RESOLUTION NO. __________
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, APPROVING A GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT TO UPDATE APPENDIX 8.13 (CLIMATE ACTION PLAN) FOR ADOPTION OF CLIMATE ACTION PLAN 2022 PLN2018-13646
Climate Action Plan 2022 (General Plan Amendment)
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY OF SANTA CLARA AS FOLLOWS:
WHEREAS, in January 2020, the City of Santa Clara (the “City”) engaged the services of consultant team led by Cascadia Consulting Group and including Raimi + Associates and David J. Powers and Associates, to provide professional services to assist with the update to 2013 Climate Action Plan (CAP); WHEREAS, the City needs to update the 2013 CAP to address the new State requirements imposed since the CAP was adopted and to extend the City’s Greenhouse Gas (GHG) reduction goals through 2030; WHEREAS, the updated CAP 2022 includes a near term GHG emissions reduction target goal of 40% by 2030, meeting the Senate Bill 32 requirements; WHEREAS, the updated CAP 2022 is consistent with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15183.5(b)(1) for a Qualified CAP; WHEREAS the updated CAP 2022 includes a long term GHG emissions reduction target goal of carbon neutrality no later than 2045 and an interim GHG reduction target of 80% by 2035; WHEREAS, as a part of updating the Climate Action Plan, the City intends to adopt a General Plan Amendment (“GPA”) to Appendix 8.13 (the Climate Action Plan) adopting the updated Climate Action Plan 2022; WHEREAS, a notice of the public hearing on the proposed General Plan Amendment was published in the Santa Clara Weekly, a newspaper of general circulation for the City, on March 30, 2022, for the April 13, 2022 Planning Commission Meeting and June 7, 2022 City Council meeting; WHEREAS, the Planning Commission held a duly noticed public hearing on April 13, 2022, to review and consider the proposed General Plan Amendment and an Addendum to the City’s General Plan Environmental Impact Report (“EIR”), at the conclusion of which, the Commission voted to recommend that the Council approve the General Plan Amendment and EIR Addendum; WHEREAS, before approving the General Plan Amendment, the City Council reviewed and considered the potential environmental impacts of the Project, and approved the Addendum to the General Plan EIR, in accordance with the requirements of CEQA; and WHEREAS, on June 7, 2022, the City Council conducted a duly noticed public hearing to consider the proposed General Plan Amendment, at which time all interested persons were given an opportunity to give testimony and provide evidence in support of and in opposition to the proposed General Plan Amendment.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED BY THE CITY OF SANTA CLARA AS FOLLOWS:
1. That the City Council hereby finds that the above Recitals are true and correct and by this reference makes them a part hereof.
2. General Plan Amendment Findings. That the City Council finds and determines that the proposed CAP update is in the interest of the public good for the following reasons:
A. The proposed General Plan Amendment is deemed to be in the public interest, in that:
The proposed CAP update will adopt a citywide goal of carbon neutrality no later than 2045 and an interim goal of 80% GHG reduction by 2035, to align with the more aggressive State target and peer cities in the Bay Area.
B. The proposed General Plan Amendment is consistent and compatible with the General Plan and any implementation programs that may be affected, in that:
The Plan furthers and is consistent with the goals, policies and major strategies of the General Plan that enhance the City’s quality of life, preserve and cultivate neighborhoods, promote sustainability, enhance City identity, support Focus Areas and community vitality, maintain the City’s fiscal health and quality of services, and maximize health and safety benefits with the creation of new land use designations that allow for the development of a high-density mixed-use transit-oriented environment.
C. The proposed Plan has been processed in accordance with the applicable provisions of the California Government Code and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), in that:
An Addendum to the General Plan EIR has been prepared in accordance with CEQA that finds that there have been no changes in circumstance in the project area that would result in new significant environmental impacts or substantially more severe impact, and no new information has come to light that would indicate the potential for new significant impacts or substantially more severe impacts than were discussed in the General Plan EIR.
D. The potential impacts of the proposed amendment have been assessed and have been determined not to be detrimental to the public health, safety, or welfare, in that:
An Addendum to the General Plan EIR prepared in accordance with CEQA found that the proposed CAP 2022 would not result in any new or substantially more severe impacts than previously identified in the General Plan EIR, and the Planning Commission recommended that the City Council adopt all of these documents.
3. That based on the findings set forth in this Resolution, the Approvals, and the evidence in the City Staff Report and such other evidence as received at the public hearing on this matter, the City Council approves and adopts the Climate Action Plan 2022, with the following modifications:
On page 25, in the bullet points following “Other supplemental actions for achieving long-term emission reductions include,” replace “Adopt a 20% reduction of VMT for multifamily residential through active TDM requirements, which may require parking maximums,” with “Adopt a 20% reduction of VMT for multifamily residential, with half of that amount (a 10% reduction) to be achieved with active TDM requirements, which may require parking maximums.” In Action T-3-1 on page 45, replace “Adopt a 20% reduction of VMT for multifamily residential through active TDM requirements, which may require parking maximums,” with “Adopt a 20% reduction of VMT for multifamily residential, with half of that amount (a 10% reduction) to be achieved through active TDM requirements, which may require parking maximums.”
4. Effective date. This resolution shall become effective immediately upon adoption.
I HEREBY CERTIFY THE FOREGOING TO BE A TRUE COPY OF A RESOLUTION PASSED AND ADOPTED BY THE CITY OF SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, AT A REGULAR MEETING THEREOF HELD ON THE 7TH DAY OF JUNE 2022, BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE:
AYES: COUNCILORS:
NOES: COUNCILORS:
ABSENT: COUNCILORS:
ABSTAINED: COUNCILORS:
ATTEST:
NORA PIMENTEL, MMC
ASSISTANT CITY CLERK
CITY OF SANTA CLARA
Resolution/Climate Action Plan Update Page 5 of 5
Rev. Rev: 11/22/17