RES-2020-075 RESOLUTION NO. 2 0 2 0—0 7 5
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
ANAHEIM ADOPTING VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED
THRESHOLDS OF SIGNIFICANCE FOR PURPOSES OF
ANALYZING TRANSPORTATION IMPACTS UNDER THE
CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT
(DEV2020-00082)
(MIS2020-00732)
WHEREAS, the California Environmental Quality Act ("CEQA") and the California
Environmental Quality Act Guidelines ("CEQA Guidelines") encourage public agencies to
develop and publish generally applicable"thresholds of significance"to be used in determining
the significance of a project's environmental effects; and
WHEREAS, CEQA Guidelines section 15064.7(a) defines a threshold of significance
as "an identifiable quantitative, qualitative or performance level of a particular environmental
effect, noncompliance with which means the effect will normally be determined to be
significant by the agency and compliance with which means the effect normally will be
determined to be less than significant"; and
WHEREAS, CEQA Guidelines section 15064.7(b) requires that thresholds of
significance used as part of the environmental review process must be adopted by ordinance,
resolution, rule, or regulations, developed through a public review process, and be supported
by substantial evidence; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15064.7(c), when adopting
thresholds of significance, a public agency may consider thresholds of significance adopted or
recommended by other public agencies provided that the decision of the agency is supported
by substantial evidence; and
WHEREAS, Senate Bill 743, enacted in 2013 and codified in Public Resources Code
section 21099, mandated changes to the CEQA Guidelines regarding the criteria for
determining the significance of transportation impacts of projects; and
WHEREAS, in 2018, the Governor's Office of Planning and Research ("OPR")
proposed, and the California Natural Resources Agency certified and adopted, new CEQA
Guidelines section 15064.3 that identifies vehicle miles traveled ("VMT") — meaning the
amount and distance of automobile travel attributable to a project — as the most appropriate
metric to evaluate a project's transportation impacts; and
WHEREAS, as a result, automobile delay, as measured by "level of service" ("LOS")
and other similar metrics, will generally no longer constitute a significant environmental effect
under CEQA; and
WHEREAS, CEQA Guidelines section 15064.3 requires agencies to stop treating
automobile delay/LOS as an environmental impact effective on July 1, 2020, though public
agencies may elect to be governed by this section immediately; and
WHEREAS,City staff, in consultation with Fehr and Peers,has prepared Traffic Impact
Analysis (TIA) Guidelines for CEQA Analysis ("TIA Guidelines")to outline the specific steps
for complying with CEQA requirements for VMT analysis, which guidelines are on file with
the Public Works Department; and
WHEREAS, the TIA Guidelines include proposed VMT Thresholds of Significance,
which staff is recommending for approval by City Council Resolution; and
WHEREAS, the City Council does find and determine that the approval of the TIA
Guidelines and VMT Thresholds of Significance is exempt from the requirements to prepare
additional environmental documentation per CEQA Guidelines Section 15060(c)(3) because
this approval is not a project as defined in CEQA Guidelines Section 15378; and, even if it
were determined to be a project, it is categorically exempt from CEQA per CEQA Guidelines,
Section 15308, Class 8 (Actions by Regulatory Agencies for the Protection of the
Environment).
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that this City Council, adopts the following VMT
Thresholds of Significance for purposes of analyzing transportation impacts under CEQA,:
1. A project would result in a significant project-generated VMT impact if the baseline
project-generated or cumulative VMT per service population exceeds 15% below the
County of Orange baseline VMT per service population
2. The project's effect on VMT would be considered significant if the baseline or
cumulative link-level boundary Citywide VMT per service population increases under
the plus project condition compared to the no project condition
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City Council authorizes and directs City staff to file
with the Clerk of the County of Orange a Notice of Exemption in accordance with Section
15062(c)(2) of the CEQA Guidelines.
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THE FOREGOING RESOLUTION was adopted by the City Council of the City of Anaheim
this 23 day of June , 2020, by the following roll call vote:
AYES: Mayor Sidhu and Council Members Faessel, Barnes, Brandman,
Moreno, Kring, and O'Neil
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
ABSTAIN: None
CITY OF ANAHEIM
IA : i I 1L
1fV1' SR OF 'HE C# Y OF ANAHEIM
ATTEST: 1✓
CITY CLE OF THE CITY OF ANAHEIM
137950
CLERK'S CERTIFICATE
STATE OF CALIFORNIA )
COUNTY OF ORANGE ) ss.
CITY OF ANAHEIM )
I, THERESA BASS, City Clerk of the City of Anaheim, do hereby certify that the foregoing is the
original Resolution No. 2020-075 adopted at a regular meeting provided by law, of the Anaheim
City Council held on the 23rd day of June, 2020 by the following vote of the members thereof:
AYES: Mayor Sidhu and Council Members Faessel, Barnes, Brandman, Moreno,
Kring and O'Neil
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
ABSTAIN: None
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 30th day of June, 2020.
CITY CLE'K OF THE CITY OF ANAHEIM
(SEAL)