Attachment 4 - Vehicle Miles Traveled AnalysisAugust 31, 2023
Carl Middleton
Northgate Gonzalez Real Estate
1201 N. Magnolia Avenue
Anaheim, CA 92801
e-mail: carl.middleton@northgatemarkets.com
LLG Reference: 2.22.4635.1
Subject: VMT Screening Assessment for the
proposed Starbucks with Drive-Through at Gonzalez Plaza
Anaheim, California
Dear Mr. Middleton:
Linscott, Law & Greenspan, Engineers (LLG) is pleased to submit this updated
Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) Screening Assessment for the proposed Starbucks
with drive-through (hereinafter referred to as “Project”) at Gonzalez Plaza, an
existing neighborhood shopping center located east of East Street, west of Briarwood
Street, and south of Romneya Drive, in the City of Anaheim. This assessment has been
prepared to address comments of City staff that were prepared as part of their 1st
Review and summarized in a comment letter dated June 6, 2023.
This letter summarizes the VMT screening results as now required per Senate Bill
743 (SB 743) and the City of Anaheim Traffic Impact Analysis Guidelines for
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Analysis, dated June 2020. We
understand that the VMT assessment will satisfy the City’s CEQA Traffic Analysis
Requirement, which is required as part of the entitlement/approval process for the
proposed Project.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND LOCATION
Gonzalez Plaza is an existing neighborhood shopping center with a total floor area of
26,460 SF that is anchored by Northgate Market and includes a variety of retail/
commercial and restaurant uses. The subject property is a 2.176±acre rectangular-
shaped parcel of land located east of East Street, west of Briarwood Street, and south of
Romneya Drive, and addressed at 1140 - 1190 N. East Street, in the City of Anaheim.
ATTACHMENT NO. 4
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August 31, 2023
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The existing shopping center has two full-access driveways located along East Street,
identified as Project Driveways No. 1 and No.2, as well as full access driveways on
Romneya Drive and Briarwood Street, referred to as Project Driveways No. 3 and No.
4, respectively. The existing parking supply at Gonzalez Plaza now totals 114 spaces.
Figure 1, located at the rear of this letter report, presents a Vicinity Map, which
illustrates the general location of Gonzales Plaza and the surrounding street system.
Figure 2 is an existing aerial photograph of the Project site within the existing
shopping center.
The Project will be located on a 0.71±acre parcel of land on the northern part of the
retail center that is currently developed with an existing 5,096 SF retail building,
occupied by Solo 98 Cent Store, and surface parking with 45 spaces. The proposed
Project includes demolition of the existing retail building and development of a new
1,200 SF coffee shop with drive-through and surface parking with 32 spaces to be
operated by Starbucks. Upon completion of the Project, Gonzalez Plaza is proposed to
have a total floor area of 22,564 SF and a parking supply of 103 spaces.
Figure 3 presents the proposed Project site plan that highlights the location of the
proposed Starbucks within the existing center. As shown on Figure 3, approximately
18 vehicles can be accommodated within the entry drive-through lane, consisting of
11 vehicles before reaching the order/menu board, and 7 vehicles between the
order/menu board and the pick-up window.
Primary access to the Project site will continue to be provided via the existing
driveways on East Street, with secondary access provided via the existing driveway on
Briarwood Street; the existing driveway on Romneya Drive will be closed with the
development of the Project.
VEHICLE MILES TRAVELLED (VMT) ASSESSMENT
SB743 COMPLIANCE VMT ASSESSMENT
The purpose of this Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) analysis is to evaluate the Project
based on Senate Bill 743 (SB 743) requirements consistent with the Technical
Advisory on Evaluating Transportation Impacts In California Environmental Quality
Act (CEQA), December 2018, prepared by the State of California Governor’s Office
of Planning and Research (OPR). The OPR Technical Advisory provides project
screening criteria and guidance for analysis of VMT assessments under SB 743. With
the adopted guidelines, transportation impacts are to be evaluated based on a project’s
effect on vehicle miles traveled. Lead agencies are allowed to continue using their
current impact criteria, or to opt into the revised transportation guidelines. However,
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the new guidelines must be used starting July 1, 2020, as required in CEQA section
15064.3.
The City of Anaheim has adopted criteria for evaluating VMT impacts under CEQA.
The City of Anaheim Traffic Impact Analysis Guidelines for California
Environmental Quality Act Analysis dated June 2020 identifies screening
requirements that if met would allow the Project to screen out from requiring a
project-level assessment.
VMT SCREENING ASSESSMENT
Transit Priority Area (TPA) Screening
For the VMT screening analysis, the presumption of less than significant impact near
Transit Stations was applied to the proposed Project. Proposed CEQA Guideline
Section 5064.3, subdivision (b), states that “generally, [land use] projects within one-
half mile of either an existing major transit stop or an existing high-quality transit
corridor should be presumed to cause a less than significant transportation impact”. A
high-quality transit corridor is defined as a corridor with fixed route bus service with
service intervals no longer than 15 minutes during peak commute hours. Review of
the Anaheim Transit Priority Areas (TPAs) Map, as illustrated in Attachment A of the
City of Anaheim Traffic Impact Analysis Guidelines for California Environmental
Quality Act Analysis dated June 2020, shows that the project site as falling within
TPA. Although the proposed Project is located within half a mile of an existing high-
quality transit corridor, the Project does not have a total Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of
greater than 0.75, and thus cannot be screened out based on the TPA screening
criteria.
Project Type Screening
Project type screening was applied to the proposed Project. The Anaheim VMT
guidelines identify that retail uses, inclusive of restaurant uses, with less than 50,000
SF could be presumed to be local serving and could be deemed to have less than
significant impact due to their local serving nature.
As stated above, the proposed Project consists of a restaurant pad with drive-through
totaling 1,200 SF which is less than the 50,000 SF threshold for “local-serving”
projects. Therefore, the Project can be screened from further VMT analysis and can
be presumed to have a less than significant impact on VMT.
Northgate Gonzalez Real Estate
August 31, 2023
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CONCLUSIONS
Based on the information above, the proposed Project would screen out from a VMT
assessment as a result of the “local-serving” screening criteria as published in the City
of Anaheim Traffic Impact Analysis Guidelines for California Environmental Quality
Act Analysis dated June 2020. Therefore, the Project’s VMT impacts are presumed to
be less than significant.
* * * * * * * * * *
We appreciate the opportunity to prepare this letter for the Gonzalez Plaza site in
Anaheim. Should you have any questions or need additional assistance, please do not
hesitate to call us at (949) 825-6175.
Sincerely,
Linscott, Law & Greenspan, Engineers
Richard E. Barretto, P.E.
Principal
cc. Shane S. Green, P.E., Senior Transportation Engineer
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