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Planning Commission Meeting Minutes August 28, 2008 Agenda No. 08-16 Page 5 of II The project would also include several roadway improvements: widening Merced Street to the east along the project site frontage; adding an eastern extension to Republic Avenue into the project site; installing a traffic signal at the Republic Avenue/Merced Street intersection; and creating a new signalized intersection at the main entrance to the proposed mixed-use development site along Merced Street. The two projects (ICI and Kaiser Permanente) would replace existing uses at the site: the former Albertson's distribution and maintenance center and various warehouse distribution and industrial uses. Potential development with the ICI development and the medical uses would require the creation of a new General Plan land use designation and zoning district. Affected Assessor's Parcel Numbers include: 077A-0647-001-38, 077A-0647-001-37, 077A-0647-001-36, 077A-0647-001-35, 077A-0647-001-34, 077A-0647-001-27, 077A-0647-009-27, 077A-0647-009-32, 077A-0647-009-35, 077A-0647-009-37, 077A-0647-009-42, 077A-0647-009-45, as well as portions of 077A-0647-012-01, 077A-0647-012-02, 077A-0647-012-03. An Initial Study was conducted for the proposed project and the study concluded there may be a significant effect on the environment and thus an EIR is required. This Notice of Preparation allows for public input into the topics to be covered in the EIR. The 30-day notice period began on August 12 and concludes on September 10. Acting Chair Dlugosh reminded the audience that individuals would have an opportunity to speak after the presentation. Secretary Livermore, who described the proposed project, pointed out that a Notice of Preparation/Scoping Session took place in January to allow input about what should be included in the environmental evaluation, but since then there have been modifications to the project description, specifically considerably more detail about Kaiser Permanente's proposed development on the site. Thus, the process is being repeated. Materials, including public input and minutes from the January scoping session, will be included in appendices to the Draft EIR now being undertaken. The proposed project also would require the creation of a new General Plan land use designation and zoning district. Michael Kay, EIP Associates/PBS&J -the lead in the contract to manage and write the EIR work for this project -noted that this type of project requires an EIR because there is potential for significant impacts associated with the project. The EIR will provide decision-makers with information related to such impacts and potential mitigation measures before deciding whether to proceed. Neither preparation nor approval of an EIR means that the project is approved, he explained; the EIR is simply a tool for consideration of such approval. The EIR will address only environmental impacts per CEQA guidelines; these exclude fiscal and financial impacts. CEQA defines scoping as the process of determining the focus and content of an EIR; scoping provides an opportunity to give the public aheads-up that the City is considering a new project and to invite input as to the scope of the environmental documentation, areas of potential impacts and potential mitigations. Scoping also allows for completion of an Initial Study, in which topics that have a "less than significant" impact -such as agricultural resources -can be set aside, with discussion focusing on the significant areas.