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Resolution making findings and recommending that the City Council certify the Environmental Impact Report, including adoption of a Statement of Overriding Considerations and Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program, for the Southline Project.
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WHEREAS, Lane Partners (“Applicant”) has submitted an application requesting approval of a General Plan Amendment, Zoning Text Amendment, Zoning Map Amendment, Specific Plan, Phase 1 Precise Plan, a Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Plan, Design Review, Vesting Tentative Map, and a Development Agreement to redevelop a 28.5-acre industrial site in the Lindenville Sub-Area with up to 2.8 million square feet of R&D / office development, commercial amenities, open space improvements, and on- and off-site infrastructure improvements at the intersection of Tanforan and South Maple Avenues (30 Tanforan Avenue, 40 Tanforan, 50 Tanforan Avenue, 54 Tanforan Avenue, 80 Tanforan Avenue, 315 S. Maple Avenue, 319 S. Maple Avenue, 325 S. Maple Avenue, 347 S. Maple Avenue, 349 S. Maple Avenue, 160 S. Linden Avenue, 180 S. Linden Avenue, 240 Dollar Avenue) (“Southline Project” or “Project”); and
WHEREAS, approval of the Applicant’s proposal is considered a “project” for purposes of the California Environmental Quality Act, Pub. Resources Code §21000, et seq. (“CEQA”); and,
WHEREAS, in accordance with CEQA the City determined that an Environmental Impact Report (“EIR”) was required to evaluate the impacts of the proposed Project; and,
WHEREAS, the Final EIR (“FEIR”) for the Project consists of the Draft EIR, Response to Comments, and the Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program; and
WHEREAS, the City issued a Notice of Preparation on May 22, 2020; and,
WHEREAS, the City prepared a Draft EIR (“DEIR”) (State Clearinghouse No. 2020050452), which was circulated for 45-day public/agency review period from September 28 through November 12, 2021; and,
WHEREAS, Notices of the Availability of the DEIR were posted to the San Mateo County Clerk’s Office, mailed to property owners within a 500-foot radius of the site, noticed to local agencies and cities, and circulated through the State Clearinghouse; and,
WHEREAS, the City prepared written responses to comments received on the Draft EIR and prepared a Final EIR for circulation, which consists of the DEIR (incorporated by reference), all comments received on the DEIR, written responses to comments received on the DEIR, and revisions to the DEIR, and a Mitigation and Monitoring Reporting Program (“MMRP”); and,
WHEREAS, the DEIR reviewed and analyzed the potential environmental impacts of the Project, including environmental impacts in the areas of Aesthetics, Agriculture and Forest Resources; Air Quality, Biological Resources; Cultural Resources; Energy; Geology and Soils; Greenhouse Gas Emissions; Hazards and Hazardous Materials; Hydrology and Water Quality; Land Use and Planning; Mineral Resources; Noise and Vibration; Population and Housing; Public Services; Recreation; Transportation and Circulation; Tribal Cultural Resources, Utilities and Service Systems; Wildfire; and cumulative impacts of the Project, growth-inducing impacts of the Project, as well as potential Project Alternatives; and
WHEREAS, after the DEIR was released for public review, the City identified a new alternative, the Reduced Underground Parking Alternative (Alternative D); and
WHEREAS, the City reviewed the new alternative and determined it would be feasible to implement, would meet the basic objectives and would have the potential to reduce or avoid some of the significant impacts of the Project; and
WHEREAS, an analysis of the Reduced Underground Parking Alternative (Alternative D) has been added to the final EIR; and
WHEREAS, the Reduced Underground Parking Alternative (Alternative D) would avoid significant Air Quality impacts and would reduce (but not avoid) all but two of the Project’s remaining significant and unavoidable impacts to below the proposed project’s level of impact; and
WHEREAS, the City has identified the Reduced Underground Parking Alternative (Alternative D) as the environmentally superior alternative and as the recommended alternative proposed for adoption; and
WHEREAS, where feasible, mitigation measures have been incorporated into the recommended alternative to reduce identified impacts to a level of less than significant; and
WHEREAS, no feasible mitigation exists for certain significant and unavoidable air quality, noise, and transportation impacts that would reduce the impacts to a less-than-significant level; and
WHEREAS, under applicable provisions of CEQA Guidelines section 15092(b), the recommended alternative may not be approved or carried out unless the City has eliminated or substantially lessened all significant effects on the environment where feasible, or determined that any remaining significant effects on the environment found to be unavoidable are acceptable due to overriding concerns; and
WHEREAS, a Statement of Overriding Considerations has been prepared pursuant to CEQA Guidelines sections 15092(b) and 15093, which evaluates the benefits of the proposed recommended alternative against its unavoidable impacts and sets forth the recommended alternative’s specific benefits and overriding concerns;
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission has reviewed and carefully considered the information in the DEIR, the Final EIR, the Statement of Overriding Consideration, and the MMRP, respectively attached hereto as Exhibits A, B, C, and D, at a duly noticed public hearing held on June 2, 2022 as objective and accurate documents that reflect the independent judgment of the City in the identification, discussion and mitigation of the recommended alternative’s environmental impacts, and considered all testimony and evidence presented at the hearing and in the record before it.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that based on the entirety of the record before it, which includes without limitation, the California Environmental Quality Act, Public Resources Code §21000, et seq. (“CEQA”) and the CEQA Guidelines, 14 California Code of Regulations §15000, et seq.; the South San Francisco General Plan and General Plan EIR; the South San Francisco Municipal Code; the Project applications; the Southline Draft Specific Plan; the Phase 1 Precise Plan, as prepared by DES Architects, dated May 6, 2022; the Southline Proposed Transportation Demand Management Plan, dated May, 2022; the Southline Project EIR, including the Draft and Final EIR and all appendices thereto; all site plans; all reports, minutes, and public testimony submitted as part of the Planning Commission’s duly noticed June 2, 2022 public hearing; and any other evidence (within the meaning of Public Resources Code §21080(e) and §21082.2), the Planning Commission of the City of South San Francisco hereby finds as follows:
1. The foregoing recitals are true and correct and made a part of this Resolution.
2. The exhibits and attachments, including the Environmental Impact Report including the Draft EIR and Final EIR (attached as Exhibits A and B, respectively), the CEQA Findings including Statement of Overriding Considerations (attached as Exhibit C), and the Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (attached as Exhibit D), are each incorporated by reference and made a part of this Resolution, as if set forth fully herein.
3. The documents and other material constituting the record for these proceedings are located at the Planning Division for the City of South San Francisco, 315 Maple Avenue, South San Francisco, CA 94080, and in the custody of the Planning Manager, Tony Rozzi.
4. Based on the Planning Commission’s independent judgment and analysis, the Planning Commission makes the findings regarding the recommended alternative’s significant and unavoidable impacts, potentially significant impacts, and less than significant impacts; makes the findings regarding the proposed mitigation measures, and the Project alternatives; and adopts the Statement of Overriding Considerations, finding that the benefits of the recommended alternative outweigh the recommended alternative’s significant and unavoidable environmental impacts, for the reasons, and as further set forth in Exhibit C, attached hereto and incorporated by reference.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Planning Commission of the City of South San Francisco hereby makes the findings contained in this Resolution and recommends that the City Council: certify EIR19-0006 attached as Exhibits A and B; adopt the Statement of Overriding Consideration attached as Exhibit C; and adopt the Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program, attached as Exhibit D.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this Resolution shall become effective immediately upon its passage and adoption.