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Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) Impact Analysis and Screening Guidelines under SB 743 – City of Calimesa

Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) Analysis and Impact Guidelines under SB 743 for the City of Calimesa

Overview of SB 743 and CEQA Requirements

Senate Bill 743 (SB 743), enacted in 2013, marks a significant shift in how transportation impacts are assessed under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Traditionally, automobile delay and Level of Service (LOS) metrics were used as the primary means of evaluating traffic impacts for new development projects. However, SB 743 eliminates delay and LOS as the sole determinants for CEQA transportation impacts. Instead, the current CEQA guidelines, updated in December 2018, recommend using Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) as the more appropriate and modern metric.

VMT measures the total miles traveled by vehicles in relation to population and employment, serving as a proxy for greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, and overall transportation efficiency. While SB 743 requires VMT analysis for CEQA, it does not prohibit local jurisdictions from continuing to use LOS or delay metrics for other planning activities, such as general plans, traffic studies, or ongoing system performance monitoring.

The City of Calimesa’s guidelines provide a clear framework for implementing VMT analysis and determining thresholds of significance and mitigation for new development projects, helping ensure compliance with SB 743 and CEQA.

Analysis Methodology for VMT

For CEQA compliance and to evaluate transportation impacts, VMT analysis is conducted based on project-specific conditions and under the direction of the City Traffic Engineer. VMT is normalized by “service population,” which is the combined total of population plus employment within the project area. This normalization produces a VMT per service population rate, which functions as a transportation efficiency metric.

By comparing a project’s VMT rate to the citywide threshold, Calimesa can determine whether a project will cause a significant transportation impact. This approach enables consistent evaluation of diverse land use types by balancing both residential and employment contributions.

Project Screening Procedures

To efficiently focus resources and analysis efforts, the City of Calimesa employs a multi-step project screening process to determine which projects require detailed VMT analysis.

Step 1: Transit Priority Area (TPA) Screening

Projects located within designated Transit Priority Areas (TPAs) are generally presumed to have a less-than-significant transportation impact, given their proximity to major transit stops or high-frequency transit corridors. A TPA is defined as a half-mile radius around an existing major transit stop or a corridor served by frequent bus service (every 15 minutes or less during peak commute hours).

However, this presumption of no significant impact can be rebutted if the project:

  • Has a Floor Area Ratio (FAR) under 0.75, indicating lower density development;

  • Includes more parking than the jurisdiction’s minimum parking requirements, which can encourage additional vehicle use;

  • Is inconsistent with the regional Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS) goals, as determined by the City Traffic Engineer in coordination with the Metropolitan Planning Organization;

  • Replaces affordable housing units with fewer moderate- or high-income units, potentially increasing VMT by reducing affordable housing availability.

To verify if a project falls within a TPA, analysts should use the Western Riverside Council of Governments (WRCOG) VMT screening tool and consult with local transit providers to confirm current transit service levels.

Step 2: Low VMT Area Screening

Residential and office developments located in areas with inherently low VMT generation can also be presumed to have less-than-significant impacts, provided they align with existing land use patterns. The WRCOG’s travel forecasting model, RIVTAM, provides VMT estimates at the Traffic Analysis Zone (TAZ) level. TAZs represent geographic areas with similar travel behavior, used to measure daily VMT per service population.

This screening presumes the project will not significantly change travel behavior if it is consistent with existing land uses. Analysts compare the project’s baseline TAZ VMT to Calimesa’s General Plan Buildout VMT threshold of 37.3 VMT per service population. Analysts should use professional judgment to ensure the project’s characteristics do not substantially differ from existing conditions that might lead to higher VMT.

Step 3: Project Type Screening

Certain project types are considered inherently local-serving or small enough that their transportation impacts are presumed less than significant without further detailed analysis. These include:

  • Local-serving schools (K-12)

  • Parks and day care centers

  • Local-serving gas stations, banks, and non-destination hotels

  • Student housing and local-serving medical facilities

  • Community colleges consistent with regional transportation plans

  • Projects generating fewer than 110 daily vehicle trips (e.g., about 11 single-family homes, 16 multi-family units, 10,000 sq. ft. office, 15,000 sq. ft. light industrial, 63,000 sq. ft. warehouse)

  • Local-serving retail under 50,000 sq. ft., which tends to reduce overall travel by bringing services closer to residents

This screening leverages CEQA categorical exemptions and empirical trip generation data to efficiently allocate analysis efforts.

VMT Assessment for Non-Screened Projects

Projects that do not qualify for screening must undergo detailed VMT analysis using regional travel demand models such as RIVCOM (once available) or RIVTAM. The analysis involves modeling VMT for multiple scenarios to capture project impacts, including:

  • Baseline conditions: Existing land uses and travel behavior without the project.

  • Baseline plus project: Adding the proposed project land use to the baseline scenario to assess incremental VMT changes.

  • Cumulative no project: Future growth and development forecasted under the Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy without the project.

  • Cumulative plus project: The project included in the cumulative growth forecast, accounting for potential shifts in land use allocation.

The model outputs provide total VMT by trip type and VMT per service population, critical for assessing transportation, air quality, and greenhouse gas impacts.

Two key metrics are evaluated:

  1. Project-generated VMT per service population: Measures the amount of travel directly attributable to the project.

  2. Project effect on network-wide VMT: Assesses the project’s influence on broader regional travel patterns, by comparing VMT per service population for the entire city or subregion between with- and without-project scenarios.

CEQA VMT Impact Thresholds

The City of Calimesa applies thresholds consistent with regional guidelines to determine if a project’s VMT impact is significant:

  • A project is considered to have a significant project-generated VMT impact if either baseline or cumulative project-generated VMT per service population exceeds the Calimesa General Plan Buildout threshold.

  • A project’s effect on VMT is significant if cumulative link-level VMT per service population increases with the project compared to no-project conditions.

Projects consistent with the adopted Regional Transportation Plan and Sustainable Communities Strategy may be considered to have less-than-significant impacts unless there is other substantial evidence indicating otherwise.

VMT Mitigation Measures

If a project is determined to have a significant VMT impact, several mitigation options exist:

  1. Modify the project’s built environment: Increasing density, improving land use mix, or enhancing transit access to reduce vehicle travel.

  2. Implement Transportation Demand Management (TDM) strategies: Measures such as promoting carpooling, telecommuting, transit incentives, bike facilities, or parking management to lower VMT.

  3. Participate in VMT fee programs or mitigation banks: Where available, pay fees or contribute to regional mitigation funds that finance projects reducing VMT elsewhere.

The Western Riverside Council of Governments (WRCOG) has developed an evaluation of effective TDM strategies tailored for the region. These strategies include options such as improved transit service, parking management, and commuter programs. Their effectiveness varies, and the City recognizes that actual VMT reductions depend on user behavior and ongoing performance monitoring.

The City of Calimesa’s approach to VMT analysis under SB 743 reflects a comprehensive methodology that balances efficiency, local context, and compliance with statewide CEQA requirements. By using a tiered screening process, robust travel demand modeling, clear impact thresholds, and flexible mitigation options, Calimesa ensures that new developments contribute to a sustainable, low-VMT transportation network that supports climate goals and enhances quality of life.

 

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