Reso 2007-111 - Laserfiche WebLink

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IV. ST A TEMENT OF OVERRIDING CONSIDERATIONS The Final EIR identifies significant unavoidable impacts from the project that cannot be mitigated to a less than significant level. The City Council ofthe City of San Leandro finds that there are specific overriding economic, legal, social, technological or other benefits of the project, as set forth below, which outweigh the significant effects on the environment. STATEMENT OF FACTS SUPPORTING STATEMENT OF OVERRIDING CONSIDERA TIONS The City of San Leandro has concluded that the project consisting of the Downtown San Leandro Transit-Oriented Development (TaD) Strategy Area, is the most capable of meeting the City's objectives with the least amount of environmental impact. Pursuant to Section 21081 of the Public Resources Code, prior to approving a project that has identified unavoidable significant impacts, the City Council is required to find that there are specific overriding economic, legal, social, technological or other benefits of the project which outweigh the significant effects on the environment. The unavoidable significant effects on the environment are set forth in Section II above. The findings supporting a determination that there are overriding considerations for moving forward with the project despite those significant effects follow. Specific Overriding Benefits: Significant Effect: Cumulative Air Quality Impacts Benefits and Findin2s of Fact: All feasible mitigation measures, as listed in detail above in Sections I and II, have been identified and required as part of the Final EIR and Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program. As noted in Section II, all feasible mitigation measures were adopted. By approving this project, the City of San Leandro will ensure that increased opportunities for the development of high-quality and direct pedestrian connections between the TaD Strategy area and BART, enhanced AC Transit bus service, and other transit systems will be realized. The TOD Strategy provides a unique opportunity to facilitate increased benefits from the interaction of public transit (AC Transit) service along the E. 14th Street corridor, BART service at the Downtown San Leandro BART Station, and retail and other commercial activity found in Downtown San Leandro. In addition, the TaD promotes land use concepts that reduce the necessity of driving by encouraging public transit use and reducing use trip lengths. The project will encourage community design principles and standards which de- emphasize automobiles by developing and maintaining a city-wide bikeway system, and by incorporating design features that make walking, cycling and other forms of non-motorized transportation more convenient and attractive. This would result in actions that would help reduce the cumulative amount of greenhouse gases created. 36