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 or rail transit service, or the intersection of two or more major bus routes with a frequency of service interval of 15 minutes or less during the morning and afternoon peak commute periods.” Section 21155 of the California Public Resources Code defines a High-Quality Transit Corridor as, “a corridor with fixed route bus service with service intervals no longer than 15 minutes during peak commute hours.”
As shown in the map in Attachment 1, the City has several bus/rail stops that meet the above-mentioned definition for a Major Transit Stop and High-Quality Transit Corridor. Staff will utilize the information displayed in this map to further evaluate potential areas where traffic analysis may be streamlined when creating the forthcoming policy document related to analyzing VMT for CEQA purposes. This policy document will be brought to the Council for adoption in June 2020. Additionally, the map will be discussed with the Council at the March 17, 2020 Study Session on the City’s Transition from LOS to VMT.
It is important to note that this map is merely illustrating the definition of the one-half mile buffer around Major Transit Stops and High-Quality Transit Corridors pursuant to SB 743 and should not be considered to be any formal decision by the City on what areas the City may presume to have a less than significant impact in future traffic analysis. This map is for informational purposes only.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the Council agenda on the City's official-notice bulletin board outside City Hall, at the Sunnyvale Senior Center, Community Center and Department of Public Safety; and by making the agenda and report available at the Sunnyvale Public Library, the Office of the City Clerk and on the City's website.
Staff
Prepared by: Amber Blizinski, Principal Planner
Reviewed by: Trudi Ryan, Director, Community Development
Reviewed by: Teri Silva, Assistant City Manager
Approved by: Kent Steffens, City Manager
ATTACHMENT
1. Transportation Map Depicting Major Transit Stops and Stops along a High-Quality Transit Corridor