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Environmental Checklist Noise General Plan Consistency Checklist 69 The following describes the analysis included in the General Plan EIR and provides a streamlined review to determine whether there would be project-specific impacts that are either 1) peculiar to the project or the parcel on which the project is located; 2) were not previously analyzed in the General Plan EIR as significant effects; 3) are potentially significant off-site impacts and cumulative impacts that were not previously discussed in the General Plan EIR; or 4) are now determined to have a more severe impact than discussed in the General Plan EIR due to substantial new information. Project-Specific Impacts a. Would the project result generation of a substantial temporary or permanent increase in ambient noise levels in the vicinity of the project in excess of standards established in the local general plan or noise ordinance, or applicable standards of other agencies? Based on the noise analysis within the General Plan EIR, the primary sources of noise in the project vicinity are vehicles traveling on Interstate 580 and MacArthur Boulevard. The majority of the project site is within the 60 A-weighted sound pressure level (dBA) Community Noise Equivalent Level (CNEL) contour from traffic noise along Interstate 580, while the portion of the site nearest MacArthur Boulevard is in the 65 dBA CNEL contour the western boundary of the site in the 70 dBA CNEL contour from traffic noise along MacArthur Boulevard, as shown on Figure 4.10-1 of the General Plan EIR (City of San Leandro 2016b). A secondary source of noise in the area according to the General Plan EIR are stationary noise sources from commercial development along MacArthur Boulevard, such as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning equipment. Noise measurement ST-2 from the General Plan EIR recorded an ambient noise level of 69.8 dBA single steady A-weighted (noise) equivalent continuous noise level (Leq) in the project vicinity along MacArthur Boulevard. This is equivalent to approximately 76.5 dBA CNEL (Noisemeters 2019).3 This is above the 70 dBA CNEL threshold for multiple family residential development. However, standard construction of residential buildings provides a noise reduction of 20 to 25 dBA, which would ensure ambient noise within the proposed buildings is substantially lower than the 70 dBA CNEL threshold. Project operation would generate noise typical of residential developments and would be consistent with nearby residential, commercial, and office land uses. Project noise would primarily result from new motor vehicle trips to and from the project site and from on-site activities associated with the new residences, such as conversations, car door slams, and children playing. However, as analyzed in Section 16, Transportation, the proposed project would generate less overall traffic than is currently associated with the project site, and therefore, traffic noise would be lower than current levels assumed in the General Plan EIR. On-site activities would generate similar noise levels to those currently on site and in the surrounding neighborhood. Therefore, the project would not have an impact beyond that analyzed previously. Article 4-1-11 of the San Leandro Municipal Code includes limitations on the hours and days of operation for construction noise . Table 11 estimates construction noise at of 50 feet from the source. Although residences are adjacent to the project site, reference noise levels for construction equipment cannot be adapted with precision to much closer distances. As shown in Table 11, construction noise could reach as high as approximately 88 dBA Leq at the nearest noise-sensitive receptors during construction. 3 This was calculated assuming that the noise at this location is 69.8 dBA Leq for all hours of the day. This is a conservative calculation because noise is generally lower in night time hours than during daytime hours.