REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
September 25, 2014
FROM: SCOTT L. MOZIER, PE, City Engineer/Director
Public Works Department, Engineering Division
JENNIFER CLARK, AICP, Director
Development and Resource Management Division
THROUGH: MIKE SANCHEZ, Assistant Director
Development Services Division
BY: LAUREN FILICE, Planner III
Development Services Division
SUBJECT
Title
HEARING to consider of Official Plan Line Modification and related Environmental Assessment No. EA-14-018, for W. McKinley Avenue from N. Blythe to N. Marks Avenues
1. Consider the Finding of Conformity to the 2025 Fresno General Plan Master Environmental Impact Report (MEIR) No. 10130 and Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) No. A-09-02, which was prepared for Environmental Assessment (EA) No. EA-14-018.
2. BILL - (For introduction and adoption) - Approving the map entitled Official Plan Line for W. McKinley Avenue from N. Blythe Avenue to 265 feet east of N. Marks Avenue, being a precise section of the Major Street and Highway Plan of the City of Fresno.
Body
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council take the following action:
3. ADOPT a Finding of Conformity to the 2025 Fresno General Plan Master Environmental Impact Report (MEIR) No. 10130 and Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) No. A-09-02, which was prepared for Environmental Assessment (EA) No. EA-14-018.
4. ADOPT BILL approving the map entitled Official Plan Line for West McKinley Avenue from North Blythe Avenue to 265 feet east of North Marks Avenue, being a precise section of the Major Street and Highway Plan of the City of Fresno.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City of Fresno Public Works Department, Traffic and Engineering Services Division, has filed Official Plan Line (OPL) modification and EA Application No. EA-14-018 for the West McKinley Avenue alignment from North Blythe Avenue to approximately 265 feet east of North Marks Avenue.
The subject planned major street alignment segment is located within the boundaries of the 2025 Fresno General Plan Sphere of Influence. The 2025 Fresno General Plan designates this segment of West McKinley Avenue as an Arterial Street, and the proposed OPL modification is solely for the purpose of clarifying the existing plan line identified in the City of Fresno's 2025 General Plan. No improvements are proposed at this time. The street will be improved incrementally as adjacent properties develop. The OPL is being proposed to establish a narrower cross-section for the West McKinley Avenue right-of-way to accommodate existing development of the adjacent surrounding properties.
The proposed OPL facilitates implementation of the designated street classification system in accordance with adopted engineering design standards and the 2025 Fresno General Plan Land Use and Circulation Map and Transportation (Streets and Highways) Element map.
BACKGROUND
The City of Fresno Public Works Department, Traffic and Engineering Services Division, has filed EA Application No. EA-14-018 for an OPL modification for the West McKinley Avenue alignment from North Blythe Avenue to approximately 265 feet east of North Marks Avenue. The proposed OPL modification is solely for the purpose of clarifying the existing plan line identified in the City of Fresno's 2025 General Plan. No improvements are proposed at this time. The street will be improved incrementally as adjacent properties develop. The OPL modification is being proposed to establish a narrower cross-section for the West McKinley Avenue right-of-way to accommodate existing development of the adjacent surrounding properties.
The current McKinley alignment is a developed two-lane road with a single traffic lane in each direction, having no center turn lanes, bike lanes or sidewalks. Adjacent properties range between 0.18 to 20 acres, some developed with rural residential uses, while others are undeveloped land. The adjacent area is currently within the County of Fresno and the sphere of influence of the City of Fresno as identified in the 2025 General Plan. Along the West McKinley alignment, planned uses to the north are predominantly rural and residential on properties within both City and County jurisdictions, a mix that contains City properties of low to medium residential density and County areas at low density, with a school located to the east of Brawley Avenue. On the south side of the McKinley alignment, traversing easterly from North Blythe Avenue to North Brawley Avenue lie City properties having medium-low residential planned uses, easterly to North Feland are County rural residential uses which transition to City medium-low residential uses, and finally medium high residential uses at North Marks.
General Plan and West Area Community Plan Consistency
The proposed alignment is consistent with the City of Fresno's 2025 General Plan and the West Area Community Plan which designate this segment of West McKinley Avenue as an arterial. An arterial is defined as a four- to six- lane divided roadway primarily to move traffic from community plan areas, expressways, and freeways, with limited direct access to abutting property. In addition to major street intersections, appropriately designed and spaced local street intersections may allow left-turn movements to and from arterials. The 2025 Fresno General Plan indicates that this segment of West McKinley Avenue is planned to accommodate four travel lanes (two directions) and will be a divided roadway with left-turn pockets. Modified arterial standards to reduce the current standard right-of-way widths are being proposed from North Brawley Avenue to North Marks Avenue to reduce impacts to the existing residential properties. The approved geometrics reduce the street right-of-way widths to 98 feet between North Brawley Avenue and North Valentine Avenue and are designed to accommodate two lanes of travel each direction, a continuous left turn lane in the center, and parking and bike lanes on both sides of the streets. Street right-of-way widths were further reduced to 94 feet between North Feland Avenue and North Marks Avenue and will accommodate two lanes of travel in each direction, a continuous left turn lane in the center, and bike lanes on both sides of the street. Therefore, the street classification will remain as an arterial, the number of lanes will remain the same, and the alignment will not be moved from that which is currently in place.
The objectives and policies of the 2025 Fresno General Plan also stipulate that the City of Fresno shall coordinate construction of facilities (particularly with respect to irrigation improvements) and the provision of recreation facilities and services (such as multi-purpose trails) with other public and private agencies (such as the Fresno Irrigation District), in order to seek the greatest public benefit at the least public cost. While no roadway construction is proposed at this time, the City regularly coordinates construction with other related public agencies on infrastructure improvements and will do so when improvements are constructed.
The surrounding area is planned and in some cases developed with residential, rural residential and some commercial land uses, with some parcels being vacant. The proposed project will allow the subject segment of West McKinley Avenue to conform with the planned major street designation of an arterial as designated in the West Area Community Plan and the 2025 Fresno General Plan, with a narrower cross-section to reduce impact to adjacent developed properties.
Circulation Element Plan Policies and Major Street System Traffic Capacity
The proposal is a modification of the West McKinley OPL and related environmental determination to re-align the section of the West McKinley Avenue OPL located between North Blythe Avenue to approximately 265 feet east of North Marks Avenue. A traffic study for the proposed realignment was not required, as there are no major changes to the alignment or road classification as an arterial. The proposed OPL modification is solely for the purpose of clarifying the existing plan line identified in the City of Fresno's 2025 General Plan. No improvements are proposed at this time. The OPL modification is being proposed to establish a guideline for the West McKinley Avenue right-of-way to allow for future development of the adjacent surrounding properties. The proposed alignment is consistent with the City of Fresno's 2025 General Plan and the West Area Community Plan as a designated 4-lane arterial street. The street classification will remain as an arterial, the number of lanes will remain the same, and the alignment will not be moved from that which is currently developed. Modified arterial standards to reduce the current standard right-of-way widths are being proposed from North Brawley Avenue to North Marks Avenue to reduce impacts to the existing residential properties. The approved geometrics reduce the street right-of-way widths to 98 feet between North Brawley Avenue and North Valentine Avenue and are designed to accommodate two lanes of travel each direction, a continuous left turn lane in the center, and parking and bike lanes on both sides of the streets. Street right-of-way widths were further reduced to 94 feet between North Feland Avenue and North Marks Avenue and will accommodate two lanes of travel in each direction, a continuous left turn lane in the center, and bike lanes on both sides of the street.
Therefore it is staff's opinion that the proposed project is consistent with the 2025 Fresno General Plan objectives and policies.
The OPL modification is the product of careful planning that projects traffic capacity needs based on the densities and intensities of planned land uses anticipated at build-out of the planned area. The proposed street will provide adequate access to, and recognize the traffic generating characteristics of, individual properties and, at the same time, afford the community an adequate and efficient circulation system.
Bordering Property Information
|
Planned Land Use |
Existing Zoning |
Existing Land Use |
North |
County Rural Residential |
County R-R (Rural Residential) |
Residential Multi-Family Vacant Residential Vacant |
South |
Arterial (North Marks Avenue) |
N/A |
Arterial (North Marks Avenue) |
East |
City - County - Rural Residential |
AE-5 (5 acre Agricultural Exclusive) R-2 (Low Density Multi-Family Residential) County R-R (Rural Residential) |
City / Residential County / Mobile Home Park Vacant Nursery Business County Residential |
West |
Arterial (North Brawley Avenue) |
N/A |
Arterial (North Brawley Avenue) |
Public Services
No sewer, water, or solid waste services, provided by the Public Utilities Department, are required at this time. City police and fire protection services are also available to serve the proposed project vicinity. The proposed roadway alignment will facilitate the eventual re-construction of an arterial road that will allow a greater level of police and fire service to developed parcels within the project area.
Fresno Irrigation District's (FID) has no facilities in the project area. However, the project will be subject to the water supply system mitigation measures identified in MEIR No. 10130 prepared for the 2025 Fresno General Plan and the Mitigation Monitoring Checklist for the Master Environmental Impact Report (MEIR) No. 10130 for the 2025 Fresno General Plan (SCH#2001071097) and Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) No. A-09-02 (SCH#2009051016). The City of Fresno and the FID will coordinate to ensure that a significant impact to water supply in the area will not occur.
Neighborhood Meeting and Public Notice
Department of Public Works staff coordinated and conducted a neighborhood meeting on May 29, 2014. Approximately 11 people attended, and staff answered questions. While area property owners did have questions regarding the OPL, there has been no written opposition from adjacent property owners received to date. Staff emphasized that there was no immediate capital project to improve the roadway. All property owners attending the meeting and those whose property is located within 500 feet of the proposed OPL were noticed for this public hearing.
Planning Commission
During the public hearing held at the August 20, 2014 Planning Commission meeting, no adjacent property owners addressed the Planning Commission with logistical questions nor did any property owners speak in opposition. The Planning Commission recommended adoption of the environmental finding and approval of the OPL by a 5-0 vote.
Conclusion
The appropriateness of the proposed project has been examined with respect to its consistency with goals and policies of the 2025 Fresno General Plan and the West Area Community Plan; its compatibility with surrounding existing or proposed uses; and its avoidance or mitigation of potentially significant adverse environmental impacts. These factors have been evaluated as described above and by the accompanying EA. Upon consideration of this evaluation, it can be concluded that the West McKinley OPL modification and related EA Application No. EA-14-018 is appropriate for the project site.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
An environmental assessment initial study was prepared for this project in accordance with the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines. This process included the distribution of requests for comment from other responsible or affected agencies and interested organizations.
Preparation of the EA necessitated a thorough review of the proposed project and relevant environmental issues and considered previously prepared environmental and technical studies pertinent to the project area, including the MEIR No. 10130 for the 2025 Fresno General Plan (SCH#2001071097) and MND No. A-09-02 (SCH#2009051016). These environmental and technical studies have examined traffic carrying capacity of the planned major street system; projected sewage generation rates of planned urban uses, the capacity of existing sanitary sewer collection and treatment facilities, and optimum alternatives for increasing capacities; groundwater aquifer resource conditions; water supply production and distribution system capacities; and, student generation projections and school facility site location identification.
The proposed modification of the adopted OPL for East McKinley Avenue has been determined to be within the scope of MEIR No. 10130 as provided by the CEQA, as codified in the Public Resources Code (PRC) Section 21157.1(d) and the CEQA Guidelines Section 15177(c). It has been further determined that all applicable mitigation measures of MEIR No. 10130 and MND No. A-09-02 have been applied to the project to assure that the project will not cause significant adverse cumulative impacts, growth inducing impacts and irreversible significant effects beyond those identified by MEIR No. 10130 or MND No. A-09-02 as provided by CEQA Section 15178(a). In addition, pursuant to Public Resources Code, Section 21157.6(b)(1), staff has determined that no substantial changes have occurred with respect to the circumstances under which the MEIR was certified and that no new information, which was not known and could not have been known at the time that the MEIR was certified as complete, has become available. Therefore, it has been determined based upon the evidence in the record that the project will not have a significant impact on the environment and that the filing of a Finding of Conformity with MEIR No. 10130 and MND No. A-09-02 is appropriate in accordance with the provisions of CEQA Section 21157.5(a)(2) and CEQA Guidelines Section 15178(b)(1) and (2).
Based upon the attached EA and the list of identified mitigation measures, staff has determined that there is no evidence in the record that the project may have a significant effect on the environment and has prepared a draft finding of conformity for this project. A public notice of the attached Finding of Conformity with MEIR No. 10130 and MND No. A-09-02 for EA Application No. EA-14-018 was published on July 18, 2014 with no comments or appeals received to date.
Therefore, the project proposal has been determined to be within the scope of the MEIR and MND as defined by Section 15177 of the CEQA Guidelines and staff has properly published a Finding of Conformity to MEIR No. 10130 dated July 18, 2014, with no comments received to date.
LOCAL PREFERENCE
Not Applicable - Since this a Plan Amendment and an OPL modification and not a bidding situation, local preference does not apply
FISCAL IMPACT
Affirmative action by the Council will result in timely deliverance of the review and processing of the application as is reasonably expected by the applicant/customer. Prudent financial management is demonstrated by the expeditious completion of this land use application inasmuch as the applicant/customer has paid to the City a fee for the processing of this application and that fee is, in turn, funding the respective operations of the Development and Resource Management Department.
Attachments:
A Vicinity Map
B 2008 Aerial Photograph
C Public Hearing Notice Mailing List Vicinity Map
D 2025 Fresno General Plan Planned Land Use Map
E 2025 Fresno General Plan Transportation Element Map
F Official Plan Lines for West McKinley Avenue
G Environmental Assessment No. EA-14-018, Finding of Conformity
H Resolution
I Ordinance Bill