresses roofs, building façades, projecting façade elements, landscaping, and mechanical equipment. The Downtown Design Guidelines are to be used in conjunction with the guidelines for the appropriate building types (i.e., main street commercial building, apartment flat building, townhouse building, or detached house building) and other resources, such as the Secretary of the Interior’s standards.

Finally, CEQA would require that future potential projects permitted under the proposed 2040 General Plan with the potential to significantly impact historical resources be subject to project-level CEQA review wherein the future potential project’s potential to affect the significance of a surrounding historical resource would be evaluated and mitigated to the extent feasible. The requirement for subsequent CEQA review, pursuant to state law, would minimize the potential for new development to indirectly affect the

HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN, CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, AND

AGRICULTURAL LANDS PRESERVATION PROGRAM REVISED DRAFT EIR

CITY OF HOLLISTER

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
PLACEWORKS 2-31

ADMINISTRATIVE DRAFT
TABLE 2-1 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS , MITIGATING POLICIES, AND MITIGATION MEASURES Environmental Impact
Significance
without
Mitigation
General Plan Policies/Actions and
CEQA-Required Mitigation
Significance
with
Mitigation
significance of existing historical resources to the maximum extent practicable.

Potential impacts from future development on historical resources could lead to (1) demolition, which by definition results in the material impairment of a resource’s ability to convey its significance; (2) inappropriate modification, which may use incompatible materials, designs, or construction techniques in a manner that alters character-defining features; and (3) inappropriate new construction, which could introduce incompatible new buildings that clash with an established architectural context. While any of these scenarios, especially demolition and alteration, have the potential to change the historic fabric or setting of an architectural resource such that the resource’s ability to convey its significance may be materially impaired, adherence to the proposed 2040 General Plan goals, policies, and actions, specifically, proposed *Policy LU-19.1, Historic Structure Preservation, Renovation, and Rehabilitation, and proposed *Policy LU-19.5, Historic Structure Alteration, and HMC regulations identified, and compliance with federal and state laws as described in Section 4.5.1.1, Regulatory Framework, would ensure future development would not be detrimental or injurious to property or improvements in the vicinity and impacts would be less than significant.

Impact CUL-2: Impacts to
known and unknown
archeological resources could
occur from potential future
development under the
proposed 2040 General Plan.

Significant Natural Resource and Conservation (NRC)
 *Policy NRC-2.3: Protection and Preservation of Archaeological Resources. Require project applicants to comply with state and federal standards to evaluate and mitigate impacts to tribal resources prior to project approval. Continue to require that project areas found to contain significant archaeological resources be examined by a qualified consulting archaeologist with recommendations for protection and preservation. (new)
Less than
significant
Implementation of the proposed 2040 General Plan goals, policies, and actions would ensure that new development in the EIR Study Area reduces potential impacts to archeological resources. Specifically, proposed *Policy NRC-2.3, Protection and Preservation of Archaeological Resources, would mitigate impacts from potential future development by requiring future project applicants to comply with state and federal standards to evaluate and mitigate impacts to archeological resources, including requiring that project areas found to contain significant archaeological resources be examined by a qualified consulting archaeologist with recommendations for protection and preservation. Additionally, the City plans to actively encourage infill development through the implementation of the proposed 2040 General Plan to focus new residential and job-generating uses in the downtown and on residential and mixed-use infill sites where development already occurs and is in close proximity to existing infrastructure and services. The City does not support new urban development outside the proposed Sphere of Influence (SOI) and will work with the County to focus future development in already urbanized areas, thereby reducing the potential for unearthing archaeological resources on undeveloped lands.

Specifically, proposed Policy LU-1.1, Infill Development, requires the City to maintain a well-defined

HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN, CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, AND

AGRICULTURAL LANDS PRESERVATION PROGRAM REVISED DRAFT EIR

CITY OF HOLLISTER

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

2-32 JULY 2024
TABLE 2-1 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS , MITIGATING POLICIES, AND MITIGATION MEASURES Environmental Impact
Significance
without
Mitigation
General Plan Policies/Actions and
CEQA-Required Mitigation
Significance
with
Mitigation
compact urban form that prioritizes infill development over the annexation of properties, thus reducing potential impacts to development in undisturbed lands which are more likely to contain unknown archaeological resources. Where development is considered outside of the SOI, future development with a proposed Specific Plan land use designation would be subject to additional site-specific policies to guide development and protect potential archeological resources in these areas. As demonstrated, the proposed General Plan goals, policies, and actions encourage infill development, adaptive reuse of structures, development on underutilized land, and the protection of open spaces, and specifically proposed *Policy NRC-2.3 requires the City to evaluate and mitigate project-specific impacts to archeological resources, which would reduce the potential for disturbing archaeological deposits since ground-disturbing activities have already taken place in developed areas.

As further shown in Impact Discussion CUL-4, the proposed 2040 General Plan also promotes the registration of historic sites in the National and California Register and requires applicants of major development projects to consult with Native American representatives regarding cultural resources to identify locations of importance to Native Americans, including archaeological sites and traditional cultural properties.

Compliance with existing federal, state, and local laws and regulations, and the proposed 2040 General Plan goals, policies, and actions listed previously, would protect recorded and unrecorded archaeological deposits in the greater EIR Study Area by providing for the early detection of potential conflicts between development and resource protection, and by preventing or minimizing the material impairment of the ability of archaeological deposits to convey their significance through excavation or preservation would ensure that potential impacts from implementation of the proposed 2040 General Plan would be less than significant.

Impact CUL-4: Impacts to tribal
cultural resources could occur
from potential future
development under the
proposed 2040 General Plan.

Significant Natural Resource and Conservation (NRC)
 *Policy NRC-2.3: Protection and Preservation of Archaeological Resources. Require project applicants to comply with state and federal standards to evaluate and mitigate impacts to tribal resources prior to project approval. Continue to require that project areas found to contain significant archaeological resources be examined by a qualified consulting archaeologist with recommendations for protection and preservation. (new)
 *Policy NRC-2.4: Tribal Coordination During Project Construction. Require the developer of a proposed project that could impact a tribal cultural resource to contact an appropriate tribal representative to train construction workers on appropriate avoidance and minimization measures, requirements for confidentiality and culturally appropriate treatment, other applicable regulations, Less than
significant

HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN, CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, AND

AGRICULTURAL LANDS PRESERVATION PROGRAM REVISED DRAFT EIR

CITY OF HOLLISTER

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
PLACEWORKS 2-33

ADMINISTRATIVE DRAFT
TABLE 2-1 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS , MITIGATING POLICIES, AND MITIGATION MEASURES Environmental Impact
Significance
without
Mitigation
General Plan Policies/Actions and
CEQA-Required Mitigation
Significance
with
Mitigation
and consequences of violating State laws and regulations prior to construction. (new)  *Policy NRC-2.5: Preconstruction Investigations. Require project applicants to prepare preconstruction investigations of potential tribal cultural resources and on-site mitigation for all developments prior to the issuance of building permits. (new)
Implementation of the proposed 2040 General Plan goals, policies, and actions would ensure that new development in the EIR Study Area reduces potential impacts to tribal cultural resources (TCRs).

Specifically, proposed 2040 General Plan *Policy NRC-2.3, Protection and Preservation of Archaeological Resources, would mitigate impacts from potential future development by requiring future project applicants to comply with state and federal standards to evaluate and mitigate impacts to archeological resources; *Policy NRC-2.4, Tribal Coordination During Project Construction, would mitigate impacts by requiring the developer of a proposed project that could impact a TCR to contact an appropriate tribal representative to train construction workers on appropriate avoidance and minimization measures, requirements for confidentiality and culturally appropriate treatment, other applicable regulations, and consequences of violating State laws and regulations; and *Policy NRC-2.5, Preconstruction Investigations, would mitigate impacts by requiring project applicants to prepare preconstruction investigations of potential TCRs and on-site mitigation for all developments. Implementation of these mitigating policies and compliance with existing federal, state, and local laws and regulations, and the proposed 2040 General Plan goals, policies, and actions listed here and under Impact Discussion CUL-2 would protect unrecorded TCRs in the EIR Study Area by providing for the early detection of potential conflicts between development and resource protection, and by preventing or minimizing the material impairment of the ability of archaeological deposits to convey their significance through excavation or preservation. Therefore, the proposed 2040 General Plan would result in a less-than-significant impact on TCRs.

GEOLOGY AND SOILS (GEO)
Impact GEO-1: Impacts from
potential future development
under the proposed 2040
General Plan where there are
known geological hazards
could occur over the buildout
horizon of the proposed
project.

Significant Health and Safety (HS)
 *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-1.2: Safety Considerations in Development Review. Require project applicants to prepare appropriate studies to assess identified hazards and ensure that impacts are adequately mitigated prior to project approval. (Policy HS1.2)
Less than
significant

HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN, CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, AND

AGRICULTURAL LANDS PRESERVATION PROGRAM REVISED DRAFT EIR

CITY OF HOLLISTER

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

2-34 JULY 2024
TABLE 2-1 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS , MITIGATING POLICIES, AND MITIGATION MEASURES Environmental Impact
Significance
without
Mitigation
General Plan Policies/Actions and
CEQA-Required Mitigation
Significance
with
Mitigation
 *Policy HS-3.2: Geotechnical and Geologic Review. Require all geologic hazards to be adequately addressed and mitigated prior to the issuance of certificate of occupancy through project development. Development proposed within areas of potential geological hazards shall not be endangered by, nor contribute to, the hazardous conditions on the site or on adjoining properties. (Policy HS1.5)
 *Policy HS-3.3: Engineering Tests for Geologic Conditions. Require engineering tests prior to issuance of building permits for those development projects that may be exposed to impacts associated with expansive soils, so that building foundation footings, utility lines, roadways, and sidewalks can be designed to accept the estimated degree of soil contraction, expansion, and settlement, according to the standards of the Uniform Building Code. (Policy HS1.6) Implementation of the goals, policies, and actions of the proposed 2040 General Plan would reduce potential impacts from development in geologically hazardous areas. Specifically, proposed 2040 General Plan *Policy HS-1.1, Location of Future Development, would mitigate impacts by permitting 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 due to its location and/or design and that cannot be mitigated to safe levels; *Policy HS-1.2, Safety Considerations in Development Review, would mitigate impacts by requiring require project applicants to prepare appropriate studies to assess identified hazards and ensure that impacts are adequately mitigated prior to project approval; *Policy HS-3.2, Geotechnical and Geologic Review, would mitigate impacts by requiring that all geologic hazards be adequately addressed and mitigated through project development. Development proposed within areas of potential geological hazards shall not be endangered by, nor contribute to, the hazardous conditions on the site or on adjoining properties, and proposed *Policy HS-3.3, Engineering Tests for Geologic Conditions, would mitigate impacts by requiring engineering tests for those development projects that may be exposed to impacts associated with expansive soils, so that building foundation footings, utility lines, roadways, and sidewalks can be designed to accept the estimated degree of soil contraction, expansion and settlement, according to the standards of the Uniform Building Code. Implementation of these goals, policies, and actions, and specifically *Policy HS-1.1, *Policy HS-1.2,*Policy HS-3.2, and *Policy HS-3.3 of the proposed 2040 General Plan, as well as compliance with state, regional, and local regulations pertaining to structural safety regarding fault rupture, ground shaking, liquefaction, and landslides, would ensure that potential future development that results from implementation of the proposed 2040 General Plan would not directly or indirectly cause substantial adverse effects, including the risk of loss, injury, or death involving rupture of a known earthquake fault, strong seismic ground shaking, seismic-related ground failure, or landslides. Therefore, impacts would be less than significant.

HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN, CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, AND

AGRICULTURAL LANDS PRESERVATION PROGRAM REVISED DRAFT EIR

CITY OF HOLLISTER

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
PLACEWORKS 2-35

ADMINISTRATIVE DRAFT
TABLE 2-1 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS , MITIGATING POLICIES, AND MITIGATION MEASURES Environmental Impact
Significance
without
Mitigation
General Plan Policies/Actions and
CEQA-Required Mitigation
Significance
with
Mitigation

NOISE (NOI)
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.

Significant Health and Safety (HS)
 *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 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) 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

HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN, CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, AND

AGRICULTURAL LANDS PRESERVATION PROGRAM REVISED DRAFT EIR

CITY OF HOLLISTER

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

2-36 JULY 2024
TABLE 2-1 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS , MITIGATING POLICIES, AND MITIGATION MEASURES Environmental Impact
Significance
without
Mitigation
General Plan Policies/Actions and
CEQA-Required Mitigation
Significance
with
Mitigation
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 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.

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

Significant Health and Safety (HS)
 *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)
 *Action HS-8.1: Review New Development for Potential Noise Impacts. Require review 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)
Significant and
Unavoidable

HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN, CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, AND

AGRICULTURAL LANDS PRESERVATION PROGRAM REVISED DRAFT EIR

CITY OF HOLLISTER

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
PLACEWORKS 2-37

ADMINISTRATIVE DRAFT
TABLE 2-1 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS , MITIGATING POLICIES, AND MITIGATION MEASURES Environmental Impact
Significance
without
Mitigation
General Plan Policies/Actions and
CEQA-Required Mitigation
Significance
with
Mitigation
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 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.8 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

8 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.

HOLLISTER 2040 GENERAL PLAN, CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, AND

AGRICULTURAL LANDS PRESERVATION PROGRAM REVISED DRAFT EIR

CITY OF HOLLISTER

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

2-38 JULY 2024
TABLE 2-1 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS , MITIGATING POLICIES, AND MITIGATION MEASURES Environmental Impact
Significance
without
Mitigation
General Plan Policies/Actions and
CEQA-Required Mitigation
Significance
with
Mitigation
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.

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.

Significant Health and Safety (HS)
 *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 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)
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 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,

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ADMINISTRATIVE DRAFT
TABLE 2-1 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS , MITIGATING POLICIES, AND MITIGATION MEASURES Environmental Impact
Significance
without
Mitigation
General Plan Policies/Actions and
CEQA-Required Mitigation
Significance
with
Mitigation
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.

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

Significant Health and Safety (HS)
 *Action HS-8.8: Noise and Vibration Thresholds. Require 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)
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.

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TABLE 2-1 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS , MITIGATING POLICIES, AND MITIGATION MEASURES Environmental Impact
Significance
without
Mitigation
General Plan Policies/Actions and
CEQA-Required Mitigation
Significance
with
Mitigation
Impact NOI-4: Implementation
of the proposed 2040 General
Plan could contribute to an
increase in cumulative
construction noise and
operational vehicle noise.

Significant Health and Safety (HS)
 *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)
 *Action HS-8.1: Review New Development for Potential Noise Impacts. Require review 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 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 into the Noise Ordinance to minimize construction noise to the extent feasible. (new) 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

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ADMINISTRATIVE DRAFT
TABLE 2-1 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS , MITIGATING POLICIES, AND MITIGATION MEASURES Environmental Impact
Significance
without
Mitigation
General Plan Policies/Actions and
CEQA-Required Mitigation
Significance
with
Mitigation
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 2020 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.

TRANSPORTATION (TRANS)
Impact TRANS-2:

Implementation of the
proposed 2040 General Plan
would result in a significant
vehicle miles traveled (VMT)
impact for VMT per Capita
(Residential) and Retail VMT
over 50,000 square feet, due to
forecasted land use growth
through 2040, based on a
comparison of the VMT rate
increment for VMT to the
corresponding average
baseline rates for the San
Benito County region.

Significant Circulation (C)
 *Policy C-1.5: Transportation Demand Management. Require new development to reduce single- occupant vehicle usage using Transportation Demand Management strategies prior to project approval. (new)
 *Action C-1.1: Performance and Monitoring. Require the monitoring of the City's mode split progress on reducing VMT and reducing GHG emissions from VMT, as data is available. (new)  *Action C-1.2: VMT Mitigation Banking Fee Program. Require the establishment of a Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) Mitigation Banking Fee Program. This program shall fund the construction of facilities throughout Hollister that support active transportation (cycling and walking) and transit ridership to mitigate VMT impacts from new development. (new)
 *Policy C-4.6: Transportation Demand Management Requirements. Require new or existing developments that meet specific size, capacity, and/or context conditions to implement Transportation Demand Management strategies and other single-occupancy vehicle reduction methodologies. Require new developments to comply with tiered trip reduction and VMT reduction targets and monitoring that are consistent with the targets of the City’s VMT CEQA thresholds prior to project approval. (new)
Significant and
Unavoidable
Implementation of the proposed 2040 General Plan goals, policies, and actions would mitigate VMT impacts to the degree feasible. Proposed *Policy C-1.5, Transportation Demand Management, requires

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TABLE 2-1 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS , MITIGATING POLICIES, AND MITIGATION MEASURES Environmental Impact
Significance
without
Mitigation
General Plan Policies/Actions and
CEQA-Required Mitigation
Significance
with
Mitigation
the City to reduce single-occupant vehicle usage using Transportation Demand Management (TDM) strategies. Proposed *Action C-1.1, Performance and Monitoring, requires the City to monitor mode split progress on reducing VMT, and reducing GHG emissions from VMT, as data is available. Proposed *Action C-1.2, VMT Mitigation Banking Fee Program, requires the City to establish a VMT Mitigation Banking Fee Program to fund the construction of facilities that support active transportation and transit ridership to mitigate VMT impacts from new development. Proposed *Policy C-4.6, Transportation Demand Management Requirements, requires new or existing developments that meet specific size, capacity, and/or context conditions to implement TDM strategies and other single-occupancy vehicle reduction methodologies. Compliance with tiered trip reduction and VMT reduction targets and monitoring that are consistent with the targets of the City’s VMT CEQA thresholds is also required. In addition, as listed under Impact Discussion TRANS-1, the City has numerous policies to promote safe and user-friendly transit and improve the bicycle and pedestrian network in Hollister, all which would serve to promote alternative forms of transportation and reduce VMT.

Furthermore, as previously described, given the lack of specifics that are available for this program-level EIR, it is not possible to fully account for the effect of specific design principles, policies, and improvements that will reduce VMT as part of this analysis. Although many of the VMT-reducing design principles, policies, and improvements that are described in the prior section may ultimately mitigate and/or potentially reduce the VMT impacts outlined in this evaluation, necessary details to ensure implementation and appropriately evaluate their effect are not yet available. While some of the approaches to VMT reduction described in the prior section are supportive of existing City policies and guidelines, the VMT-reducing approaches cited would require further planning and development as well as committed funding sources, including those from participants in the development community (many of which may not be identified yet as large areas of land may be further subdivided into specific projects and developments). As such, it is reasonable to conclude that the findings of this analysis reflect a worst- case scenario for this program EIR. This program-level land use impact for VMT does not preclude the finding of less-than-significant impacts for subsequent development projects that achieve applicable VMT thresholds of significance. However, due to the programmatic nature of the proposed 2040 General Plan, no additional mitigation measures are available, and the impact is considered significant and unavoidable.

Impact TRANS-5:

Implementation of the
proposed 2040 General Plan
would cumulatively contribute
Significant Circulation (C)
 *Policy C-1.5: Transportation Demand Management. Require new development to reduce single- occupant vehicle usage using Transportation Demand Management strategies prior to project approval. (new)
Significant and
Unavoidable

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ADMINISTRATIVE DRAFT
TABLE 2-1 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS , MITIGATING POLICIES, AND MITIGATION MEASURES Environmental Impact
Significance
without
Mitigation
General Plan Policies/Actions and
CEQA-Required Mitigation
Significance
with
Mitigation
to regional vehicle miles
traveled (VMT).
 *Action C-1.1: Performance and Monitoring. Require the monitoring of the City's mode split progress on reducing VMT and reducing GHG emissions from VMT, as data is available. (new)  *Action C-1.2: VMT Mitigation Banking Fee Program. Require the establishment of a Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) Mitigation Banking Fee Program. This program shall fund the construction of facilities throughout Hollister that support active transportation (cycling and walking) and transit ridership to mitigate VMT impacts from new development. (new)
 *Policy C-4.6: Transportation Demand Management Requirements. Require new or existing developments that meet specific size, capacity, and/or context conditions to implement Transportation Demand Management strategies and other single-occupancy vehicle reduction methodologies. Require new developments to comply with tiered trip reduction and VMT reduction targets and monitoring that are consistent with the targets of the City’s VMT CEQA thresholds prior to project approval. (new)
Even with the proposed 2040 General Plan *Policy C-1.5, Transportation Demand Management, *Action C-1.1, Performance and Monitoring, *Action C-1.2, VMT Mitigation Banking Fee Program, and *Policy C-

4.6, Transportation Demand Management Requirements, described under Impact Discussion TRANS-2 to mitigate the impacts related to VMT, the effectiveness of the VMT-reduction strategies is not certain. As such, the cumulative impact on VMT is considered significant and unavoidable. 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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PLACEWORKS 3-1
Project Description
This chapter of the Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) describes the proposed City of Hollister 2040 General Plan (2040 General Plan), Climate Action Plan (CAP), and Agricultural Lands Preservation Program (ALPP), herein referred to separately or together as the “proposed project.” This Draft EIR has been prepared in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the CEQA Guidelines.1 CEQA requires that state and local public agencies analyze proposed projects to determine potential impacts on the environment and disclose any such impacts.2 As described in Chapter 1, Introduction, of this Revised Draft EIR, consistent with CEQA Guidelines, Section 15168, this Draft EIR provides a programmatic analysis of the environmental impacts associated with implementation of the proposed project, including the projected buildout of the 2040 General Plan. The potential buildout of the City of Hollister is discussed in Section 3.8, Development Projections, of this chapter. This Draft EIR is also intended to be used for purposes of tiering, pursuant to CEQA Guidelines, Section 15152, and other tiering and streamlining provisions of CEQA and the CEQA Guidelines. The City of Hollister (City) is the lead agency for the environmental review of the proposed project.

This chapter provides a detailed description of the proposed project, including the location, setting, and characteristics of the General Plan Planning Area; as well as the project objectives; the principal report components; and required permits and approvals.

3.1 BACKGROUND
Every city and county in California is required to have an adopted comprehensive long-range general plan for the physical development of the county or city and, in some cases, land outside the city or county boundaries.3 It is the community’s overarching policy document that defines a vision for future change and sets the “ground rules” for: locating and designing new projects that enhance the character of the community, expanding the local economy, conserving and preserving environmental resources, improving public services and safety, minimizing hazards, and fostering community health. The General Plan, which includes a vision, goals, policies, and actions, functions as the City’s primary land use regulatory tool. It provides a basis for judging whether specific development proposals and public projects are in harmony with General Plan policies. It is the constitution for future change in Hollister.

Pursuant to California law, a general plan must contain 8 mandated elements: land use, circulation, housing, conservation, open space, noise, environmental justice, and safety. Typically, general plans cover a time frame or forecast of 15 to 20 years. However, general plan housing elements are required to be

1 CEQA Guidelines, Section 15126.
2 CEQA Guidelines, Section 15002(a).
3 California Government Code Section 65300.

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updated every eight years to comply with the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA). State legislation also requires consideration of general plan policies on issues such as climate change and air quality. The Governor’s Office of Planning and Research updated the General Plan Guidelines in 2017 and released additional guidance for Environmental Justice Elements in 2020.

The City’s adopted General Plan Land Use Map is integrated with the City’s Zoning Map, which shows the parcel-specific delineation of the zoning districts throughout the city and depicts permitted and conditionally permitted uses. A parcel’s zoning district stems directly from its General Plan Land Use designation, with the zoning district acting to implement the General Plan by refining the specific uses and development standards for that parcel.

All specific plans, master plans, and zoning in the city must be consistent with the adopted General Plan.

Similarly, the adopted General Plan must be used as the basis for all planning-related decisions made by City staff, the Planning Commission, and the City Council. Other decision-making bodies that rely on the General Plan to guide future decisions include the Airport Advisory Commission, Parks and Recreation Commission, Arts and Cultural Commission, Historic Resources Commission, and the Public Works Department. The adopted General Plan itself, however, does not approve or entitle any development project. Future project applicants have control over when they wish to propose a project, and final development approval decisions are made on a project-by-project basis by City staff, the Planning Commission, and/or the City Council.

3.2 OVERVIEW
The existing 2005 General Plan was comprehensively adopted in 2005 and includes a horizon year of 2023. A number of state and federal laws guiding general plan policies have also been updated during this time. As such, there is a need to take stock of the existing situation and plan for sustainable development in line with an updated vision for Hollister. The proposed 2040 General Plan focuses on meeting current community requirements and future needs. Accordingly, the City is undertaking a comprehensive update to the 2005 General Plan. The proposed 2040 General Plan guides the city’s economic and physical growth as well as preservation of natural and agricultural resources over an approximately 15-year buildout horizon and replaces the City’s existing 2005 General Plan, with the exception of the Housing Element. The City’s Housing Element (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 Housing Element is incorporated into the residential development analyzed as part of this EIR. The proposed 2040 General Plan, including the goals, policies, and actions, would require map and text amendments to the General Plan Land Use Map. The proposed 2040 General Plan also includes proposed amendments to the City’s Sphere of Influence (SOI) to plan for projected growth and to improve City services. In conjunction with these General Plan amendments, Title 17, Zoning, of the Hollister Municipal Code (HMC), would be amended for consistency with the proposed 2040 General Plan. While most of the amendments to the HMC would occur in the future through a separate process, the proposed project includes an amendment to adopt the proposed ALPP as HMC Chapter 17.13.

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Concurrent with the proposed 2040 General Plan, the City is preparing the City’s first CAP. The CAP is a strategic planning document that would provide policies and actions that would help the City and the community at large to reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and improve community resilience to hazardous conditions associated with climate change. The proposed 2040 General Plan, CAP, and ALPP, are discussed in more detail in Section 3.7.1, 2040 General Plan, Section 3.7.2, Climate Action Plan, and Section 3.7.3, Agricultural Lands Preservation Program, respectively.

3.3 LOCATION AND SETTING
Figure 3-1, Regional and Vicinity Map, shows Hollister’s regional setting. Hollister lies in north central California at the northern end of the San Benito Valley, approximately 40 miles east of Monterey, 100 miles southeast of San Francisco, and 300 miles north of Los Angeles. State Routes (SR) 25 and 156, which diagonally transect the city in the northwest to southeast and southwest to northeast directions, define the principal transportation corridors connecting the city to the subregion. United States (US) Highway 101 to the west serves as a major transportation corridor for the state, providing connections to the San Francisco Bay Area to the north, and the Salinas Valley and Central Coast regions to the south. SR 156 connects to the Monterey Peninsula area to the west and the Central Valley region to the east, while SR 25 connects south to Pinnacles National Park.

3.4 PLANNING BOUNDARIES AND EIR STUDY AREA

3.4.1 PLANNING BOUNDARIES
This section explains the planning boundaries referenced in the proposed 2040 General Plan and their relationship to the EIR Study Area. The State of California encourages cities to look beyond their borders when undertaking the sort of comprehensive planning required of a general plan. The planning boundaries described in the current and proposed 2040 General Plan include the lands within the Hollister City Limits, Hollister Urban Service Area (HUA), SOI, and Planning Area. A description of these planning boundaries as proposed for the 2040 General Plan is provided in the following sections and shown on Figure 3-2, 2040 General Plan Planning Boundaries.

CITY LIMITS
The boundary for the City Limits encloses the incorporated territory where the City currently has jurisdictional authority. Parts of the City Limits follow along the San Benito River and Santa Ana Creek, while the remaining City Limits are more arbitrary. The total land area of the City Limits is approximately 5,220 acres (roughly 8.2 square miles). Hollister is in the north central part of San Benito County and surrounded by rural land on all sides that are in unincorporated San Benito County. Changes to the City Limits are made when the City annexes new land that is currently part of San Benito County. Annexations must go through a specific legal process that requires input from residents or property owners and are subject to the San Benito Local Agency Formation Commission (San Benito LAFCO) review and approval.

No changes to the City Limits are proposed as part of this project.

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SPHERE OF INFLUENCE
The Hollister SOI, totaling approximately 1,817 acres (about 2.8 square miles), is the area surrounding the City Limits designated by the San Benito LAFCO to indicate land that that has the potential to be annexed into the city during the 2040 General Plan buildout horizon. Outside the City Limits, the SOI currently includes small pockets of primarily agricultural or low-density residential land north, east, south, and west of the limits. If land within the City’s SOI is annexed by the City in the future, it would then be within the City Limits and under the jurisdiction of Hollister at that time. Changes to the SOI are proposed as part of this project and discussed in more detail in Section 3.7.1.5, Proposed Sphere of Influence, however, no lands are proposed for annexation into the City Limits as part of the proposed project.

HOLLISTER URBAN SERVICE AREA
The City also designates its own HUA, which, as shown on Figure 3-2, is an area larger than the SOI. The HUA is a result of a Memorandum of Understanding between the City, San Benito County, and utilities service providers that serve Hollister and the surrounding area. The HUA was never formally adopted by San Benito LAFCO. The San Benito River and Santa Ana Creek form portions of the southern and eastern boundaries of the HUA, while the remainder of the HUA loosely follows major transportation corridors.

The HUA totals approximately 13,264 acres (roughly 20.7 square miles).

PLANNING AREA
State law refers to the Planning Area as “any land outside [the City] boundaries which in the [City’s] judgment bears relation to its planning.”4 The Hollister Planning Area encompasses incorporated and unincorporated territory and identifies the area where the City has an interest in land use. This boundary does not give the City any regulatory power, but it signals to San Benito County and other nearby local and regional authorities that Hollister recognizes that development within this area may have an impact on the city. Hollister City staff will review development proposals submitted to San Benito County for parcels inside the Planning Area for consistency with land use policies in the proposed 2040 General Plan. The Planning Area lands outside of the SOI are not considered for urban development or annexation by the City within the approximately 15-year planning horizon of the proposed 2040 General Plan.

3.4.2 EIR STUDY AREA
As shown on Figure 3-3, EIR Study Area, the EIR Study Area includes all land within the Hollister City Limits and the existing and proposed SOI. The Planning Area lands between the Planning Area boundary and the SOI are not in the EIR Study Area because, as stated, the City does not foresee future annexations of these unincorporated areas.

4 Government Code, Title 7, Planning and Land Use, Division 1, Planning and Zoning, Chapter 3, Local Planning, Article 5, Authority for and Scope of General Plans, Section 65300.

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3.5 PLANNING PROCESS SUMMARY
The process to update the existing 2005 General Plan began in 2019 and is scheduled to be completed with the adoption of the proposed 2040 General Plan by the City Council in fall 2024. A General Plan Advisory Committee provided overall direction, with assistance from citizen representatives, who worked closely with the consultant team and City staff to guide the public process for updating the existing General Plan. The public process included existing conditions data gathering, community engagement, and recommendations for General Plan revisions to respond to legislative requirements enacted since 2005. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which began in early 2020, the City collected community input through virtual workshops and online activities. Throughout each of these steps, the City sought feedback from the community, property owners, business owners, and Planning Commissioners and City Councilmembers. Public feedback from community events and City Council and Planning Commission meetings has been incorporated into the planning process and helped shape the proposed 2040 General Plan goals, policies, and actions. The working draft 2040 General Plan was subsequently reviewed in public discussion and hearings by the Planning Commission and City Council. The City created a General Plan website at www.hollister2040.org to enhance and inform the public process. The website provides all of the documents, maps, and meeting agendas, which are available for public download. The website offers information in both English and Spanish and provides the contact information for City staff so that members of the public can send their thoughts and questions about Hollister and the 2040 General Plan throughout the process.

3.6 PROJECT OBJECTIVES
The implementation of the proposed 2040 General Plan is guided by the Vision and Values of Hollister, whereas the Vision describes the future of Hollister as the community would like it to be in 2040 and the Values provide direction for decision making as the General Plan is implemented over time. The primary purpose of the proposed project is to plan for the growth and conservation of Hollister over an approximately 15-year time horizon while meeting the Vision and achieving the Values for a more equitable, diverse, innovative, and sustainable future for all residents. The project objectives to meet the Vision and Values are related specifically to growth and include focusing growth in the downtown, capitalizing on existing infrastructure, and streamlining future development that is consistent with the proposed 2040 General Plan. This requires extending the buildout horizon to year 2040 and updating goals, policies, and actions so that they meet current state requirements and community priorities. Many issues not covered in earlier plans are addressed in the proposed project. These include how to enhance the downtown as a vibrant center, build a diversified job base, provide sites for housing and mixed-use development, improve environmental justice and community health, and prepare for adaptation and resilience to a changing climate. As part of this process, the City has identified the following objectives, which build on the framework of the Vision and Values and reflect the community’s desires for the future of Hollister and will serve as the project objectives for the EIR.  Provide for balanced and sustainable growth. Create and maintain a cohesive development pattern amidst the agriculture landscape, with clearly defined urban edges. The General Plan land use map focuses urban development within the SOI and protects Hollister ’s surrounding lands from sprawl,

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reduces the cost of extending costly infrastructure, and enhances the visual character of the city’s edge. Land use policies are enacted to reduce incompatible land uses and ensure developments pay for their share of infrastructure, public facilities, and any environmental costs they might impose.  Create new jobs to develop the local economy. Strive for more local, high-quality jobs and an improved jobs/housing ratio.
 Integrate neighborhoods and neighborhood centers. Build quality neighborhoods and maintain a quality urban environment. Balanced neighborhoods include a mix of residential types and intensities at all levels of affordability and include activities and facilities that are used on a frequent basis—such as schools, stores, and parks. Land uses are designated to ensure balanced neighborhood development with a mix of uses and housing types, provision of parks and schools, and easy access to commercial activity centers.
 Create a network of parks and open space. In addition to neighborhood and community parks, create a network of trails.
 Create a safe, efficient, and equitable circulation system for all users. Establish a well-integrated and coordinated transit network and safe and convenient pedestrian and bicycle circulation.  Provide ample retail and shopping opportunities. Create quality retail sites to ensure jobs and sales tax revenue that serve both local residents and a regional population.  Plan for environmental justice. Senate Bill (SB) 1000, the Planning for Healthy Communities Act, was passed in 2016 and requires that General Plans address environmental justice for disadvantaged communities that exist within the planning area of the General Plan. California law defines “environmental justice” as the fair treatment of people of all races, cultures, and incomes with respect to the development, adoption, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.
 Respond to State law requirements. As previously described, the proposed 2040 General Plan builds off the current General Plan by incorporating similar topics and revising or adding new goals, policies, and actions that are required by State law. Table 3-1, 2040 General Plan Required by State Law, provides a list of the key State laws that are addressed in the 2040 General Plan, a summary of the purpose of the law, and the element that addresses the law.

TABLE 3-1 2040 GENERAL PLAN REQUIRED BY STATE LAW
Law Purpose
2040 General
Plan Element
SB 743
Changes the standard method of measuring transportation impacts from level of service to vehicle miles traveled, encourages transit-oriented development, and reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Circulation
SB 18 and Assembly
Bill (AB) 52
Require consultation with Native American tribes as part of a general plan update and for any subsequent project that could have the potential to impact Native American resources.

Natural
Resources
SB 1000 Requires General Plans to include an element with environmental justice policies.

Environmental
Justice
AB 1358 Requires “complete streets” be addressed in a general plan, which considers the needs of all modes of travel. Circulation

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TABLE 3-1 2040 GENERAL PLAN REQUIRED BY STATE LAW
Law Purpose
2040 General
Plan Element
AB 32 and SB 375 Addresses GHG reduction largely implemented on the state and regional levels.

Circulation,
Natural
Resources
SB 379 Requires a general plan to address climate resiliency. Health and Safety
AB 2140 Requires a link between a city’s local hazard mitigation plan and the general plan.

Health and
Safety
SB 1241 Requires all jurisdictions to develop policies and implementation actions based on the most recent Fire Hazard Planning Guide from the State.

Health and
Safety
AB 1739 Requires that general plans consider impacts on groundwater and plans for groundwater basins.

Community
Services and
Facilities
AB 162
Requires general plans to identify areas subject to flooding using the latest flood hazard information, and to prohibit new housing in areas that are not adequately protected from flooding.

Health and
Safety
Notes: SB = Senate Bill; AB = Assembly Bill; GHG = greenhouse gas Source: PlaceWorks, 2023.

3.7 PROJECT COMPONENTS

3.7.1 2040 GENERAL PLAN
The proposed project updates the current General Plan goals, policies, and actions to reflect current conditions, issues, resources, and community perspectives. For example, changes are needed to address the evolving state of the city and region and to cover global issues such as climate change and emerging transportation technologies. The City is also proposing to increase the Planning Area, which as described in Section 3.4.1.4, Planning Area, is any land outside the city boundaries where the City has an interest in participating in land use decisions by other agencies. As described in Section 3.4.1.4, this boundary does not give the City any regulatory power, but it signals to San Benito County and other nearby local and regional authorities that Hollister recognizes that development within this area may have an impact on the city. The update also incorporates regional forecasts for 2040 that extend the planning horizon forward by approximately 15 years. This section provides a summary of the major components of the proposed 2040 General Plan.

GENERAL PLAN CONTENTS AND ORGANIZATION
The proposed 2040 General Plan includes an introductory chapter and vision chapter, as well as an individual chapter for each of the 10 General Plan elements that establish goals, policies, and actions for implementing the General Plan. The 10 elements include the eight-mandated topics required by California Government Code Section 65302 as well as two additional topics of particular interest to Hollister. A brief explanation of the proposed 2040 General Plan elements is provided herein.

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 Chapter 3, Land Use and Community Design Element. This element establishes the type, location, density and intensity of development activity in Hollister. It describes the goals and policies that will guide Hollister ’s future growth patterns and development standards. It also strengthens and protects the unique aspects that make Hollister a great place to live while enhancing the character of the city by improving the quality of design and amenities. As described in this element, the City actively encourages infill development to develop before development extends to the surrounding areas where environmental impacts related to aesthetics and agricultural and biological resources can be greater when compared to infill development. The City encourages new residential and job- generating uses to be focused in the downtown, residential and mixed-use infill sites, and the Special Planning Areas. The City does not support new urban development outside the SOI and will work with the County to focus future development in already urbanized areas.  Chapter 4, Circulation Element. This element describes the services, facilities, and capital improvements needed to facilitate vehicle, pedestrian, transit, bicycle, and emergency circulation. The element also identifies future distribution, location, level of service, and extent of public and private transportation facilities to support the prescribed land uses in the proposed 2040 General Plan.  Chapter 5, Community Services and Facilities Element. This element describes the community facilities that are necessary in the provision of Hollister ’s essential public services. These services include schools, fire and police services, childcare, civic services, and park and recreation services. Hollister ’s objective is to provide high-quality public services throughout the city, now and in the future.

Infrastructure serves as the foundation for all development in Hollister. This element establishes goals, policies, and actions for the following systems: water supply, wastewater collection, storm drainage and flood control, and solid waste collection and disposal. Infrastructure improvements should preserve economic vitality, accommodate new housing, increase Hollister ’s revenue base, and correct existing deficiencies.
 Chapter 6, Economic Development Element. This element establishes policy guidance to support and maintain an economically viable community. The Economic Development Element responds to Hollister ’s goal to be known as an innovation hub that attracts businesses to the city’s downtown, industrial park, and airport area. This element includes policies that support efforts to improve local retail options, increase the quality and quantity of local jobs, decrease the need for commuting outside of the city, and enhance Hollister’s appeal as a tourist destination.  Chapter 7, Natural Resources and Conservation Element. This element outlines City policy for the preservation of natural resources and provision of outdoor recreation opportunities.  Chapter 8, Health and Safety Element . This element covers two of the 8 State-mandated elements:
safety and noise. The safety section of this element identifies and assesses hazards in the community and establishes the goals, policies, and actions necessary to ensure community safety. Additionally, the Health and Safety Element addresses hazards associated with climate change, seismic and geologic activity, flooding, wildland and urban fires, emergency preparedness and emergency operations, and hazardous materials. In addition, the noise section of this element is meant to provide a means for protecting the community from harmful effects of noise exposure.  Chapter 9, Open Space and Agriculture Element . This element outlines City policy for the preservation of open space and agricultural areas. This element responds to Hollister ’s desire to maintain

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productive and viable agricultural land while providing for economic development, growth, and expansion.
 Chapter 10, Housing Element. This element identifies the housing needs of the city for all income levels and strategies and policies for providing housing to meet those needs. Since the Housing Element is updated more frequently than the other elements, as required by State law, it exists as its own document outside of the proposed 2040 General Plan and is therefore not part of the proposed project. The current Housing Element addresses housing needs in Hollister for the 2015 to 2023 housing cycle and is currently being updated by the City through a separate process.  Chapter 11, Arts and Culture Element . This element outlines City policy for creating a lively arts scene that encourages self-expression and ensures the representation of Hollister’s arts and cultural communities. This element includes policy direction to expand arts programming, support funding efforts, and develop a distinct identity for Hollister as a regional destination for arts, culture, and creative enterprises.
 Chapter 12, Environmental Justice Element. This element identifies impacted communities and sets policy direction to minimize effects of environmental hazards on these communities, with an emphasis on pollution exposure, food access, and safe and sanitary homes. This element also establishes policy guidance to promote physical activity and ensure adequate access to public facilities and services.

GENERAL PLAN GOALS, POLICIES, AND ACTIONS
Each element of the proposed 2040 General Plan contains background information and a series of goals, policies, and actions. Policies and actions are at the same level of importance and are both intended to support goals. In most cases, goals have both policies and actions. However, it is also possible for a goal to be supported exclusively by policies or actions. The following provides a description of goals, policies, and actions and explains the relationship between them:
 A goal is a description of the general desired result that the City seeks to create through the implementation of its General Plan.
 A policy is a specific statement that regulates activities in the city, guides decision making, and directs ongoing efforts as the City works to achieve a goal. A policy is ongoing and requires no further implementation. The General Plan’s policies set out the standards that will be used by City staff and the other decision makers in their review of land development projects and in decision making about City actions.
 An action is a measure, procedure, or technique intended to help reach a specified goal. The City must take additional steps to implement each action in the General Plan. An action is something that can and will be completed.

GENERAL PLAN LAND USE DESIGNATIONS
As part of the proposed project, the City is proposing changes to the currently adopted General Plan land use map. The current 2005 General Plan land use map and the proposed 2040 General Plan land use map are shown on Figure 3-4, 2005 General Plan Land Use Map, and Figure 3-5, 2040 General Plan Land Use Map, respectively.

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The General Plan land use designations would establish the uses, density ranges, and development intensities allowed on each parcel of land. In general, standards of building intensity for residential uses are stated as the allowable range of dwelling units per gross acre and standards for nonresidential uses are stated as maximum floor-area ratios (FAR) based on net acreage.

Gross density is the total number of units per acre in a given area that includes the internal streets, easements, common open spaces, and undevelopable areas. Net density is the total number of units per acre on a given site on which buildings may be constructed and excludes streets, easements, common open spaces, and other undevelopable areas. Using net density for calculating residential density is appropriate for cities that are largely built out. Using gross density as a measurement for residential density is appropriate for Hollister because it is not largely built out and can accommodate large single- family subdivision tracts that construct new roads and set aside land for public parks, schools, and amenities. The number of units permitted will be further modified by the corresponding zoning district.

FAR is a ratio of the building square footage permitted on a lot to the net square footage of the lot. For example, on a site with 10,000 square feet of net land area, a FAR of 1.0 will allow 10,000 square feet of building floor area to be built. This could take the form of a two-story building with 50 percent lot coverage, or a one-story building with 100 percent lot coverage. A FAR of 0.4 would allow 4,000 square feet of floor area.

The following land use designations are included in the proposed 2040 General Plan:
 Residential Estate (0.2 to 1 unit/gross acre). This land use designation is intended for single-family, residential units on large lots. The Residential Estate land use designation only occurs in long-range phased areas outside of Hollister ’s City Limits and SOI (but is within the Planning Area). Residential Estate land uses are intended to provide sites for larger, distinctive residences in areas that the City does not provide public infrastructure.
 Low-Density Residential (6 to 10 units/gross acre). This land use designation is intended to promote and protect single-family neighborhoods. Low-Density Residential land uses are intended to provide sites for single-family detached and attached units, zero lot-line single-family units, duplexes, and Planned Unit Development units.
 Medium-Density Residential (11 to 19 units/gross acre). This land use designation accommodates more intensive forms of residential development. Medium-Density Residential land uses provide greater housing choices in the city for different family sizes and incomes (examples include duplexes and triplexes). In the Medium Density Residential land use designation, new single-family detached residential development is not a permitted use. Existing Medium-Density Residential land uses are close to the community and retail services downtown, and future Medium-Density Residential uses are intended to be located near other services, such as neighborhood shopping centers, parks and open spaces areas, and near minor and major collector streets where sufficient access can be provided.
 High-Density Residential (30 to 65 units/gross acre). This land use designation is applied to parcels that have access to existing services and infrastructure to meet the California Department of Housing and Community Development ’s default density standard of 30 units/gross acre for “metropolitan

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jurisdictions.” These sites shall have a minimum density of 30 units/gross acre and maximum density of 65 units/gross acre.
 Mixed-Use Commercial and Residential (30 to 65 units/gross acre; 3.0 FAR). This land use designation is intended to promote a vertical or horizontal combination of residential and commercial uses within a single building or site. Vertical mixed use is intended to encourage retail sales, service, office, and public uses on the ground floor with upper floors of office and residential uses. Horizontal mixed use in this designation shall orient commercial uses near key intersections, and ensure that they are easily accessible, pedestrian oriented, and serve the surrounding residential uses. The Mixed-Use Commercial and Residential land use designation applies to commercial activity that includes government and professional offices, neighborhood-oriented retail, community shopping centers, specialty stores, arts and crafts, woodworking, and assembly processes.  Downtown Commercial and Mixed Use (30 to 125 units/gross acre; 3.0 FAR). This land use designation is intended primarily for all types of commercial uses and secondarily for residential uses or a combination of the two. Special attention should be given to pedestrian circulation within the area to provide access to adjacent facilities and uses. This land use designation is intended to encourage ground floor, pedestrian friendly, retail sales, and service uses with upper floors of office and residential uses. The Downtown Commercial land use designation applies to commercial activity including neighborhood convenience stores, restaurants, regionally-oriented specialty stores, medical and dental offices, and residential units. Commercial uses that require drive-through windows or open-air car, truck, and boar lots, automotive repair, and body shops are prohibited Downtown.

Smaller vehicle sales are permitted within enclosed buildings.  Home Office (11 to 29 units/gross acre; 1.0 FAR). This land use designation is intended to allow for residential and small-scale businesses, which include specialty, administrative, and professional offices. Nonresidential buildings that share street frontage with residentially developed properties should maintain a residential character. This designation does not require office development; rather, it creates the option for offices in what is otherwise a Medium-Density Residential district. The Home Office designation is located near the Downtown Area and serves as a transitional zone between the higher intensity downtown area and surrounding established residential.  West Gateway Mixed Use (30 to 65 units/gross acre; 3.0 FAR). This land use designation is intended to foster an attractive entry to the city by featuring community shopping, retail, offices, and residential uses. This land use designation requires that projects include a commercial component if within the radius of the West Gateway commercial nodes identified on Figure LU-3 in the proposed 2040 General Plan. The guidelines described in the “Special Planning Areas” section of the proposed Land Use and Community Design Element stipulates additional criteria that development within the West Gateway Special Planning Area must meet.
 North Gateway Commercial (2.0 FAR). This land use designation is intended to foster an attractive entry to the city by featuring commercial and service-oriented businesses along with high- employment uses such as office parks. The guidelines described in the “Special Planning Areas” section of the proposed Land Use and Community Design Element stipulates additional criteria that development within the North Gateway Special Planning Area must meet.  General Commercial (2.0 FAR). This land use designation allows for a variety of commercial uses and service-oriented businesses at scales ranging from large retail stores serving the community and

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region to smaller businesses oriented towards neighborhood activity. Uses are encouraged to develop in clusters, serving areas with access to major arterials. Independent small businesses, such as beauty salons, small offices, and restaurants are also permitted. Other examples of uses are department stores, supermarkets, hardware stores, and convenience stores.  Industrial (1.0 FAR). This land use designation provides for a range of uses, including research and development; manufacturing, processing, and assembly facilities; warehousing; and vehicle repair and trucking facilities. Outdoor activities are limited to accessory storage and loading areas. Other permitted uses include limited commercial uses that serve industrial and employment centers.  Airport. This land use designation is applied to publicly owned lands of the Hollister Municipal Airport.

Uses include airport operations and support facilities as well as limited commercial and industrial uses incidental to and in support of the airport.
 Airport Support (1.0 FAR). This land use designation allows industrial or commercial development on those areas that are adjacent to and have direct access to the Hollister Municipal Airport.

Development may include industrial, commercial, or recreational uses that provide support to the airport and are compatible with both airport operations and adjacent uses.  Public. This land use designation is applied to publicly and privately owned lands used for activities such as utilities, schools, and other City of Hollister, county, state, or federal facilities.  Open Space. This land use designation is applied to publicly and privately owned lands used for low- intensity, open space activities, such as hiking, walking, or picnicking. The Open Space land use designation also highlights environmentally sensitive areas, such as rivers, creeks, and habitat preservation areas.
 Agriculture. This land use designation encompasses lands with continuing commercial agriculture potential. The intent of the Agricultural land use designation is to retain primary agricultural use to the greatest extent practical. These areas should be kept free of any urban-type development and annexations. Allowed uses include orchards, row crops, plant nurseries, grazing lands, open space, and farm services.
 Specific Plan. This land use designation identifies parcels that fall under a Specific Plan area. There are five Specific Plan areas, as shown in Figure 3-6, Specific Plan Areas. Each area will be subject to additional policy direction to guide development in these areas, including policies that specify a full buildout number and design guidance.

GENERAL PLAN SPECIAL PLANNING AREAS
In addition to the General Plan land use designations, the proposed 2040 General Plan includes six Special Planning Areas. These areas have additional policy direction to guide development that are in addition to the requirements of the underlying General Plan land use designation.

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Special Planning Areas
Each of the Special Planning Areas are at least partially developed and therefore, the proposed 2040 General Plan additional policy direction would be to guide additional development, redevelopment, and property improvements in these areas. The Special Planning Areas are designated as such for the following reasons:
 They are in highly visible locations that characterize Hollister, in and around downtown or as people approach and leave the city.
 They contain potential economic development opportunities if developed appropriately.  They would benefit from a unified design approach and take advantage of unique elements of the city.

The following provides a brief summary of the six Special Planning Areas:
 North Gateway. This Special Planning Area is intended to create an entry boulevard for motorists arriving in Hollister from the north along SR 25. The area is important because it provides the opportunity for large retail uses that cater to commuters and other motorists without duplicating services found the downtown. This area is envisioned for automobile dealerships and continuing the commercial boulevard along San Felipe Road leading into the heart of downtown. Guidelines for development in this Special Planning Area include, but are not limited to, adding bicycle lanes, limiting entry and exit points to main roads, encouraging internal circulations between buildings, encouraging one- to two-story building heights, and improving the pedestrian experience with more street lighting and landscaping.
 West Gateway. This area is intended to create an entry feature on San Juan Road as it bridges the San Benito River. After the entry feature, the West Gateway area continues east to Westside Boulevard, including a number of currently underutilized parcels. This Special Planning Area provides the opportunity to develop a new mixed-use area with medium- to high-density housing and a neighborhood-serving retail component complimented by a public plaza. Guidelines for development in this Special Planning Area include, but are not limited to, limiting entry and exit points to main roads, encouraging internal circulations between buildings, encouraging three-story building heights, designing public spaces that are conducive to retail sales and community gatherings, and implementing a unified design theme for building architecture that is different from Downtown Hollister.
 Downtown. This Special Planning Area extends along San Felipe Road from Santa Ana Road to Hawkins Street, and has a number of businesses and amenities, most of which are located in early-twentieth century buildings that reflect the small-town agricultural character and history of Hollister. New development and redevelopment that occurs Downtown must occur in context of the existing buildings. Amenities that encourage a safe and comfortable pedestrian experience in Downtown are also crucial elements to promote. Guidelines for development in this Special Planning Area include, but are not limited to, clustering parking in structures or behind buildings, encouraging minimal setbacks, encouraging three- to four-story buildings, and maintaining 12- to 15-foot-wide sidewalks to encourage pedestrian activity.
 "Old Town" Residential. This area contains some of Hollister ’s most diverse architecture distributed through a neighborhood of historical homes. Located east and south of the downtown, the "Old