3B Public Hearing 2007 0904 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

Planning Commission Meeting Minutes Agenda No. 07-16 August 23, 2007 Page 4 of 19 significant impacts; F) impacts found not to be significant; G) alternatives; and H) Summary Table. 3. Revisions to the DEIR - Referencing the DEIR page by page, this identifies revisions made in the FEIR, again using underlining to indicate new text and strikethrough to indicate deleted text. None of the changes resulted in any new significant impacts; those enumerated in the DEIR remain intact in the FEIR. 4. List of Commenting Parties - Lists all commenting parties. 5. Responses to Comments - The most substantial component of the FEIR, this section includes responses to all input provided to the DEIR. Comments appear in their entirety, with number codes in the margin keyed to specific responses. Mr. Heyd indicated that input to the DEIR raised concerns in five key areas, and explained how the FEIR generally responds to them: . Provisions in the TOD Strategy area for affordable housing - The TOD Strategy is consistent with San Leandro's Housing Element policies and would support the overall vision of the Housing Element by providing an increased range of housing types to accommodate residents of varied income levels. The City's current Housing Element, which supersedes the TOD Strategy as a vehicle for dictating housing policy within the City, sets forth policies encouraging a mix of unit types priced to accommodate a range of income levels. The City, through completion and implementation of its Housing Element, has consistently upheld the objective of creating a balanced housing supply for all income groups, from very low income to upper income. The TOD Strategy itself, and the General Plan policies that will be adopted as part of the TOD Strategy, confirm the City's commitment to provide for a mix of rental and ownership housing opportunities to accommodate varying income levels. . Displacement of current residents - The reasoning behind these concerns seemed to be that as a result of the strategy build-out, income levels within the strategy area and property values will increase such that moderate- and low-income residents who currently reside in this area will be displaced because they can no longer afford to live there. A variety of housing unit types to accommodate varying income levels will be ensured through General Plan policies 3.01, 3.02 and 3.06, which will be adopted as part of the TOD Strategy. These policies are identified on page 4.9-2 of the DEIR. It is speculative to conclusively state that implementation of the TOD Strategy would price out a certain number of low- income households, regardless of whether they are owner- or renter-occupied. However, as discussed on page 4.9-9 of the DEIR, the potential impact of the physical displacement of all 35 identified existing housing units within the 39 opportunity sites was analyzed. . Exposure of residents to rail noise and emissions (Union Pacific and BART) - The City acknowledges that outside areas such as residential balconies adjacent to the BART tracks may be exposed to noise levels exceeding the City's thresholds. However, it is not believed that substantial long-term hearing loss would occur. First, residents of units that face the BART station would sit on balconies only intermittently; secondly, train pass-bys also are intermittent in nature. The generation of noise from train activity would not be constant, so outdoor balconies would provide for design and amenity options for future development