Agenda Item #13.3
For Council Meeting of: October 22, 2024
CITY OF SANTA ROSA
CITY COUNCIL
TO: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
FROM: DAN HENNESSEY, DIRECTOR OF TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS SUBJECT: ADOPTION OF MITIGATED NEGATIVE DECLARATION AND MITIGATION MONITORING AND REPORTING PROGRAM FOR THE SAMUEL L. JONES HALL HOMELESS SHELTER PHASE 2 IMPROVEMENTS AGENDA ACTION: RESOLUTION
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended by the Transportation and Public Works Department and the Housing and Community Services Department that the Council, by resolution, adopt the Mitigated Negative Declaration and Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program for the Samuel L. Jones Hall Homeless Shelter Phase 2 Improvements project.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
An Initial Study/Draft Mitigated Negative Declaration (IS/MND), and Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (MMRP) have been prepared in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to analyze and mitigate the potential environmental impacts associated with the Samuel L. Jones Hall Homeless Shelter Phase 2 Improvements project (Project), located at 4020 Finley Avenue. The IS/MND concludes that the proposed project would not result in any significant or potentially significant impacts on the environment if the mitigation measures identified in the IS/MND are adopted and implemented.
BACKGROUND
The Samuel L. Jones Hall Homeless Shelter (Shelter) is a City-owned facility which has been operated by Catholic Charities since it opened in November 2005. The Shelter’s Housing Focused Program provides up to 213 year-round beds that have been prioritized by the Homeless Outreach Services Team (HOST) with beds designed for medical respite, public safety, and the City’s Encampment Team or during emergent situations.
In conjunction with the Shelter, a separate facility was constructed in 2020, referred to now as the Annex. The Annex provides up to 60 emergency shelter beds and wrap-around services for persons experiencing homelessness. These 60 beds are part of the total 213 year-round beds provided on-site, restoring the shelter bed capacity that was lost due to social-distancing restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic; and are prioritized for individuals identified through the City’s Encampment Team or during emergent situations.
Due to the emergency nature during the construction of the Annex, some improvements were deferred or provided in a temporary manner in order to expedite the opening. This secondary phase of the project includes permanent installation of utilities, restrooms and other deferred accessory improvements to the new Annex.
PRIOR CITY COUNCIL REVIEW
In January 2014, the City Council adopted Ordinance 4021, which established regulations for the award, use and evaluation of Design-Build contracts.
On August 9, 2016, the City Council approved Resolution No. 28839, which proclaimed a local homeless emergency.
On August 25, 2020, the City Council approved Resolution No. RES-2020-137, which ratified the issuance of a request for proposals and awarding a design-build contract for the Annex, to the best value design-build entity, Graves Construction Group Services, Inc. in a total contract amount of $3,138,580 and authorizing appropriations of $2,600,000 from the general fund for the project.
On February 15, 2022, the City Council approved Resolution RES-2022-029, which increased the appropriations to fund one-time programs, including $2,000,000 of ARPA funds for the Samuel L. Jones Capital Projects.
On July 11, 2023, the City Council approved, by motion, use of Design-Build procurement method as in the best interest of the City and authorized Issuance of a Request for Proposals for the Samuel L. Jones Hall Homeless Shelter Phase 2 Improvements project.
On December 12, 2023, the City Council approved Resolution RES-2023-216, which approved an updated spending plan for ARPA funds and authorized the City Manager to shift such ARPA funding between programs in an amount not to exceed $500,000.
ANALYSIS
The project considers all future needs for the Shelter and a contract for preliminary design and environmental services was awarded to EBA Engineering in April 2022 under Project Work Order No. A010142-2016-02. At that time, EBA Engineering initiated the CEQA process.
It was then determined that an IS/MND was required. The IS/MND concludes that the proposed project would not result in any significant or potentially significant impact on the environment if the mitigation measures identified in the IS/MND are adopted and implemented.
In accordance with CEQA, a draft IS/MND was made available for public review on April 24, 2024, with comments due by May 24, 2024. The documents were posted to the City’s project website, the State Clearinghouse’s website, and were available to view in person at the City’s Transportation and Public Works office at 69 Stony Circle in Santa Rosa during the 30-day comment period. The Notice of Intent was published in the Press Democrat and hard copy letters of the Notice of Intent were mailed to property owners and current occupants within 500 feet of the proposed location. The Notice of Intent was provided in both English and Spanish in the hard copy letters and on the project webpage.
During the initial review, the City received a request from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) in an email correspondence on May 7, 2024, to extend the State Review Comment Period for the IS/MND from May 24, 2024 to June 3, 2024. One comment letter was received during the public comment period from the CDFW recommending additional mitigation measures which constitutes “significant new information” requiring recirculation of the environmental document. The recirculation of the draft IS/MND was made available for public review on August 16, 2024, with comments due by September 18, 2024.
At the conclusion of the second comment period, the City received zero (0) comments on the IS/MND and therefore no responses were required. Following adoption of the Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND), staff will file a Notice of Determination (NOD) with Sonoma County Clerk’s Office and the State Clearinghouse, completing the CEQA review process for the proposed Project.
FISCAL IMPACT
Funding for this action has been appropriated to project accounts 00638, 02015, and 42130. Approval of this action does not have a fiscal impact on the General Fund.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
As indicated above, an Initial Study was conducted that resulted in a Mitigated Negative Declaration for the project, which was circulated starting on April 24, 2024 through September 18, 2024. A Notice of Intent (NOI) to adopt the MND was published in the Press Democrat, mailed to surrounding property owners and occupants, and was made available for public review in accordance with CEQA requirements. The IS/MND concludes that the proposed project would not result in any significant or potentially significant impacts on the environment if the mitigation measures identified in the IS/MND are adopted and made conditions of approval of the proposed project.
BOARD/COMMISSION/COMMITTEE REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Not applicable.
NOTIFICATION
Not applicable.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment 1 – Initial Study-Proposed Mitigated Negative Declaration-Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (IS/MND/MMRP) Attachment 2 - Response to Comments and Errata on the Public Draft Initial Study/ Mitigated Negative Declaration Attachment 3 - Final Initial Study-Mitigated Negative Declaration-Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (IS/MND/MMRP) Resolution
PRESENTER
Deziré Perez Barbante, Associate Civil Engineer
ADOPTION OF MITIGATED NEGATIVE DECLARATION AND MITIGATION MONITORING AND REPORTING PROGRAM FOR THE SAMUEL L. JONES HALL HOMELESS SHELTER PHASE 2 IMPROVEMENTS PAGE 2 OF 3