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CEQA Transportation Assessment Guidelines for the City of Seal Beach

CEQA Transportation Assessment Guidelines

Under California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) standards, transportation assessments are required for environmental documentation per Resources Code Section 21099, which mandates criteria promoting reduced greenhouse gas emissions, multimodal transportation networks, and diverse land use. Seal Beach has outlined a framework to analyze and mitigate potential transportation impacts, in compliance with Title 14, Natural Resources, Division 6, California Resources Agency, Chapter 3, which governs CEQA implementation.

Transition to Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) Analysis

Starting July 1, 2020, CEQA shifted from evaluating automobile delay (Level of Service) to a vehicle miles traveled (VMT) metric, following Senate Bill (SB) 743. This redefines transportation impact significance criteria to better align with statewide sustainability and climate goals. CEQA Guidelines section 15064.3 endorses VMT as a standard, aiming to move away from traffic condition analyses and promote efficiency-based metrics for environmental assessments. Appendix G of CEQA’s Environmental Checklist covers key considerations, asking whether a project could:

  • Conflict with transit, roadway, bicycle, or pedestrian system plans,
  • Contradict CEQA’s transportation assessment criteria,
  • Increase hazards due to poor design or incompatible uses, or
  • Lead to inadequate emergency access.

CEQA Transportation Assessment Necessity and Outcomes

All CEQA-reviewed projects require a transportation assessment, with possible outcomes based on screening criteria:

  1. Screened from Further Analysis: Presumed less than significant, meeting set screening thresholds.
  2. Less than Significant: Assessed and determined as not posing significant impacts.
  3. Less than Significant with Mitigation: Assessed as potentially significant, with impacts reduced by feasible mitigation measures.
  4. Statement of Overriding Considerations: Assessed as significant with feasible mitigations applied but still significant, requiring a formal statement.

CEQA Transportation Assessment Structure

Seal Beach assesses transportation impacts through an efficiency-based VMT metric, primarily focusing on light vehicle travel by residents and employees. The Orange County Transportation Analysis Model (OCTAM), a submodel of SCAG’s travel demand model, serves as the primary tool for VMT calculation. VMT impacts are typically assessed by comparing per-capita and per-employee VMT in project zones to citywide averages.

Large projects, as directed by the City Engineer, may require updated model scenarios to ensure alignment with current CEQA baselines. Both baseline and cumulative forecasts stem from the OCTAM model, which is periodically updated alongside SCAG’s broader model.

Screening Criteria

SB 743’s intent to support California’s GHG goals allows certain projects to be presumed as less than significant, minimizing the need for comprehensive technical analysis. These criteria include:

  • Small Projects: Generating fewer than 250 daily vehicle trips, based on ITE standards, may be deemed less significant if trip reduction or shorter trips align with VMT reduction goals.
  • Transit Priority Areas: Although Seal Beach currently lacks Transit Priority Areas (TPAs), any future projects within defined TPAs could also be presumed less significant.
  • Local Retail Projects: Local-serving retail projects (under 50,000 sq. ft.) generally reduce VMT by improving access to retail within urban fabric, while regional-serving retail may require further assessment.
  • Affordable Housing: Projects providing 100% affordable housing in infill areas typically improve job-housing balance, decreasing VMT.
  • Community-Serving Facilities: Schools, parks, and similar local-use facilities are also presumed less significant.
  • Transportation Projects: Projects enhancing multimodal transport (e.g., bike lanes, signal improvements) are presumed to have less than significant impacts.

Analysis Methodology

Projects failing to meet screening criteria undergo a detailed CEQA Transportation Assessment, using OCTAM or a similar City-approved model to determine project-specific VMT. The analysis differentiates between residential (home-based VMT per capita) and employment (VMT per employee) metrics, adjusted for trip purpose and type within the project’s Traffic Analysis Zone (TAZ).

Thresholds of Significance

A project is considered significant if VMT per capita or per employee exceeds the City’s average baseline. For transportation projects, a significant impact arises from an increase in total citywide VMT.

Mitigation Measures

Projects with significant transportation impacts must submit a mitigation plan, detailing strategies such as onsite transportation infrastructure, transportation demand management (TDM), or offsite improvements for multimodal accessibility. The City Engineer will review and finalize any mitigation plans to ensure compliance and effectiveness in reducing transportation impacts.

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