August 31, 2023
Oscar Resendiz
City of Salinas
65 West Alisal Street, 2nd Floor
Salinas, CA 93901
RE: Sears (Northridge Mall) General Plan Amendment and Rezone Project (General Plan Amendment No. 2022-002 and Rezone No. 2022-002)
Dear Mr. Resendiz:
Monterey-Salinas Transit District (MST) provides public transportation throughout Monterey County and operates an extensive bus network in the City of Salinas. MST has reviewed the Initial Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration (IS/MND) for the Sears General Plan Amendment and Rezone Project and would like to make the following comments.
MST serves, operates, and maintains two (2) stops within the project’s vicinity, which currently serve Lines 41, 48, 49 and 95. The Northridge Mall stop (Stop ID: 0011) is located north of the project site (Planet Fitness entrance) and is serviced every 30 minutes and 1.5 hours by Lines 41, 48, and 95. The N Main / Big 5 Sporting Goods Store stop (Stop ID: 6043) is east of the project site and is serviced by Line 49 and Line 95 every 30 minutes. Most importantly, both stops have some of the highest ridership in the City of Salinas (Note: Salinas has a total of 265 bus stops). The Northridge stop is ranked 4thfor the highest ridership with an average of 142 daily boardings and 124 alightings. The Big 5 Sporting Goods Store stop is ranked 18th with 27 daily average boardings and 4 alightings. Please visit MST’s website for more information regarding routes and schedules: https://mst.org/.
Transportation
Although no development is proposed at this time, the future development of the project site could result in an increase in traffic and demand for transportation alternatives. Access to adequate transit services can help mitigate both the environmental and transportation related impacts of new developments. Therefore, it is crucial for future developers to incorporate transit into their plans by allowing MST to service the Northridge Mall stop and have access to both driveways (vehicle entrance and exit) on Madrid Street.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG)
The VMT reduction column under Table 4-8 Scoping Plan Reduction Measures Consistency Analysis mentions that the project site has 6 bus stops within 1000 feet of the project site. Please provide the full list of stops and a vicinity map with all 6 bus stops:
1. Northridge Mall (Stop ID: 0011)
2. N Main / Big 5 Sport Store (Stop ID: 6043)
3. N Main / Madrid (Stop ID: 6033)
4. Harden / East Entrance to Shopping Center (Stop ID: 3152)
5. Harden / Entrance to Target Lot (Stop ID: 3149)
6. N Main / Firestone Svc Stn (Stop ID: 6040)
MST also recommends that future developers incorporate pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure along N.
Main Street and Madrid Street that are in accordance with AMBAG’s 2045 Metropolitan Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategies (MTP/SCS) plan. The implementation of complete streets in areas with mixed-use can mitigate the project’s potential increase in GHG emissions.
Closing
As this project moves forward, and a development is proposed, we ask that the City of Salinas continue to collaborate with MST to ensure that adequate transit service is available to this site. If you have any questions about the above comments, please do not hesitate to contact me at [email protected] or 831-264- 9288.
Sincerely,
Emma Patel
Planning Manager