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Appendix E (Initial Study/Part~ • Page 9 6.a., b. A noise analysis was performed by ESA for the first project application. (Please refer to the Creekside Center Initial Study/Negative Declaration, dated April 18, 1997 for a copy of the noise analysis. This document can be reviewed at the City's Development Services Department during normal business hours, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM Monday -Friday). Although the uses have been modified (change from retail to office and environmental education center), the potentially significant impacts identified in that report are still applicable to the project site and the current development proposal. The San Leandro General Plan indicates that the project site is primarily affected by rail and vehicle traffic and that noise levels in the area are generally between 65 and 70 dBA Lan. Additional independent observations confirmed that vehicle traffic on San Leandro Boulevard and Davis Street and BART operations are the principal source of noise at the project site with ambient noise levels measuring within the range of 60 to 65 Ldn. The San Leandro General Plan contains guidelines for determining the compatibility of various land uses with different noise environments. For office uses, the General Plan notes that a noise environment of 60 Ldn or less is "clearly acceptable" while a noise environment between 60 and 70 Ldn is "conditionally acceptable." Noise is also regulated in San Leandro through the noise ordinance, which can consider the level, intensity, character, and duration of the noise as well as the time and place of the noise in determining whether the ordinance has been violated. In determining a significant effect on the environment, an increase in the noise environment of three dBA represents the threshold at which most people can detect a change in that noise environment. The previous evaluation identified four potential impacts along with appropriate mitigation measures for these impacts. The first impact would be construction activities, which would intermittently and temporarily generate noise levels above existing ambient levels in the project vicinity. Construction noise during the noisiest phases of construction (89 Leq at 50 feet) would generate noise levels of approximately 83 Leq at the nearest off-site residences. This noise level would be masked by existing noise sources during daytime periods. During nighttime, this construction-related noise could be significant given the more sensitive nature of the nighttime period. Therefore, the following mitigation measure is proposed. Mitigation: To reduce the construction noise effects, the .City shall require construction contractors to limit noisy construction activities to the least noise-sensitive times of the day and week (e.g., 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday). Implementation of this mitigation measure would bring the impact to a less than significant level. The second impact would be that stationary mechanical equipment, sound amplification equipment, and on-site traffic could increase noise levels in the project vicinity. Specifically, this could affect the on-site environmental education center, existing residents to the north and fut~ Creekside Plaza - IS/Part 2