5A Public Hearings 2018 0507 - Laserfiche WebLink

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City of San Leandro Alvarado Commerce Center Project 22 b. Would the project violate any air quality standard or contribute substantially to an existing or projected air quality violation? c. Would the project result in a cumulatively considerable net increase of any criteria pollutant for which the project region is non-attainment under an applicable federal or state ambient air quality standard (including releasing emissions that exceed quantitative thresholds for ozone precursors)? d. Would the project expose sensitive receptors to substantial pollutant concentrations? The demolition of the existing onsite development and the construction of the project would result in temporary construction emissions and long-term operational emissions. Construction and demolition activities such as the operation of construction vehicles and equipment over unpaved areas, grading, trenching, and disturbance of stockpiled soils have the potential to generate fugitive dust (PM10) through the exposure of soil to wind erosion and dust entrainment. In addition, exhaust emissions associated with heavy construction equipment would potentially degrade regional air quality. Construction emissions could exceed BAAQMD significance thresholds and could expose nearby sensitive receptors to pollution. Long-term emissions associated with operational impacts would include emissions from vehicle trips (mobile sources); natural gas and electricity use (energy sources); and landscape maintenance equipment, consumer products, and architectural coating associated with onsite development (area sources). Operational emissions could exceed BAAQMD significance thresholds and could expose nearby sensitive receptors to pollution. The BAAQMD has developed screening criteria to provide lead agencies and project applicants with a conservative indication of whether a project could result in potentially significant air quality impacts. If all of the screening criteria are met by a project, then the lead agency or applicant would not need to perform a detailed air quality assessment of their project’s air pollutant emissions. These screening levels are generally representative of new development on greenfield sites without any form of mitigation measures taken into consideration. For projects that are infill, such as the project, emissions would be less than the greenfield-type project on which the screening criteria are based (BAAQMD 2017b). The BAAQMD’s construction-related screening levels for general light industrial operations are 259,000 square feet of new buildings, an 11-acre construction footprint, or 540 new employees. For operational emissions, the minimum screening levels are 541,000 square feet of new buildings, a 72-acre construction footprint, or 1,249 new employees (BAAQMD 2017b). The BAAQMD construction-related screening level for warehouse uses is 259,000 square feet and 864,000 square feet for operational uses. For manufacturing uses, the construction screening level is 259,000 square feet and 992,000 square feet for operation. The proposed new building would be 159,450 square feet in size on a 6.9-acre parcel and would involve fewer than 540 employees (Section 13, Population and Housing). Therefore, the project would be below the construction and operational screening level criteria for light industry, warehouse, or manufacturing uses. According to BAAQMD, if all of the screening criteria are met by a project, then the lead agency or applicant would not need to perform a detailed air quality assessment of their project’s air pollutant emissions. Since the screening criteria are met, then the project would not exceed any BAAQMD air pollutant thresholds. The project would not violate an air quality standard or contribute to an existing or projected air quality violation (question b). As noted above, the Basin is currently nonattainment for the federal and state standards for ozone, as well as state standards for particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) and the federal standard for 24- 319