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SAN LEANDRO SHORELINE DEVELOPMENT EIR ADDENDUM PROJECT <br />CITY OF SAN LEANDRO <br /> <br />May 2022 Page 67 <br />Comments: <br />WILD-a, b, c, d. <br /> <br />The Original Project EIR was completed in 2015, before assessment of wildfire risk was required as part of <br />all project EIRs. The First Addendum evaluated the Modified Project based on the thresholds of <br />significance outlined in the most recent CEQA guidelines. <br /> <br />The State of California’s Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) ranks areas within all <br />“state-responsibility zones”—unincorporated areas in California for which the State is responsible for fire <br />protection—by moderate, severe, and very severe fire hazard risk. This ranking system is based on fuels <br />(vegetation type and densities), terrain (fires spread faster over steeper topography), weather (e.g., wind <br />and precipitation), and other relevant factors. Areas in State Responsibility Zones tend to be at higher risk <br />for wildfire since they are most often in areas with wildland-urban interface—areas on the fringes of <br />urban development containing significant development (e.g., houses) adjacent to wild vegetation. These <br />areas often have higher winds than urban areas due to the lack of nearby tall buildings, as well as steeper <br />topography, which both contribute to increased fire hazard risk. <br /> <br />The most recent (2022) CEQA Guidelines state that the project must be evaluated using the criteria a,b,c <br />and d in the above table “If (the project is) located in or near state responsibility areas or lands classified <br />as very high fire hazard severity zones." As stated in the Original Project EIR, the project site lies along the <br />eastern margin of San Francisco Bay on the low-lying coastal plain and adjacent filled portions of the bay. <br />The Project site is surrounded by urbanized San Leandro to the east and the San Francisco Bay to the <br />west. Areas of high or very high fire risk in San Leandro are confined to the City’s eastern hillsides on the <br />City’s easternmost edge, approximately 3.5 miles east of the project site, which is located on San <br />Leandro’s westernmost edge adjacent to the Bay. The Modified Project site is far from any Wildland- <br />Urban Interface zones or fire hazard severity zones that are “high” or “very high” in or near San Leandro. <br />This is true of both the Approved Project and the Modified Project, which does not change the <br />boundaries or location of the Project site. Therefore, the Modified Project is determined to have no <br />impact in terms of Wildfire risk. <br />