Rincon Consultants, Inc.
449 15th Street, Suite 303
Oakland, California 94612
510-834-4455
www.rinconcons ultants.com
May 12, 2023
Project No: 18-06115
Troy Fujimoto, City Planner
City of Pleasant Hill
100 Gregory Lane
Pleasant Hill, California 94523
Subject: Pleasant Hill 2040 General Plan Response to Planning Commission Public Comments on the Draft Pleasant Hill 2040 General Plan EIR
Dear Mr. Fujimoto:
Pursuant to your request, Rincon Consultants has prepared the following written responses to public comments on the Draft Pleasant Hill 2040 General Plan EIR from the Planning Commission meeting on May 3, 2023.
Transportation – Density
Commenters expressed concerns regarding increased density and increased traffic and congestion.
As discussed in Section 3.12, Transportation, of the Draft EIR, forecasting encompasses full build-out of all parcels to their maximum capacity and represents growth over a much longer period than the 18 years represented in the travel demand model (2022 to 2040). Therefore, these over-capacity conditions may not materialize by 2040. Consistency with applicable 2040 General Plan goals and policies, Plan Bay Area 2050, and Contra Costa CTP would reduce potential impacts related to growth.
Noise – Density
Commenters expressed concern that noise would increase as a result of increased density.
As discussed in Section 3.10, Noise, of the Draft EIR, operational residential uses would generate noise from landscaping, maintenance activities, and mechanical equipment such as ground-level and rooftop ventilation and heating (HVAC) systems. Noise from new developments would be reviewed at the project level. Impacts from new development were determined to be less than significant in the Draft EIR. Roadway vehicle noise would likely increase due to increased growth and would be significant and unavoidable. Implementation of Mitigation Measure NOI-1 during construction would reduce construction roadway noise but there are no feasible mitigation measures for operational roadway noise.
Aesthetics – Density
Commenters expressed concern that private views would be obstructed as a result of increased development.
As discussed in Section 3.1, Aesthetics, Goal LU-1 coupled with policies LU-1.2, and LU-1.8 would broadly maintain a “quality community atmosphere and image” through beautification and a high level of civic, recreational, and cultural opportunities. Policies LU-1.3, LU-1.4, and LU-1.6 would encourage a coherent cityscape through well-defined street fronts, gateway features, and scaled new City of Pleasant Hill
Pleasant Hill 2040 General Plan Response to Public Comments 2 development (i.e., appropriate transition between adjoining neighborhoods and land uses). Policy LU1.5 would require installation of public art in new public and private development, which would enhance the visual quality and character of the city. Finally, Policy LU-1.7 would encourage a humanscale community environment (as opposed to vehicle scale), which would improve the urban design of Pleasant Hill. 2040 General Plan goals and polices would encourage urban design that complements and is consistent with the character of existing neighborhoods and encourages high-quality design throughout the General Plan area. Implementation of these goals and policies would ensure that development facilitated by the 2040 General Plan would be visually compatible with Pleasant Hill’s overall form and would improve underutilized parcels through excellent architectural and landscape design.
Schools – Density
Commenters expressed concern about capacity of schools due to an increase in population.
As discussed in Section 3.11, Public Services and Recreation, although MDUSD has experienced a decline in enrollment in the last several years, the addition of 7,345 school students within Pleasant Hill could exceed anticipated school district capacity However, the proposed General Plan would facilitate development of a net increase of 6,444,767 gross square feet of schools. The City would work with MDUSD regarding new school land use needs by grade to ensure that new school facilities would accommodate anticipated student generation within Pleasant Hill associated with 2040 General Plan buildout. Further, future development facilitated by 2040 General Plan is required to pay MDUSD school impact fees which, pursuant to Section 65995(3)(h) of the California Government Code (Senate Bill 50, chaptered August 27, 1998), are “deemed to be full and complete mitigation of the impacts of any legislative or adjudicative act, or both, involving, but not limited to, the planning, use, or development of real property, or any change in governmental organization or reorganization.” Transportation – Sharp curves/hazards
Commenters expressed concern regarding sharp curves and circulation safety within the city.
As discussed in Section 3.12, Transportation, the 2040 General Plan goals and policies are intended to result in roadway designs that would safely accommodate all users including pedestrians, bikes, and vehicles. Improvements to the transportation and circulation system in the City would be implemented over time through buildout year of 2040. Pleasant Hill maintains improvement standards that guide the construction of new transportation facilities to minimize design hazards for all users of the system. Through the environmental review process, land use proposals that would add traffic to streets not designed to current standards are evaluated. If needed, mitigation measures are identified therein, and projects are conditioned to construct or provide funding for an improvement that would minimize or eliminate the hazard.
Biological Resources – Wildlife
Commenters expressed concern regarding local wildlife including birds, opossums, rabbits, and deer and concern for wildlife movement corridors.
CEQA Guidelines require the City to evaluate whether the plan would “Have a substantial adverse effect, either directly or through habitat modifications, on any species identified as a candidate, sensitive or special-status species in local or regional plans, policies, or regulations, or by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife or U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service” or “Interfere substantially with the movement of any native resident or migratory fish or wildlife species or with established native resident City of Pleasant Hill
Pleasant Hill 2040 General Plan Response to Public Comments 3 or migratory wildlife corridors, or impede the use of native wildlife nursery sites.” Rabbits, opossums, deer, etc., are not special status species.
As discussed in Section 3.3, Biological, Agriculture, and Forestry Resources, wildlife movement corridors in the General Plan area are generally limited to riparian corridors and creeks and areas of open space in local and regional parks. These creeks may be used by migratory fish and riparian corridors and other undeveloped areas in the city may provide corridors for wildlife movement, including migratory birds and Alameda whipsnake, California tiger salamander, and California redlegged frog when migrating to aquatic breeding habitat and during juvenile dispersal. The 2040 General Plan does not include changes to existing Parks and Open Space land use designations, including along creeks and waterways in the General Plan area. The 2040 General Plan would not facilitate permanent development within these wildlife movement corridors. Wildlife movement within areas of open space would not be affected by the 2040 General Plan, because the 2040 General Plan facilitates development in the urbanized areas of Pleasant Hill. Impacts to wildlife movement corridors would be less than significant.
Public Services – Police
Commenters expressed concern about increased crime in neighborhoods.
Crime is not a topic required for analysis under CEQA. As discussed in Section 3.11, Public Services and Recreation, as future buildout occurs under the 2040 General Plan, the City will evaluate operations and deployment of services to efficiently use resources. The 2040 General Plan would allow approximately 19,216 residential units and facilitate the addition of 45,740 net new residents in Pleasant Hill. As a result, PHPD would need to incrementally increase their police services through the year 2040. PHPD could need to incrementally increase their police services through the year 2040, which could in turn require the construction of new facilities to house subsequent personnel, equipment, and vehicles. In addition, the proposed plan would allow for a net increase of 1,401,063 gross square feet of semi-public and institutional land uses that could include police protection facilities. The specific placement and potential impacts of new police facilities are unknown at this time; if construction or expansion of future facilities are needed or proposed, separate environmental review would be required that could determine and require future project-specific construction-related mitigation measures. The 2040 General Plan would facilitate development within areas of Pleasant Hill that are currently developed. Therefore, construction of new police facilities, if required, would likely occur on property previously disturbed or developed land and thus within the programmatic analysis for buildout under the 2040 General Plan as analyzed throughout the EIR.
Geology and Soils – Slope and Landslide
Commenters expressed concern about landslide potential on the two new Housing Element Sites proposed in the northwestern area of Pleasant Hill.
As discussed in Section 3.5, Geology and Soils, of the Draft EIR, there is landslide susceptibility in the northwesternmost area of Pleasant Hill. As discussed in the Draft EIR, development facilitated by the 2040 General Plan would result in additional residential, commercial, and retail development that would be potentially exposed to the effects of strong seismic ground shaking (as identified as Strong [VII Intensity or above] on the Mercalli Scale), seismic-related ground failure (liquefaction, lateral spreading, subsidence), and landslides resulting from local and regional earthquakes. Structures built in landslide zones would be exposed to an existing risk of landslide or, if improperly constructed, could exacerbate existing landslide conditions, especially construction on sites in the western portion of Pleasant Hill that is vulnerable to landslide hazard. Generally, the northwestern area of Pleasant Hill City of Pleasant Hill
Pleasant Hill 2040 General Plan Response to Public Comments 4 does have varying degrees of landslide susceptibility, based on Figure 3.5-5 in Section 3.5, Geology and Soils of the Draft EIR, so construction on the two new proposed Housing Element sites in the northwestern area of Pleasant Hill would need to comply with applicable laws and regulations including but not limited to CBC requirements for engineering design, construction, foundations, and structural support. Prior to development of either site, each would need to undergo their own geotechnical investigation as to what site characteristics are actually like.
Development within Pleasant Hill would be required to be built to current seismic standards that could better withstand the adverse effects of strong ground shaking. Potential structural damage and the exposure of people to the risk of injury or death from structural failure would be minimized by compliance with CBC engineering design and construction measures. Foundations and other structural support features would be required to be designed to resist or absorb damaging forces from strong ground shaking and liquefaction. Allowable increases in height as a result of the 2040 General Plan could require foundations and other structural support features to be more robust to support the additional height; however, compliance with CBC regulations would ensure that the buildings would meet seismic safety standards.
Sincerely,
Rincon Consultants, Inc.