200 E. Santa Clara Street, 3rd FL San José, CA 95113 tel (408) 535-3555 www.sanjoseca.gov/pbce
ADDENDUM TO THE
THE AIRPORT WEST STADIUM AND GREAT OAKS PLACE PROJECT FINAL
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT
Purs
uant to Section 15164 of the CEQA Guidelines, the City of San José has prepared an addendum to the Airport West Stadium and Great Oaks Place Project Environmental Impact Report (EIR), and addenda thereto, because only minor technical changes or additions are necessary and none of the conditions described in Section 15162 have occurred. The minor changes made to the project, as described below, do not raise important new issues about the significant impacts on the environment.
Proj
ect Description. Planned Development Permit Amendment to allow for up to 15 concerts per year at the existing stadium. The proposed concerts could occur any day of the week (Monday-Sunday), would not start earlier than 9:00 AM and would not end later than 11:00 PM. No physical alterations to the stadium site would occur.
File N
os. PDA11-002-02 & ER25-039 Location : 1123 Coleman Ave, San José, CA 95110 Assesso
r’s Parcel Number: 230-46-073 Council District: 6
The e
nvironmental impacts of this project were addressed by the Airport West Stadium and Great Oaks Place Project EIR and findings were adopted in City Council Resolution No. 75309 on March 16, 2010.
The proposed project is eligible for an addendum pursuant to CEQA Guidelines §15164, which states that “An addendum to an adopted negative declaration may be prepared if only minor technical changes or additions are necessary or none of the conditions described in CEQA Guidelines §15162 calling for preparation of a subsequent EIR or negative declaration have occurred.” Circumstances which would warrant a subsequent EIR or negative declaration include substantial changes in the project or new information of substantial importance which would require major revisions of the previous negative declaration due to the occurrence of new significant impacts and/or a substantial increase in the severity of previously identified significant effects. The environmental impacts of the proposed project were studied within the Airport West Stadium and Great Oaks Place Project Environmental Impact Report and addenda thereto. Further, a supplemental noise assessment was prepared in June 2025 for the proposed project to demonstrate that noise levels from the new concert uses would be at or below ambient conditions and would not exceed levels studied in the EIR.
The following impacts were reviewed and found to be adequately considered by the EIR cited above:
Aesthetics
Agriculture Resources
Air Quality
Biological Resources
Cultural Resources
Geology and Soils
Greenhouse Gas Emission
Hazards and Hazardous Materials
Hydrology and Water Quality
Land Use and Planning
Mineral Resources
Noise
Population and Housing
Public Services
Recreation
Transportation/Traffic
Utilities and Service Systems
Mandatory Findings of Significance
Planning, Building and Code Enforcement
CHRISTOPHER BURTON, DIRECTOR
Exhibit B - Addendum to the Airport West Stadium and Great Oaks Place Environmental Impact Report (EIR)
PDA11-002-02 Addendum to the Airport West Stadium and Great Oaks Place Project EIR
BACKGROUND AND PROPOSED PROJECT
The EIR prepared for the Airport West Stadium and Great Oaks Place Project’s Plan Amendment and Planned Development Rezoning studied two distinct and geographically separate components. The two project components are the Airport West Stadium component and the Great Oaks Place component. The subject amendment focuses on only on the Airport West Stadium component. The original approved project consisted of constructing an open-air soccer stadium on an approximately 14.5-acre site in northern San José. Subsequent to the original project, a Planned Development (PD) Permit was approved for construction and operation of the stadium with revised plans including continuous seating to the south and an increased seating bowl height from 40 to 56 feet, both of which provide greater acoustical shielding from noise inside of the stadium. The Airport West Stadium site is located at the southwest quadrant of the Coleman Avenue and Newhall Drive intersection. The stadium was designed for the exhibition of professional soccer, but in addition to soccer games, it was also anticipated that the stadium could be used for other events including up to 15 music concerts and 20 other events per year.
Planned Development Rezoning (File No. PDC09-004) and Airport West Stadium and Great Oaks Place Project EIR – Summary
- The Planned Development Zoning and EIR were approved by City Council on March 16, 2010, Ordinance No. 28727
- Project description: Develop an open- air soccer stadium with a partial roof/canopy, host up to 15 concerts and 20 other events per year.
- The EIR included Mitigation Measure NOI-6.1 to reduce noise impacts from future concerts at the stadium, including the requirement that speakers are directed toward the airport, but noise from proposed concerts would not be reduced to less than significant levels and therefore was determined to be a significant and unavoidable impact under CEQA. The City Council adopted a Statement of Overriding Considerations allowing the project to be approved with significant and unavoidable impacts including from noise, finding that the project had eliminated or substantially lessened all significant effects on the environment where feasible, and that the benefits of the Project outweigh the significant and adverse impacts of the Project.
Planned Development Permit (File No. PD11-002) – Summary - The PD Permit was approved at DH on 12/14/2011
- The PD permit was appealed to Planning Commission, with no appeal of the Environmental Determination.
- The PD Permit was approved on 2/22/2012
- T he PD Permit (PD11-002) did not permit concerts. The PD permit Condition #13 requires that future concert uses would require specific approval through the PD permit process and shall also include preparation of a specific noise analysis for such uses.
The proposed project would allow for up to 15 concerts per year at the existing stadium, with no physical development proposed as part of the project. The project proponent is also requesting a change to a mitigation measure (MM NOI-6.1) in the EIR that requires speakers with amplified sound to face the airport and away from residents to the south. The applicant proposes to replace this measure with a new mitigation measure that will allow speakers and amplified sound to face south, away from the airport.
The project proponent proposes up to 15 concerts per year at the existing stadium, consistent with the General Development Standards of the Planned Development Zoning and the certified EIR. The project proponent also requests an amendment to mitigation measure MM NOI-6.1 to allow amplified sound from concerts be allowed to be oriented in either direction within the existing stadium, rather than only oriented toward the airport. To accomplish this, the project proponent seeks to replace mitigation measure MM NOI-6.1 of the EIR with an equivalent mitigation measure. Mitigation measure MM NOI-6.1 states that “The Airport West Stadium component shall orient the stage and speakers toward the Airport, away from the existing residences south of the site.” The purpose of this measure is to reduce concert noise at the nearby residences located south of the stadium by directing the sound in the opposite direction and restricting the noise level of concerts to existing conditions.
Exhibit B - Addendum to the Airport West Stadium and Great Oaks Place Environmental Impact Report (EIR)
PDA11-002-02 Addendum to the Airport West Stadium and Great Oaks Place Project EIR
In March 2010, City Council adopted the EIR and a Statement of Overriding Considerations for the significant and unavoidable impacts due in part to noise from concerts in the stadium (City Council Resolution No. 75309). The EIR identified a significant and unavoidable impact from noise because the supporting noise analysis estimated that concert noise would still increase ambient noise levels at nearby sensitive receptors by three to four dBA DNL (day-night average), above the City’s noise threshold, even with implementation of the identified mitigation measures for noise and other project design features.
For context, ambient noise refers to the typical background noise levels in an area. Leq is the average noise level over a specific period, while DNL averages noise over 24 hours. The proposed noise limits ensure concert noise stays at or below these typical background levels.
The EIR found that concert noise levels would vary depending on the musical act at the venue on a given night and assumed an average noise level of 95 dBA L
eq approximately 100 feet from the stage and
speakers. Based on the data at the time, concert-related noise levels were expected to range from 64 to 69 dBA Leq at the nearest sensitive receptors assuming that the stadium would provide at least 5 to 10 dBA of attenuation, and DNL noise levels from concert events would range from about 62 to 67 dBA at nearby receptors. A concert would be expected to increase ambient noise levels by three to four dBA DNL, substantially increasing DNL noise levels at nearby sensitive receivers, including existing residents south of the stadium.
To support the proposed project, a project-level noise analysis titled PayPal Park Stadium Concert Noise Assessment (noise assessment) was prepared in June 2025 to evaluate the proposed use of the stadium for up to 15 concerts per year and included analysis of concert noise being directed toward the northeast toward the airport as well as to the southwest away from the airport. The noise assessment assumed that concerts would be held for up to 4 hours per day and that concerts would end by 11:00 p.m. The noise assessment found that if the concert stage and speakers are oriented toward the northeast as required by Mitigation Measure (MM) NOI-6.1, and speaker output is limited to 104 dBA L eq at 135 feet from the
front of the stage, that hourly average and daily average concert noise levels would be reduced to ambient conditions as studied in the noise assessment, and hourly average noise levels at residences during concerts would be at or below ambient conditions as studied in the noise assessment. Thus, in accordance with MM NOI-6.1 and the recommendations in the noise assessment, if concert noise is directed northeast toward the airport, noise levels from the new concert uses would be at or below ambient conditions and would not exceed levels studied in the EIR.
The noise assessment also evaluated concerts that would be oriented southwest without physical alterations to the stadium. The analysis evaluated the substitution of the original Mitigation Measure NOI-
6.1 with a new mitigation measure (MM NOI-6.1) that allows concerts to be oriented in either direction (northeast or southwest) within the existing stadium while maintaining that noise levels from any concert are limited to the established noise levels studied and approved in the original EIR.
ANALYS
IS
The noise assessment prepared for the Airport West Stadium Development EIR identified, and the City Council approved, a significant and unavoidable noise impact from concerts held at the stadium because concert noise would substantially increase hourly average and DNL noise levels at nearby sensitive receivers. In order to reduce hourly average and DNL noise levels from concerts to ambient noise levels, the noise assessment concluded that three possible options could each independently be deployed during concerts. These measures are captured in the new substitute mitigation measure MM NOI-6.1 detailed below.
Revised MM NOI-6.1: The project owner shall implement the following measures to ensure noise exposure at residences south of the stadium do not exceed levels assumed in the Airport West Stadium and Great Oaks Place Project EIR:
a. Noise study during first two concerts: During the first two concerts with speakers oriented to the southwest (away from the airport) featuring two different headline artists, conduct a noise study prepared by a qualified noise specialist with hourly average (dBA Leq) and Day Night Average Exhibit B - Addendum to the Airport West Stadium and Great Oaks Place Environmental Impact Repo rt (EIR)
PDA11-002-02 Addendum to the Airport West Stadium and Great Oaks Place Project EIR
(dBA DNL) noise measurements to confirm noise levels at residential receptors are at or below the corresponding ambient noise conditions (approximately 60 dBA Leq). The noise monitoring equipment shall be placed at 135 feet from the front of stage and at each of the long-term noise monitoring locations at sensitive receptors studied in the noise assessment prepared by Illingworth & Rodkin dated June 27, 2025 (Appendix A): LT-3 (Waco Street), LT-4 (San Juan Avenue), LT-5 (De Altura Common) and LT-6 (O’Brian Court). Following these two concerts, the noise specialist shall provide a report to the Director of Planning, Building and Code Enforcement or the Director’s designee detailing noise levels for the duration of the concerts. If hourly average noise levels and day night average noise levels at residential receptors are above the studied ambient noise conditions (approximately 60 dBA Leq at the nearest sensitive receptors), the report shall also include recommendations for subsequent concerts in order to reduce concert noise conditions at those residential receptors to at or below ambient noise levels.
These recommendations shall be incorporated into contracts for future concerts held at the site. b. Ongoing concert noise monitoring and performance standards: T he project proponent shall monitor noise from concerts at a location of 135 feet from the front of the stage. This monitoring shall occur for concerts with speakers oriented to the southwest (away from the airport) and to the northeast (facing toward the airport). Concert noise must meet the following performance standards:
1. For concerts that orient the stage and speakers toward the southwest (away from the airport) a
nd are proposed to occur until 11:00 p.m., the speaker output shall not exceed 96 dBA Leq at 135 feet from the front of the stage or other speakers (whichever is closest). If the concert ends before 10:00 p.m., the speaker output shall not exceed 98 dBA Leq at this location.
2. For concerts that orient the stage and speakers toward the northeast (toward the airport) and are proposed to occur until 11:00 p.m., the speaker output shall not exceed 104 dBA Leq at 135 feet from the front of the stage or other speakers (whichever is closest). c. Ongoing concert noise reporting: T he project proponent shall provide a report with noise measurements from all concerts to the Director of Planning, Building, and Code Enforcement or the Director’s designee for review. This report shall be submitted annually, starting 12 months after approval of the Planned Development Permit Amendment to allow concerts.
Implementation of the revised MM
NOI-6.1 would limit concert noise to at or below hourly average noise levels and DNL noise levels assumed in the Airport West Stadium and Great Oaks Place EIR and as studied in the June 27, 2025 noise assessment. As approved in the EIR, concert-related noise levels were expected to range from 64 to 69 dBA Leq at the nearest sensitive receptors and DNL noise levels were expected to range from 62 to 67 dBA at nearby receptors.
With concerts facing the southwest, ending by 11:00 p.m. and the speaker output limited to 96 dBA Leq at 135 feet, hourly average noise levels at residences would range from 50 to 56 dBA Leq, which would be at or below ambient conditions. In addition, DNL noise levels resulting from concerts would be less than 55 dBA at residences. With concerts facing the southwest, ending by 10:00 p.m. and the speaker output limited to 98 dBA Leq at 135 feet, hourly average noise levels at residences would range from 52 to 58 dBA Leq, which would be at or below ambient conditions. In addition, DNL noise levels resulting from concerts would be less than 55 dBA at residences. With concerts facing northeast toward the airport and ending by 11:00 p.m., no reduction in speaker output would be required. Hourly average noise levels at residences would range from 49 to 60 dBA L
eq, which would be at or below ambient conditions. In
addition, DNL noise levels resulting from concerts would be 57 dBA or less at residences. Therefore, with implementation of MM NOI-6.1, concerts at the stadium would result in noise impacts that are at or below ambient levels and are below noise levels assumed in the Airport West Stadium and Great Oaks Place EIR.
The substitute mitigation measure MM NOI-6.1 will fully replace the existing MM NOI-6.1 which required concert stages and speakers to be oriented toward the airport. The substitute mitigation measure MM NOI-6.1 ensures enforceable compliance with specific noise thresholds at sensitive receptors. Unlike the original directional mitigation, the updated measure uses actual sound monitoring at representative locations and requires corrective action before subsequent events. This approach provides real-time Exhibit B - Addendum to the Airport West Stadium and Great Oaks Place Environmental Impact Report (EIR)
PDA11-002-02 Addendum to the Airport West Stadium and Great Oaks Place Project EIR
compliance verification and more precise control over potential impacts on nearby residences. The revised MM NOI-6.1 does not defer mitigation. It establishes clear, enforceable noise thresholds and requires confirmation of compliance at the first two events. If thresholds are exceeded, the mitigation measure requires adjustments before the next event. The noise assessment prepared for the subject project demonstrates that sound levels from concerts oriented in either direction will not result in a substantial increase in the previously identified impact related to concert noise because noise levels with implementation of these measures will be below the noise levels identified in the Airport West Stadium and Great Oaks Place EIR.
Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines §15162(a)(1), the proposed change does not result in a substantial increase in the severity of the significant and unavoidable noise impact previously identified. The new MM NOI-
6.1 limits sound output and confirms compliance through direct measurement. Noise levels at sensitive receptors will remain at or below the levels modeled in the certified EIR (62–67 dBA DNL), and thus do not represent a greater severity of impact than previously disclosed. The substitution of the mitigation measure does not represent a substantial change to the project that would require preparation of a Subsequent or Supplemental EIR because the new measure continues to mitigate noise impacts below the assumed noise levels identified in the original EIR, which would remain a significant and unavoidable impact. The noise assessment prepared for the subject project demonstrates that sound levels from concerts oriented in either direction can comply with noise standards and not result in significant adverse noise impacts if concert noise is limited below certain thresholds.
The concerts will be subject to the operational environmental conditions and mitigation measures required in the EIR and PD permit, including the substitute mitigation MM NOI-6.1. In addition to noise, the Airport West Stadium and Great Oaks Place EIR identified significant and unavoidable impacts to visuals and aesthetics (aesthetics), air quality, land use and planning, and transportation. None of the impacts identified for these resource areas would be exacerbated or increased as a result of the proposed concerts.
Although the revised mitigation would allow speakers to be directed toward the south, the updated performance-based thresholds are designed to ensure that actual sound levels at nearby sensitive receptors will be equal to or lower than the ambient conditions analyzed in the EIR. Therefore, the orientation change does not introduce a new or increased environmental impact.
The PD permit included conditions of approval that remain in effect and would continue to be complied with. Condition #18 of the PD permit required the establishment of a Good Neighbor Plan, under which the applicant would designate a community relations manager and maintain a compliance log to track the nature of complaints and associated responses; provide the City, adjacent property owners and local residents with an event schedule; and requires quarterly community meetings to allow interested parties to discuss stadium operations including how to minimize impacts in the future to surrounding residents.
The proposed project allowing for up to 15 concerts per year would not result in new or exacerbated environmental impacts beyond those disclosed in the EIR. The project does not include any physical modifications or changes from the previously approved project design. Since the approval of the Airport West Stadium and Great Oaks Place Project, no significant changes have occurred that would affect the mitigation measures associated with the approved project. Therefore, the proposed occasional uses would not result in new significant environmental impacts beyond those previously identified in the EIR pursuant to CEQA Guidelines 15162.
CE
QA Guidelines Section 15162 Subsequent EIRs and Negative Declarations states:
(a) When an EIR has been certified or a negative declaration adopted for a project, no subsequent EIR shall be prepared for that project unless the lead agency determines, on the basis of substantial evidence in the light of the whole record, one or more of the following:
(1) Substantial changes are proposed in the project which will require major revisions of the previous EIR or negative declaration due to the involvement of new significant environmental effects or a substantial increase in the severity of previously identified significant effects;
(2) Substantial changes occur with respect to the circumstances under which the project is undertaken which will require major revisions of the previous EIR or Negative Exhibit B - Addendum to the Airport West Stadium and Great Oaks Place Environmental Impact Report (EIR)
PDA11-002-02 Addendum to the Airport West Stadium and Great Oaks Place Project EIR
Declaration due to the involvement of new significant environmental effects or a substantial increase in the severity of previously identified significant effects; or (3) New information of substantial importance, which was not known and could not have been known with the exercise of reasonable diligence at the time the previous EIR was certified as complete or the Negative Declaration was adopted, shows any of the following:
(A) The project will have one or more significant effects not discussed in the previous EIR or negative declaration;
(B) Significant effects previously examined will be substantially more severe than shown in the previous EIR;
(C) Mitigation measures or alternatives previously found not to be feasible would in fact be feasible, and would substantially reduce one or more significant effects of the project, but the project proponents decline to adopt the mitigation measure or alternative; or (D) Mitigation measures or alternatives which are considerably different from those analyzed in the previous EIR would substantially reduce one or more significant effects on the environment, but the project proponents decline to adopt the mitigation measure or alternative.
Fi
ndings for an addendum under CEQA Guidelines Section 15162 1) The proposed addition of concert uses does not constitute a substantial change in the project that would require major revisions to the previously certified EIR. The project involves no physical development or expansion of the stadium facilities and does not introduce new land uses beyond those anticipated in the original EIR.
2) There have been no substantial changes in the circumstances under which the project will be undertaken that would trigger the need for a new or supplemental EIR. The stadium remains in the same location with similar operational characteristics as evaluated in the prior EIR, with the addition of concert uses on up to 15 days per year.
3) A) Based on the noise technical report and the comprehensive review of the project, no new significant environmental effects have been identified that were not previously analyzed in the certified EIR. The introduction of concert uses at the existing stadium does not create any new categories of environmental impact beyond those previously studied.
B) The noise assessment de
monstrates that the potential noise impacts from the proposed concerts are not substantially more severe than those evaluated in the original EIR. Mitigation measures identified in the original EIR and the inclusion of new MM NOI-6.1 will continue to reduce noise impacts, confirming no increased severity.
C) There are no previously rejected mitigation measures or alternatives that are now considered fe
asible and that would significantly reduce the significant unavoidable noise impacts related to the proposed concert uses. The existing mitigation measures and new MM NOI-6.1 remain appropriate, feasible, and effective.
D) No new or substantially different mitigation measures or alt ernatives have been identified that would materially lessen environmental impacts of the concert uses. The project proponents intend to implement the mitigation measures previously approved in the original EIR.
The
Airport West Stadium and Great Oaks Place project was approved by the City Council under Resolution No. 75309 on March 16, 2010. The scope of the proposed project to allow for up to 15 concerts per year at the existing stadium without any physical changes would not require any major revisions to the approved EIR and would not result in new or significant effects to resources beyond those previously studied and disclosed within the EIR and addenda thereto. The substitute mitigation measure MM NOI-6.1 would replace the original MM NOI-6.1.
Si
nce approval of the EIR, there have been no significant changes to the circumstances under which the project would be undertaken, and no new significant environmental effects have been identified. The area surrounding the stadium has experienced development since the 2010 EIR, including commercial and hospitality uses. However, updated measurements taken at locations LT-2 through LT-6 represent current Exhibit B - Addendum to the Airport West Stadium and Great Oaks Place Environmental Impact Report (EIR)
PDA11-002-02 Addendum to the Airport West Stadium and Great Oaks Place Project EIR
ambient noise levels. The updated MM NOI-6.1 ensures that concert noise does not exceed those current conditions at any identified sensitive receptor, and commercial developments are not considered land uses sensitive to noise impacts under the General Plan and due to the intermittent time people would occupy these developments. Further, the General Plan considers exterior noise exposure for hotels to be normally acceptable up to 60 dBA DNL and conditionally acceptable up to 75 dBA DNL, and considers exterior noise exposure for office and commercial buildings to be normally acceptable up to 70 dBA DNL and conditionally acceptable up to 80 dBA DNL. With inclusion of the new MM NOI-6.1, the noise assessment finds that noise levels at the nearest adjacent hotel building would be approximately 61 dBA DNL which is just above the acceptable level and well within the conditionally acceptable level. Noise at the nearest commercial office building would be similar, though it is likely that concerts would not occur during regular working hours when most staff would be present. No new information which was not previously known at the time of approval of the EIR has been discovered, including that no new significant effects of the proposed project would occur, and no significant effects of the previously examined project would be substantially more severe than previously studied. Further, all required mitigation measures from the approved Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program have been satisfied by the applicant and none of those measures were found to be infeasible. Accordingly, no subsequent environmental document shall be prepared for the project.
The
refore, due to the minor scope of change to the EIR and substitution of approved mitigation measure MM NOI-6.1 to allow for up to 15 concerts per year at the existing stadium, the project would not result in any new significant impacts beyond those already assessed in the EIR. No new or more significant impacts beyond those identified in the Airport West Stadium and Great Oaks Place Project final EIR and subsequent addenda have been identified, nor have any new mitigation measures or alternatives which are considerably different from those analyzed been identified. This addendum will not be circulated for public review, but will be attached to the Environmental Impact Report, and addenda thereto, pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section §15164 (C).
Chri
stopher Burton, Director
Planning, Building and Code Enforcement
_______________
____________ ____________________________________
Date Deputy
Cor
t Hitchens
Environmental Project Manager
November 10, 2025
Exhibit B - Addendum to the Airport West Stadium and Great Oaks Place Environmental Impact Report (EIR)