NOTICE OF PREPARATION DATE: April 6, 2017 TO: FROM: Responsible Agencies Trustee Agencies Local and Public Agencies Interested Parties Contact: Brent Cooper, AICP, Community Development Director 4381 Broadway Street, Suite 201 American Canyon, CA 94503 SUBJECT: Notice of Preparation of a Draft Environmental Impact Report for the Broadway District Specific Plan 1 The (City) will be the Lead Agency and will prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for the proposed Broadway District Specific Plan (project) described below. The City is interested in your agency s views as to the appropriate scope and content of the DEIR s environmental information pertaining to your agency s statutory responsibilities related to the project. Your agency may need to use the environmental impact report prepared by the City when considering permits or other approvals for project implementation actions. The City will need the name of a contact person for your agency. For interested individuals, the City would like to be informed of environmental topic(s) of interest to you regarding the project. The Broadway District Specific Plan area includes land in the located on either side of Highway 29 (also known as Broadway) starting at the Solano/Napa County line and extending 2.38 miles to the north, ending at Green Island Road (see Figure 1). The will be responsible for certifying the EIR and adopting the Specific Plan for the parcels within its jurisdiction. Because the has already determined that an EIR is required for the proposed Broadway District Specific Plan, and as permitted by CEQA Guidelines section 15060(d) (Preliminary Review), the City will not prepare an Initial Study for the project. 1 References: Title 14, California Code of Regulations, California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines, sections 15082, 15103, and 15375. April 2017 1 Notice of Preparation
The proposed project, its location, and its potential environmental effects are described below. The City of American Canyon welcomes public input during the Notice of Preparation (NOP) review period. The purpose of the scoping process is to solicit public comment regarding the full spectrum of issues and concerns, including a suitable range of alternatives, and the nature and extent of potential environmental impacts and appropriate mitigation measures that should be addressed in the EIR process. Because of the time limits mandated by the CEQA Guidelines, your response must be sent not later than 30 days after your receipt of this notice. In the event no response or request for additional time is received by the end of the review period, the City may presume that you have no response. Please send your comments to: Contact: Brent Cooper, AICP, Community Development Director 4381 Broadway Street, Suite 201 American Canyon, CA 94503 bcooper@cityofamericancanyon.org To allow for mailing, receipt, and 30-day review of this NOP, the comment period closes on Friday, May 5, 2017. Notice of Scoping Meeting: Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15082(c) (Notice of Preparation and Determination of Scope of EIR), the will conduct a scoping meeting for the purpose of soliciting comments of adjacent cities, responsible agencies, trustee agencies, and interested parties requesting notice as to the appropriate scope and content of the DEIR. The scoping meeting will include a presentation of the proposed project and a summary of the environmental issues to be analyzed in the DEIR. Following the presentation, interested agencies, organizations, and members of the public will be encouraged to present views concerning what environmental issues should be included in the DEIR. The oral and written comments provided during the scoping meeting will assist the City in scoping the potential environmental effects of the project to be addressed by the EIR. The scoping meeting will be held on Thursday, April 20, 2017 from 2:00 PM until 3:00 PM, in the City Council Chambers, located at City Hall, 4381 Broadway, Suite 201, American Canyon, CA 94503. Brent Cooper, AICP Community Development Director Phone (707) 647-4335 bcooper@cityofamericancanyon.org April 2017 2 Notice of Preparation
Project Title: Project Applicant: Project Location: Broadway District Specific Plan The Broadway District Specific Plan covers over 300 acres and contains distinct gateway areas as well as the core of the Broadway District including diverse commercial uses and venues (see Figure 2). Project Description: The Broadway District Specific Plan is the culmination of a community based process designed to transform the Plan Area into a more pedestrian oriented town center. This process actively engaged local residents, stakeholders, business and property owners, and neighborhood representatives, as well as elected and appointed officials. Planning Principles: The outreach process identified key issues and desired outcomes for the Broadway District Specific Plan that were affirmed by the City Council on September 15, 2015. The following Principles have been restated and are intended to guide Broadway District towards a residential, commercial, and recreational destination that will serve as a centerpiece for the City and home to future residents. Planning principles are defined as vision oriented statements developed by the Stakeholder Citizens Advisory Committee (SCAC) during the community outreach process. Beautify the Corridor with Landscaping, Trees and Architecture Provide New Retail Opportunities Provide Gathering/Multi purpose Places Unify the Character of New Development Improve Mobility Encourage Events/Festivals to Enliven the District Provide Connections between Neighboring Properties and Adjacent Neighborhoods Improve Safety with Highway Speeds and Pedestrian Access To help address challenges within the Broadway District, the Specific Plan will focus on five overarching concepts that will guide future development in the project area. These concepts are simple and achievable: 1) Nurture an environment where the Broadway District can become a destination for American Canyon 2) Leverage citywide economic benefits from the Broadway District Specific Plan 3) Increase the number and type of housing opportunities in the Broadway District; 4) Encourage variety in the scale and design of new development. 5) Foster improved community health The Plan Area would create eight subareas; Downtown Core, Local Serving Mixed Use, Home Improvement, Business Park, Broadway Residential, Medium Density April 2017 3 Notice of Preparation
Residential, the Northern Gateway, and the Southern Gateway (see Figure 3). Each subarea is described briefly below. Downtown Core The intent of the Downtown Core is to create a safe and vibrant destination for American Canyon residents and visitors. The centerpiece of the district will be a family friendly Main Street design which provides safe pedestrian interaction with slow moving vehicles. Uses within the Downtown Core will improve economic vitality. Located adjacent to the ruins located on Watson Ranch, the Downtown Core will include pedestrian, bicycle and vehicle connections. The Downtown Core is the largest Subarea and already hosts mixed use development with retail, hotel, and residential uses. Local Serving Mixed Use The Local Serving Mixed Use area will strengthen existing local serving retail centers with additional complementary retail uses and new higher density residential developments in a standalone or mixed use pattern. The Local Mixed Use Subarea is located on the east and west sides of Broadway, south of American Canyon Road. The southern parcels have already been developed with Neighborhood Commercial uses and are not intended to redevelop. Some of the northern parcels are vacant and underutilized and offer potential for new mixed use, commercial and/or residential development. Home Improvement The Intent of the Home Improvement District is to create a specific area that encourages continuation of existing home improvement retail uses and compatible new uses in proximity to each other. The Home Improvement District Subarea is located on the west side of Broadway between Donaldson Way and 3657 Broadway Street. Business Park The Business Park sub area will emphasize opportunities for employment based uses and allows a variety of other uses to support business activity. The Business Park Subarea also allows residential uses and is located on the west side of Broadway south of the Highway 29 bridge over the Union Pacific Railroad. The northern side of the Business Park provides a transition to the industrial properties located immediately north and west. South of Napa Junction Road, mixed use business park and residential and ancillary retail uses are permitted. Broadway Residential The Broadway Residential area will encourage higher density residential and residential supportive uses. Located in the heart of the Broadway District, this location will provide convenient pedestrian and bicycle access to the Downtown Core, existing commercial businesses along Broadway, and the Local Serving Commercial centers. New residential development will be designed to be compatible with existing non residential, institutional uses, and adjacent singlefamily uses on the west side of Melvin Road. The Broadway Residential Subarea is April 2017 4 Notice of Preparation
located on the west side of Broadway between Rio del Mar and a future extension of Wilson Way. Melvin Road borders the area to the west. Medium Density Residential The Medium Density Residential sub area will foster a higher density residential neighborhood that is architecturally and physically compatible with the existing older single family residences in this area. The Medium Density Residential Subarea is located west of Broadway at the foot of Oat Hill rising steeply to the west. Northern Gateway The Northern Gateway will allow new light industrial uses that are compatible with the larger industrial properties located to the northwest of this sub area. The Northern Gateway Subarea is located north of the Highway 29 bridge over the Union Pacific Railroad. This area is expected to need significant road improvements in the future as Newell Drive is planned to connect to Highway 29 from the east at Green Island Road. Southern Gateway The Southern Gateway will provide a visually attractive entrance into American Canyon and Napa County by enhancing landscaping and continuing the existing park uses. The Southern Gateway is located north of the City of Vallejo, east of Highway 29. The Union Pacific Railroad lines run along the western edge of this Subarea, just east of Highway 29. The Southern Gateway is home to Veterans Park, a playground, and a dog park. The Plan Area also includes an 11.8 acre site with an existing residential entitlement named the Village at Vintage Ranch. The site is located within the Southeast Area Specific Plan near the northeast corner of the Broadway/American Canyon Road intersection. No changes to the existing regulations are proposed for this area. The following is a summary of the major components of the draft Specific Plan. Development Framework. Major physical changes in the Plan are illustrated in the Plan Subareas diagram (see Figure 3) to support development through the year 2040. These concepts build upon the existing assets in the Broadway District areas and identify projects intended to create a vibrant, prosperous, healthy, safe, and connected community. April 2017 5 Notice of Preparation
Figure 1. Regional Context April 2017 6 Notice of Preparation
NORTH Figure 2. Plan Area April 2017 7 Notice of Preparation
Zoning and Regulatory Changes. Each subarea is further divided into zoning districts to identify specific land uses that are allowed within the subareas and to establish standards that will govern future development. For sites with recent development where no substantive change is anticipated for the foreseeable future, and for sites where the current zoning is consistent with the Broadway District vision, there is no change in the existing zoning. The remaining properties are given a new zoning designation. As summarized in Table 1, seven existing and five new zoning designations will govern land uses in the Broadway District. The location of these districts is depicted in Figure 4. Table 1: Zoning Districts Pre Existing Zoning Districts New Zoning Districts Community Commercial (CC) Downtown Core (DC) Neighborhood Commercial (CN) Broadway Residential (BR) Medium Density Residential (MDR) Business Park (BP) High Density Residential (RH 2) Home Improvement (HI) Public (P) Local Serving Mixed Use (LSMU) Light Industrial (LI) Cluster Residential (SP 1:CR) Southeast Area SP Mobility Enhancements. The Plan includes a series of multi modal transportation streetscape design improvements, and design standards. Major actions will include: (1) Roadway designs for Broadway are based on reducing the speed limit on from 55 to 35 mph (Figure 5). Among other things, this change in design speed could result in narrower travel lanes, reduced shoulders, enhanced landscaping and greater pedestrian and bicycle safety. (2) Alternative Circulation (Figure 6) improvements accommodate multiple modes of transportation and create a family friendly and flexible streetscape on Main Street; and (3) Parallel Connectors The paseo section of the Plan Area shows how parallel connections would work (Figure 7). (4) A proposed River to Ridge trail connection across Broadway in several locations (Figure 8). (5) An amendment to the General Plan Circulation Element to add Rio Del Mar as an arterial east of Broadway. (6) Extension of Wilson Way from Melvin Road to Broadway. (7) Extension of Main Street from Rio Del Mar to Donaldson Way. Infrastructure Improvements. Infrastructure improvements for stormwater, recycled water and wastewater projects are identified in adopted Master Plans and will be implemented to support development in the Plan Area. April 2017 8 Notice of Preparation
Future development will also require grading and will introduce impervious surfaces that will require modifications to drainage improvements. The project will implement a program to underground existing overhead utility lines. Park and Recreation Improvements. The project will implement a Class 1 bicycle pedestrian trail along the east and west sides of Broadway from Green Island Road to American Canyon Road and an east west River to Ridge trail across Broadway; neighborhood parks, private recreation facilities, and public plazas to serve new residential and commercial development. Aesthetic Improvements. The project will include design guidelines for new residential and nonresidential development in the District, and a Broadway arterial landscape plan. April 2017 9 Notice of Preparation
Figure 3. Plan Subareas April 2017 10 Notice of Preparation
Figure 4. Zoning Map April 2017 11 Notice of Preparation
Figure 5. Slow Traffic Schematic Figure 6. Alternate Circulation Schematic April 2017 12 Notice of Preparation
Figure 7. Parallel Connections Schematic This page intentionally left blank. April 2017 13 Notice of Preparation
Figure 8. River to Ridge Trail Connections Schematic. Development Capacity: Based on both projections provided by the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) and on the proposed components of the Broadway District Specific Plan, a development capacity for the Plan Area has been forecasted through a Plan horizon year of 2036. Table 2 below shows forecasted residential and non residential development within the Plan Area. Because no site specific, development proposals will be approved as part of the Broadway District Specific Plan, future individual project would be subject to CEQA review, including evaluation against the. As shown in Table 2, the development capacity for the Plan Area includes approximately 1,200 net new residential units and approximately 850,000 net new square feet of non residential uses (commercial, office, etc.) by 2036. Both the Broadway District Specific Plan and the EIR will assume that these numbers represent the maximum capacity for future development by the year 2036. April 2017 14 Notice of Preparation
Table 2: Maximum Development Capacity for 2036 Subarea Acres Maximum Commercial Area (SF) 1 Maximum Dwelling Units Downtown Core 97.7 300,000 180 Local Serving Mixed Use 49.9 127,500 86 Home Improvement 10.7 80,000 0 Business Park 49.0 263,000 210 Broadway Residential 25.0 53,000 275 Medium Density Residential 24.8 0 290 Northern Gateway 9.0 16,500 0 Southern Gateway 14.5 0 0 Southeast Area Specific Plan 11.2 0 159 Totals 292 840,000 1,200 1 Commercial areas include retail, office, and lodging uses. Required Approvals: Discretionary Approvals. Implementation of the Broadway District Specific Plan will require, but is not limited to, the following discretionary approvals by the : Certification of the Final Environmental Impact Report Adoption of a Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program Adoption of General Plan amendments and zoning changes as necessary to ensure consistency between the Broadway District Specific Plan and the American Canyon General Plan and the Zoning Ordinance Adoption of the Broadway District Specific Plan Discretionary applications, such as Design Permits, Conditional Use Permits, Tentative Parcel and Subdivision Maps, including CEQA review, for future individual public and private development proposals in the Plan Area Other Government Agency Approvals. Future individual public and private development proposals in the Plan Area would also be expected to require review or approvals from other jurisdictional agencies, including, but not limited to: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Napa Valley Transportation Authority (NVTA) EIR Scope: The has determined that the proposed Broadway District Specific Plan (Specific Plan) will require preparation of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The following probable environmental effects of the project and required mitigation measures will be evaluated in the EIR: April 2017 15 Notice of Preparation
Aesthetics: The EIR will describe the aesthetic and urban design implications of the proposed Specific Plan, including its visual relationships to the surrounding vicinity and the potential impacts of Specific Plan development (the proposed array of building masses, heights, view corridors, architectural quality of new buildings, etc.) on important surrounding vantage points. Air Quality: The EIR will describe the potential short and long term impacts of Specific Plan development capacity on local and regional air quality based on methodologies defined by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD). Biological Resources: The EIR will evaluate potential impacts on biological resources resulting from Specific Plan implementation, including potential impacts on nesting birds, riparian corridors and jurisdictional wetlands. Cultural and Historic Resources: The EIR will describe any potential Specific Plan impacts and mitigation needs associated with historic and cultural (archaeological and paleontological) resources. Geology and Soils: The EIR will describe the potential geotechnical implications of Specific Plan implementation. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Global Climate Change: The EIR will describe the potential Specific Plan impacts on local greenhouse gas emissions and global climate change (including sea level rise), following the latest approach and methodologies recommended by State and regional agencies. Hazards and Hazardous Materials: The EIR will describe any hazardous material activities anticipated in the Plan Area and will describe any associated potential impacts and mitigation needs. Any potential construction period hazards and hazardous material impacts and mitigation needs will also be described. Hydrology and Water Quality: The EIR will evaluate potential impacts on hydrology and water quality resulting from Specific Plan implementation, including possible effects related to drainage and flooding. Specific Plan components that address hydrology and water quality also will be described. Land Use and Planning: The EIR will describe the potential effects of Specific Plan implementation on existing and planned land use characteristics in the Specific Plan vicinity, including the Specific Plan s relationship to other adopted regional and local plans. Noise: The EIR will describe project related construction and long term operation (traffic, mechanical systems, etc.) noise impacts and related mitigation needs. Population and Housing: The EIR will describe the anticipated effects of Specific Plan development capacity on existing and projected population and April 2017 16 Notice of Preparation
housing characteristics. This information will be used to forecast public service and utility needs in the Specific Plan area. Public Services: The EIR will describe potential impacts on public services (police and fire protection, parks and recreation, and schools) and any mitigation needs. Transportation and Circulation: The EIR will describe the transportation and circulation implications of the proposed Specific Plan, including its incremental contribution to daily and peak hour traffic on local and regional roadways. The evaluation will include roadway corridor impacts (e.g., Level of Service), transit implications and effects on pedestrian and bicycle circulation. Specific Plan components to improve multi modal travel will be described and evaluated through multi modal level of service performance standards. Utilities and Service Systems: The EIR will describe potential Specific Plan impacts on local utility and service systems, including water supply, water and wastewater treatment, and solid waste and recycling. It will describe potential Specific Plan impacts to proposed improvements to recycled water and wastewater infrastructure that are part of other master plans for the City of American Canyon. Forestry Resources and Minerals: The EIR will explain why these CEQAdefined environmental topics will not be affected by Specific Plan implementation. Alternatives: Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15126.6, the EIR will identify and compare a reasonable range of alternatives to the Specific Plan. April 2017 17 Notice of Preparation