RESOLUTION NO.
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA MARIA,
CALIFORNIA, TO CERTIFY AN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT
MAKING CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT FINDINGS,
ADOPTING A STATEMENT OF OVERRIDING CONSIDERATIONS AND
ADOPTING A MITIGATION MONITORING AND REPORTING PROGRAM FOR
THE RICHARDS RANCH ANNEXATION, PRE-ZONING, AND GENERAL
PLAN LAND USE MAP AMENDMENT LOCATED AT THE NORTHEAST
AND SOUTHEAST INTERSECTIONS OF UNION VALLEY PARKWAY AND HIGHWAY 135
WHEREAS, the applicant, MD3 Investments, initiated a n Annexation (AN2021- 0001) and General Plan Land Use Map Amendment and Pre-Zoning (GPZ2024-0001) on approximately 44 acres of property located at the northeast and southeast corner of the intersection of Union Valley Parkway and Highway 135, herein referred to as the Project; and
WHEREAS, the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act of 1970 (CEQA), Public Resources Code Sections 21000 et. seq., as amended, require the evaluation of environmental impacts of said project; and
WHEREAS, a Notice of Preparation (NOP) was prepared for the project on February 8, 2022, and sent to the State Clearinghouse and to all relevant agencies and made available for public comment as required by law; and
WHEREAS, a Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) (SCH# 2022020194) was prepared for said Project in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act; and the required notices were published and the EIR was circulated for public review for the duration between and including December 22, 2022 through March 7, 2023, sent to every responsible and/or trustee agency with jurisdiction over the project and placed in a public location; and
WHEREAS, following the release of the Draft EIR, new information was obtained regarding the monarch butterfly and overwintering habitat for the species. For these reasons, the City determined that the portions of the Draft EIR related to Biological Resources and Project Alternatives should be revised and recirculated for public comment. The partially recirculated EIR was released for a 45-day public comment period from January 31 to March 15, 2024; and
WHEREAS, at the completion of the public review period s on the EIR for the project, comments were received and responses to those comments were prepared and incorporated into the EIR; and
WHEREAS, the EIR was provided to the Planning Commission, along with all public comments and the responses to those public comments; and
2 WHEREAS, the Planning Commission of the City of Santa Maria held a regularly scheduled public hearing on October 2, 2024, for the purpose of receiving evidence and considering the EIR, Statement of Overriding Considerations, and Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program; and
WHEREAS, notices of said public hearing were made at the time and in the manner required by law; and
WHEREAS, after considering all evidence, the Planning Commission, in Resolution No. 2832, recommended to the City Council the certification of the EIR, adoption of the Statement of Overriding C onsiderations, and adoption of the Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program for the project; and
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Santa Maria held a regularly scheduled public hearing on November 19, 2024, for the purpose of considering certification of the EIR, adoption of the Statement of Overridi ng C onsiderations, and adoption of the Mitigation M onitoring and Reporting P rogram for the proposed project , incorporated herein by reference; and
WHEREAS, notices of said public hearing were made at the time and in the manner required by law; and
WHEREAS, at the completion of the public hearing, the City Council duly considered all evidence presented at said hearing; and
WHEREAS, the EIR reflects the City Council’s independent judgment and analysis.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Santa Maria, California, as follows:
Section 1. The above recitals are true and correct and incorporated herein by this reference.
Section 2. The City Council makes the required CEQA findings for the project included as Attachment D of the Council Agenda Report dated November 19, 2024, incorporated herein by reference.
Section 3. The City Council certifies the Final Environmental Impact Report (SCH# 2022020194 ) included as Attachment C of the Council Agenda Report dated November 19, 2024, incorporated herein by reference and finds that it complies with CEQA.
Section 4. The City Council a dopts a Statement of Overriding Considerations included as Attachment E of the Council Agenda Report dated November 19, 2024 , incorporated herein by reference, that balances the benefits of the project against the 3 significant, unavoidable impacts to Biological Resources, which cannot be mitigated to acceptable levels through project redesign and conditions of approval.
Section 5. The City Council adopts the Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program included as Attachment F of the Council Agenda Report dated November 19, 2024, incorporated herein by reference.
Section 6. The Chief Deputy City Clerk is hereby authorized to make m inor changes herein to address clerical errors, so long as substantial conformance of the intent of this document is maintained. In doing so, the Chief Deputy City Clerk shall consult with the City Manager and City Attorney concerning any changes deemed necessary.
PASSED AND ADOPTED at a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Santa Maria, California, held this 19th day of November 2024.
ATTEST:
Chief Deputy City Clerk
Mayor
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
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City Attorney
APPROVED AS TO CONTENT:
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Department Director
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City Manager