REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Transportation Map Depicting Major Transit Stops and Stops along a High-Quality Transit Corridor with a One-Half Mile Buffer as defined by Senate Bill 743 (Information Only)
Report
BACKGROUND
In September 2013, the Governor approved Senate Bill (SB) 743, which requires jurisdictions to modify how traffic is analyzed for development projects under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The bill removes Level of Service (LOS) as the method of analyzing traffic and introduces Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) as the new methodology. California jurisdictions are required to adopt VMT Policies by July 1, 2020. Included in SB 743 is a transit priority area exemption for properties located within a one-half mile of a Major Transit Stop or a stop along a High-Quality Transit Corridor.
On October 8, 2019 a study session was held with the City Council on the City's transition from LOS to VMT for CEQA purposes. At that meeting, staff discussed various potential project exemptions from VMT analysis that includes projects that meet specific thresholds and are located within a one-half mile of a Major Transit Stop or a stop along a High-Quality Transit Corridor. During this discussion, the Council requested a map illustrating that information.
DISCUSSION
SB 743, further defined by the State's Technical Advisory on Evaluating Transportation Impacts in CEQA, allows a presumed outcome of less than significant for CEQA related traffic impacts when a development project is located within a one-half mile of a Major Transit Stop of a stop on a High-Quality Transit Corridor and meets other transit oriented characteristics (i.e., minimum density, minimum floor area ratio); thereby creating potential for a streamlined traffic analysis under CEQA.
Section 21064.3 of the California Public Resources Code, utilized in SB 743, defines Major Transit Stop as, "a site containing an existing rail transit station, a ferry terminal served by either a bus...
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