MEETING DATE: October 20, 2022
APPLICATION NUMBER: IS22-092
SCH 2010022024
PROJECT NAME: Addendum to Northwest Airport Way Master Plan EIR RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends the Planning Commission take the following actions:
Adopt Resolution No. 1612 recommending approval to the City Council of the Addendum to the Northwest Airport Way Master Plan Environmental Impact Report.
Project InFORMATION
Applicant:
City of Manteca
Property Owner:
Multiple owners in the Master Plan area
Project Address:
Northwest Airport Way Master Plan
General Plan Designation:
Light Industrial (LI) and General Commercial (CG)
Zoning:
Master Plan (MP)
Existing Use:
Developed and proposed industrial uses, undeveloped industrial and commercial uses Proposed Use:
No change to proposed uses
Parcel Size
The Master Plan is 300.3 acres.
Adjacent Uses:
North: San Joaquin County land
South: San Joaquin County land, designated LI
East: Union Pacific Railroad Lathrop Intermodal Terminal West: Existing and proposed Single-family residential uses Project Background
The Northwest Airport Way Master Plan (MP) is a 300-acre industrial master planned-area, located in the northwest corner of the City, adjacent to the Union Pacific Lathrop Intermodal Terminal. The MP area consist mostly of light industrial uses with some commercial uses.
This addendum analyzes the changes that have occurred during the buildout of the MP area as compared to what was initially analyzed in the MP Environmental Impact Report (EIR). The Addendum includes the following revisions:
Analyzing circulation changes in the MP area, mostly centered on the construction of Intermodal Way and requiring truck traffic to use it rather than Airport Way.
Provides a Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) Analysis, which was not required at the time of the certification of the original EIR.
Provides an updated Level of Service (LOS) Analysis for the MP area based on existing and proposed development as compared to conceptual development provided in the initial MP.
PROJECT LOCATION
The project area of the MP consists of 300.3 acres of light industrial and commercial land, bordered by Lathrop Road to the south, Airport Way to the east, Roth Road to the north and the Union Pacific Railroad Lathrop Intermodal Terminal to the west. There are no changes proposed in regards to project location or boundaries. Figure 1 outlines the MP area in yellow.
Figure 1: Project Location – Northwest Airport Way Master Plan Project Description
Addendum Overview
The Addendum analyzes the minor refinements to the Master Plan related to circulation, VMT analysis, and LOS analysis. There are no proposed changes to the MP project location or acreage size, General Plan land use or Zoning designations, acreage or development square footage assumptions, or entitlements requested. The only refinements are related to revised travel patterns that have resulted through the approval process for different entitlement projects in the MP area. As projects have been approved, changes to truck circulation has been a key focus of the adjacent neighborhoods and the City. In order to have a document that accurately reflects these important changes, the City is updating the MP to be reflective of current circulation patterns. Also, at the time the MP was adopted, different uses were anticipated in the MP area. As the MP area has built out, the type of uses contemplated in the EIR have changed. As such, it is important that the environmental document accurately reflect the uses that do exists in the MP area. These uses favor truck-intense uses, which has led to changes in the circulation pattern of the MP area to better address the impact of these uses on the adjacent neighborhoods.
The changes to the circulation system will accomplish the following objectives:
Eliminate truck trips on Lathrop Road and Airport Road to reduce truck traffic in residential areas.
Eliminate the connection of Intermodal Way to Lathrop Road.
Establish a STAA route from the southern terminus of Intermodal Way to Roth Road.
Establish a STAA route on Roth Road to I-5.
Concentrate all heavy truck trips on Intermodal Way and Roth Road.
Remove Roadway “A,” (which is the intersection of Lathrop Road and Intermodal Way) to keep trucks off Lathrop Road.
Again, these refinements are expected to benefit the MP and the surrounding residential areas by shifting heavy truck trips and their emissions away from residential areas along Airport Way and Lathrop Road onto the designated STAA truck route of Intermodal Way. The modifications to the circulation system were developed in coordination with the City of Lathrop and neighboring Manteca residents that pointed out their concerns about truck traffic driving through residential areas of Airport Way and Lathrop Road.
In addition to the proposed circulation changes, this Addendum includes a VMT Analysis as well as an updated LOS Analysis to reflect the changes in use and circulation that have occurred in the MP area since the certification of the EIR in 2010. In 2013, SB 743 was passed by the California legislature requiring that by 2018, cities must change how they measure traffic impacts for CEQA purposes. This change made LOS Analysis obsolete, replacing it with a VMT Analysis as the indicator of a CEQA impact. The original EIR was certified in 2010, three years prior to the adoption of VMT analysis, which is why this analysis was not included in the original EIR. The major takeaway of the VMT analysis shows that the ultimate buildout of the MP area is expected to improve the jobs to housing balance in the City of Manteca, and provide the overall benefit of reducing VMT per employee since with fewer residents will need to leave the City for employment. This reduction in trips will ultimately result in reduced fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions reductions.
Although a LOS analysis is no longer a requirement to determine an impact under CEQA, this Addendum still includes an updated LOS Analysis because LOS standards are still present in the City’s General Plan. As noted above, the original LOS Analysis was based on anticipated uses for the MP area. Since the 2010 approval, industrial markets have shifted away from traditional industrial uses, for more warehouse and truck-heavy uses. This change in anticipated user has an impact of the studied LOS for the MP area. The Addendum provides a more accurate LOS analysis because the uses in the MP area are mostly known, with only a few vacant parcels left for development. The Updated LOS analysis does not indicate a CEQA impact; rather the analysis identifies a need for future circulation improvements that may not have been contemplated in the original EIR.
Transportation Impact Analysis and VMT Analysis
The Transportation Impact Analysis (TIA) for the Addendum analyzed the anticipated trip generation for the approved but not yet constructed, pending, and undeveloped areas in the MP area to determine if additional impacts are expected beyond what the EIR anticipated based on the travel pattern refinements. The TIA shows that the MP EIR estimated the Cumulative Plus Master Plan Buildout to be the following:
The table below shows the results of the TIA’s analysis of the existing trip generation for the actual development in the MP are, combined with the pending and undeveloped areas of the MP. It estimates that the MP will generate a total of 662 new daily vehicle trips, 353 new AM peak hour trips, and 103 new PM peak hour trips, compared to the MP EIR.
The traffic consultant used a model-wide analysis that uses the daily trips and travel distance for all Industrial Transportation Analysis Zones (TAZs), and the product of daily trips and travel distance was summed up to obtain the VMT estimates. The VMT analysis was based on Intermodal Way being deigned to provide access to and from Roth Road and the I-5/Roth Road interchange for project-generated California Legal and STAA truck traffic. The results of the VMT analysis showed that the proposed Pending//Undeveloped MP area will result in a relatively flat/minor decrease in VMT when compared to baseline citywide, from 75.3 to 75.1 vehicle miles traveled per employee. This represents a .26% decrease when compared to baseline city-wide average. As noted above, the construction of the pending and undeveloped MP areas will continue to improve the jobs to housing balance in the City of Manteca and provide an overall benefit to reducing VMT per employee with fewer residents expected to leave the City for employment, which will result in reduced fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emission reductions.
The TIA also analyzed intersection LOS and street segment LOS. The results of the intersection LOS analysis showed that the pending and undeveloped parcels are not expected to result in any intersections operating below acceptable level of service thresholds on the surrounding roads under Existing Conditions, as all 14 study intersections would continue to operate at acceptable LOS of ‘D’ or better. However, under Cumulative No Project Conditions, traffic associated with land use growth in the City of Manteca and City of Lathrop will contribute to the increase in traffic volumes along Lathrop Road, and the intersection of Union Road and Lathrop Road will operate unacceptably at an LOS of ‘F.’ This LOS remains the same for Cumulative Conditions with pending and undeveloped parcels. As an effort to remedy this, all projects going forward in the MP area will likely be conditioned to mitigate their transportation impact, including paying their fair share of PFIP fees, and paying their fair share of RTIF fees.
Additionally, the City of Manteca has identified improvements to the intersection of Union Road and Lathrop Road beyond the current intersection geometrics, including a new traffic signal controller and improved signal timings. With these improvements, AM and PM peak hour operations at the Union Road and Lathrop Road intersection would marginally improve, reducing average vehicle delay and corresponding level of service (from LOS F to LOS E) for both Without and With the Pending / Undeveloped NWAWMP Area scenarios. Based on a discussion with the Engineering Department, the Union Road and Lathrop Road intersection will also be fully evaluated after the General Plan Update is completed as part of the 2023 PFIP Update. The goal will be to improve Union Road and Lathrop Road operations from LOS E to LOS D conditions, and each of the NWAWMP development projects will pay the current PFIP fee prior to issuance of building permits.
The street segment LOS estimates that both Existing Conditions plus pending and undeveloped parcels and Cumulative Conditions plus pending and undeveloped parcels will all continue to operate acceptably at a LOS of ‘D’ or better.
Other Sections of the Environmental Analysis
The Addendum’s Environmental Analysis determines there are no significant impacts beyond what was studied in the MP EIR in regards to Aesthetics, Light, and Glare; Agricultural Resources; Air Quality; Biological Resources; Cultural Resources; Geology, Soils, and Seismicity; Hazards and Hazardous Materials; Hydrology and Water Quality; Land Use; or Public Services and Utilities. In regards to the cumulative Air Quality impacts studied in the Addendum’s Environmental Analysis, the Refined Project is expected to result in air emissions that are largely similar to what was anticipated in the original project, although the improvements to fuel efficiency standards and air quality regulations are anticipated to cause emissions to be lower than originally anticipated. In regards to Noise, the Refined Project will remove the trips distributed to the more noise-sensitive residential areas along Airport Way and Lathrop Road, which will be a beneficial noise impact.
ANALYSIS
This EIR Addendum has been analyzed with respect to conformance with the:
Manteca General Plan
Manteca Zoning Ordinance
Manteca Climate Action Plan
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)
GENERAL PLAN CONFORMANCE
There are no changes proposed with regards to General Plan Land Use Designations, and the project supports the following General Plan Goals and Policies:
Circulation Policy C-P-2: To the extent feasible, the City shall strive for a vehicular LOS of D or better at all streets and intersections, except in the Downtown area.
Analysis: As described in the Transportation section of the Addendum document, to the extent feasible, the road segments and intersections studied will continue to operate acceptably at LOS ‘D’ or better, except, under Cumulative Conditions, the intersection of Union Road and Lathrop Road, will operate unacceptably at LOS ‘F.’ Future projects will be conditioned to provide improvements where possible to account for this LOS and to strive to reach LOS of D.
Circulation Policy C-P-3: At the discretion of City staff, certain locations may be allowed to fall below the City’s LOS standard under the following circumstances:
Where constructing facilities with enough capacity to provide LOS D is found to be unreasonably expensive.
Analysis: The intersection of Union Road and Lathrop Road is expected to operate at an unacceptable LOS of ‘F’ under Cumulative conditions. This intersection is fully built out and is not planned for widening. Under these conditions, it would be unreasonably expensive to expand this intersection in order to bring the LOS to an acceptable level. As such, staff is still supportive of the Addendum and future projects in the MP area as future growth in this area helps bridge the jobs and housing balance in the City and provides economic benefit to the City.
Circulation Policy C-P-50: All roads identified as truck routes shall be designed to accommodate STAA trucks.
Analysis: Intermodal Way is the designated truck route for trucks to enter and leave the MP area. It will be a designated STAA Route and has been designed to accommodate STAA trucks.
Circulation Policy C-P-53: The City shall establish a requirement for a TDM program in any business park, industrial or commercial land use that employees more than 50 full time equivalent employees.
Analysis: This EIR Addendum will conform to the updated General Plan’s Circulation Element (Chapter 3.14), which will require new development projects that accommodate or employ fifty (50) or more employees to implement Transportation Demand Management (TDM) programs, and ensure regional coordination on trip and VMT reduction efforts.
Air Quality Goal AQ-2: Integrate air quality planning with land use and transportation planning processes in order to reduce vehicle miles traveled in the City and by commuters.
Air Quality Policy AQ-P-4: Develop and maintain street systems that provide for efficient traffic flow and thereby minimize air pollution from automobile emissions.
Analysis: As discussed above, the updated information in the EIR Addendum expects a slight decrease in VMT for the MP area, from 75.3 to 75.1 vehicle miles traveled per employee. Furthermore, the construction of the pending and undeveloped MP areas will continue to improve the jobs to housing balance in the City of Manteca and provide an overall benefit to potentially further reducing VMT per employee with fewer residents expected to leave the City for employment. This will also result in reduced fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emission reductions.
The refinements of this project, including the decision to eliminate truck trips from Lathrop Road and Airport Road, are intended to improve safety on the roadway, but will also reduce air-quality concerns of truck emissions from the sensitive residential areas along Airport Way and Lathrop Road.
ZONING CONFORMANCE
The project proposes no changes to the Zoning or allowed uses in the Master Plan.
CLIMATE ACTION PLAN COMPLIANCE
On October 15, 2013, the Manteca City Council approved and adopted the Air Quality Element Update and Climate Action Plan in response to the passing of Assembly Bill AB32. The intent of this plan is to reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions in both private and public sector development.
The project complies with the following Climate Action Plan strategies:
CAP Strategy: Transportation Demand Management (TDM-1): Notify developers of large commercial and industrial developments of the requirements of SJVAPCD Rule 9410 to implement TDM programs that reduce commute trips.
Analysis: This EIR Addendum will conform to the updated General Plan’s Circulation Element (Chapter 3.14), which will require new development projects that accommodate or employ fifty (50) or more employees to implement Transportation Demand Management (TDM) programs, and ensure regional coordination on trip and VMT reduction efforts.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
An Addendum was determined to be the appropriate CEQA determination to document the changes in the MP area, as none of the conditions described in CEQA Guidelines Section 15162 (detailed on Page 7 of the Addendum document), calling for preparation of a subsequent EIR have occurred. The Addendum can be found here:
https://www.ci.manteca.ca.us/CommunityDevelopment/Planning%20Division/Pages/Planning-Division-Documents.aspx.
Accordingly, Pursuant to Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations, the Addendum to the EIR was submitted and posted with the State Clearinghouse on October 4, 2022 Report prepared by: Mallorie Fenrich, Associate Planner Attachments:
Attachment 1- Planning Commission Resolution 1612
2a. Exhibit A – EIR Addendum
PowerPoint Presentation
Reviewed by:
__/s/________________________ __________ 10/5/2022 ___ Lea Simvoulakis, Acting Deputy Director, Planning Date Approved by:
__/s/_____________________________________________ _10/6/2022 Chris Erias, Development Services Director Date
ATTACHMENT 1
ATTACHMENT 1
City of Manteca Planning Commission
AGENDA REPORT