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PROJECTS THROUGHOUT CALIFORNIA
MEMORANDUM
To: City of Norwalk, Planning Commission Job No. 1335.007 From: Impact Sciences, Inc., and Iteris, Inc.
Subject: Heart of Norwalk Specific Plan Environmental Impact Report Caltrans District 7 Comment Letter
Date: November 13, 2025
Impact Sciences, in coordination with Iteris, Inc., has reviewed the comments submitted by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) on November 10, 2025, and has prepared the following responses.
1. BACKGROUND
On May 3, 2024, Caltrans District 7 submitted a comment letter (attached) in response to the Notice of Preparation. The comment letter requested multi -modal conflict/safety analysis be performed across the P roject area and seven intersections outside of the P roject area. The comment further requested that any impacts be addressed with Transportation Demand Management (TDM) or similar measures. A similar comment (attached) was provided on the Draft EIR. Upon receipt of the Final EIR, Caltrans submitted an additional comment via email reiterating the requests above and providing additional detail about the level of analysis requested. The comment focused on three areas , which are responded to below: trip generation and assignment, buildout queuing, and mitigation measures. The comments were reviewed by the Project team, and the following is a summary of the responses provided as well as anticipated next steps.
2. ANALYSIS APPROACH
Trip generation and assignment. In the development of the Draft EIR, transportation modeling was undertaken.
As no specific projects are included in the EIR, the approach taken was to determine the number of trips anticipated through project buildout based on proposed land use changes and anticipated development . This generalized approach is appropriate for plan level documents when individual projects are not known. Trips were then distributed across the plan area based on existing trip patterns. Without detailed project information, additional trip generation or assignment would be speculative.
Further, as stated in the Final EIR and provided to Caltrans, the study area included 10 key intersections where traffic volumes were anticipated to be most affected by both land use plan buildout and circulation network modifications (i.e., signal phasing changes, roadway reconfiguration due to new bike facilities, etc.). One of the 10 intersections was the I-5 Southbound Ramps/San Antonio Drive intersection, where lane modifications along San Antonio Drive are proposed, although there are no changes to the off-ramp or on-ramp lane configurations at this location . The P roject does not propose any circulation network modifications at the other six freeway interchanges mentioned in the Caltrans letter.
Attachment No. 10
PROJECTS THROUGHOUT CALIFORNIA
To further confirm the adequacy of the study area, Iteris reviewed the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) regional modeling outputs (which were used for the veh icle miles traveled (VMT) analysis) for both existing and “with project” scenarios in order to estimate the relative effects that P roject-related traffic would have on the freeway interchanges in the vicinity. Based on the review, the daily model volume differences between existing and “with project” ranged from 2 percent to 6 percent at the freeway interchange ramps, with a weighted average of 1.5 percent difference (when considering all interchanges). Based on this review, it was reasonably determined impacts to freeway interchanges would be less than significant.
Buildout Queuing Analysis. Caltrans requested additional queuing analysis for ramps outside of the P roject area.
As stated above, based on the modeling conducted for the P roject, impacts on ramps in the P roject area were determined to be less than significant, as such, there is no evidence to suggest that ramps outside of the P roject area (as trips would be further dissipated) would be impacted by development associated with the P roject.
Nonetheless, as a gesture of good faith, the City of Norwalk (City) is exploring the possibility of conducting the requested modeling. The City has requested a meeting with Caltrans to review the methodology and data needs that would be necessary to conduct the modeling at some or all intersections requested. It is the City’s hope that Caltrans can provide the necessary data to Iteris, Inc. , in a timely manner, to allow the City to proceed with an anticipated December adoption of the Specific Plan.
Mitigation Measures. The EIR does not identify a specific mitigation measure related to ramp queuing as 1) impacts were determined to be less than significant, and 2) the timing of future projects is unknown. Subsequent land use development projects may require mitigation measures, including, but not limited to, TDM measures to reduce a project’s trip generation, investments in active transportation or transit system amenities, and/or operational changes to the ramp terminal , such as lane reassignment, traffic signalization, and signal phasing or timing modifications. The Project is a plan-level document, and no specific improvements are proposed at this time. The EIR does not identify specific mitigation measures as the timing of future projects is unknown. As individual projects are identified, individual measures will be developed appropriate to each project, including, as necessary, the City working with Caltrans to identify project-specific mitigation measures as appropriate.
It is further noted that the Specific Plan prioritizes alternative modes of travel, such as bicycling and public transit, to reduce single -occupancy vehicle trips, VMT, and greenhouse gas emissions , and the EIR demonstrates the benefits of these improvements . Overall, consistent with Caltrans’ comment, the Plan supports complete streets and pedestrian safety as it includes updates to several enhanced street networks throughout the plan area.
In summary, the City will continue to work with Caltrans to resolve these issues and hopes to come to a successful resolution prior to the December 2, 2025, council meeting.
Attachment No. 10