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3.0 ENVIRONMENTAL CHECKLIST <br />1388 Bancroft Avenue Project City of San Leandro <br />Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration November 2018 <br />3.0-4 <br /> <br />Potentially <br />Significant <br />Impact <br />Less Than <br />Significant <br />Impact with <br />Mitigation <br />Incorporated <br />Less Than <br />Significant <br />Impact <br />No <br />Impact <br />1. AESTHETICS. Would the project: <br />a) Have a substantial adverse effect on a scenic vista? <br />b) Substantially damage scenic resources, including, <br />but not limited to, trees, rock outcrops, and <br />historic buildings within a state scenic highway? <br /> <br />c) Substantially degrade the existing visual character <br />or quality of the site and its surroundings? <br />d) Create a new source of substantial light or glare <br />which would adversely affect day or nighttime <br />views in the area? <br /> <br />ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING <br />San Leandro’s visual character includes its natural setting and physical development pattern. The <br />city is located on the East Bay Plain, bordered to the west by San Francisco Bay, to the east by the coastal foothills, to the north by the city of Oakland, and to the south by the city of Hayward. <br />Much of San Leandro has developed in a linear pattern that is guided by major transportation <br />routes. The city is characterized by established suburban neighborhoods with tree-lined streets and houses. Activity centers, including downtown, San Leandro Hospital, and Bayfair Center, are characterized by buildings up to five stories in height. <br />The San Leandro Zoning Code is the primary tool that shapes the form and character of physical <br />development in the city. The Zoning Code contains all the City’s ordinances and identifies zoning districts, site development regulations, and other regulatory provisions that ensure consistency between the General Plan and proposed development projects. In addition, the San Leandro <br />Zoning Code contains a variety of development standards and required review processes that <br />are applicable to development in the city and pertain to aesthetics. These standards are intended to preserve the overall character throughout the city, protect scenic resources, and prevent <br />adverse impacts related to light and glare. <br />CHECKLIST DISCUSSION <br />a–d) Less Than Significant Impact. Public Resources Code Section 21099(d), effective January 1, 2014, states: <br />(1) Aesthetic and parking impacts of a residential, mixed-use residential, or employment <br />center project on an infill site within a transit priority area shall not be considered significant impacts on the environment. <br />(2) (A) This subdivision does not affect, change, or modify the authority of a lead agency <br />to consider aesthetic impacts pursuant to local design review ordinances or other <br />discretionary powers provided by other laws or policies. <br />(B) For the purposes of this subdivision, aesthetic impacts do not include impacts on <br />historical or cultural resources.