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This memorandum provides a status report on the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) streamlining efforts for Downtown projects, responding to directives from the Mayor's March 2024 Budget Message and the August 2024 Rules and Open Government Committee. It outlines the background of CEQA, the measures implemented by the Planning, Building, and Code Enforcement (PBCE) to reduce review times for private development projects, and the ongoing challenges faced by applicants. The report discusses the Downtown Strategy 2040 and its associated Environmental Impact Report (DTS 2040 FEIR), which facilitates CEQA streamlining by allowing certain projects to qualify for expedited review processes. The memorandum also highlights the need for further improvements and stakeholder engagement to enhance the CEQA process.
Key points
The memorandum addresses CEQA streamlining for Downtown projects.
It responds to the Mayor's March 2024 Budget Message and the August 2024 Rules and Open Government Committee direction.
CEQA requires public agencies to disclose environmental impacts and identify mitigation measures.
PBCE has implemented measures over nine years to streamline CEQA for development projects.
The Downtown Strategy 2040 and DTS 2040 FEIR provide significant CEQA streamlining benefits.
The report indicates ongoing dissatisfaction from applicants regarding the CEQA process.
Limitations
The text appears to be truncated, missing sections of the memorandum.
Specific dates and details regarding the Mayor's directives and committee actions are not fully provided.
Unresolved placeholders and blank fields affect the completeness of the summary.
Generated for convenience from extracted text using AI. Review the official source document before relying on this summary.
Extracted text preview · 55,482 chars
COMMITTEE AGENDA: ITEM: TO: COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE SUBJECT: See Below Approved 2/24/25 (d)4 FROM: Chris Burton DATE: February 10, 2025 Date: 2/14/25 SUBJECT: California Environmental Quality Act Streamlining for Downtown Projects Status Report RECOMMENDATION Accept a presentation to the Community and Economic Development Committee that includes: 1) Direction from the Mayor’s March 2024 Budget Message and included in the 2024-2025 Adopted Operating Budget, “Streamlining for Downtown Projects;” and 2) Direction from the August 14, 2024, Rules and Open Government Committee, “Development Process and CEQA Improvements.” BACKGROUND CEQA requires public agencies to disclose the environmental impacts of projects and identify mitigation measures to reduce impacts. All discretionary projects, including private development projects that require a public hearing, are subject to CEQA. Most private development projects qualify for an exemption and don’t require extensive analysis. However, some types of development projects may require technical studies to determine if a project is exempt or to identify impacts and mitigation. These studies can take multiple months to...
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Attachment A provides a list of downtown projects since the adoption of the Downtown Strategy 2040 EIR, including supplemental EIRs and addendums. It includes project file numbers, names, types of environmental documents, start and approval dates, and average review times and hours for various projects.
Key points
Includes projects from 2018 onwards related to the Downtown Strategy 2040 EIR.
Lists supplemental EIRs and addendums with corresponding project file numbers.
Provides project names and types of environmental documents for each project.
Contains start and approval dates for each project.
Includes average review times and environmental review hours.
Limitations
Some sections contain unresolved placeholders or insufficient data.
Specific dollar amounts, votes, or outcomes are not provided.
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Extracted text preview · 4,109 chars
Attachment A: Downtown Projects Since 2018 Downtown Strategy 2040 EIR Adoption Supplemental EIRs to Downtown Strategy 2040 EIR Project File No. SP21-044, HP21-001, ER22-249 H18-038 H19-033 H20-038, ER20-243 H19-016 H20-037, ER20-272 H20-004/GP19-008 SP20-021/ER20-127 SP20-005/ER20-144 H19-053/ER20-022 SP21-031/ER21-134/T21-033 H21-026/ER21-085 H21-012/ER21-026 H17-004/ER20-262 SP18-001/T18-001 H16-042/HP17-003 Project Name 19 N. Second St Mixed-Use Project Almaden Corner Hotel Project Sobrato Block 8 Office Bo-Town Mixed-Use Project CityView Plaza Energy Hub/Fountain Alley Mixed-Use - Westbank Woz Way Office Project (KT Urban) The Mark (Urban Catalyst) Boston Properties - Woz Way Marriott Townhome Suites West San Carlos The Icon/Echo (Urban Catalyst) 4th Street Pizza (SuZaCo) Valley Title (Westbank) 439 and 451 S. 4th Street/Metro Station (Caruso) Garden Gate Tower Tribute Hotel Type of Env Document SEIR SEIR SEIR SEIR SEIR SEIR SEIR SEIR SEIR SEIR SEIR SEIR SEIR SEIR SEIR SEIR Supplemental EIR Summary Average Review Time (months): Average Environmental Review Hours: Start Date 11/25/2020 8/28/2018 7/23/2019 12/2/2020 4/19/2019 12/1/2020 10/2/2019 6/18/2020 7/6/2020 2/4/2020...
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Attachment B outlines the CEQA review process, detailing various types of CEQA documents and their requirements. It describes the criteria for determining if an action is a project under CEQA, if it is exempt, or if it requires an Initial Study or Environmental Impact Report. The document categorizes CEQA clearances into several types, including Categorical Exemption, Determination of Consistency, Addendum, Negative Declaration, and Environmental Impact Report, each with specific definitions, public comment periods, and scopes of analysis.
Key points
Defines whether an action is a project under CEQA.
Describes exemptions from CEQA review.
Lists types of CEQA documents: Categorical Exemption, Determination of Consistency, Addendum, Negative Declaration, Environmental Impact Report.
Specifies public comment periods for various CEQA documents.
Outlines the scope of analysis required for each type of CEQA clearance.
Limitations
The text does not provide specific dates, votes, dollar amounts, or outcomes.
There are unresolved placeholders in the text that affect the completeness of the summary.
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Extracted text preview · 4,220 chars
Attachment B: CEQA Review Process Is action a project under CEQA? Is project exempt from CEQA? Is project part of a larger project/plan with CEQA clearance? Initial Study or Environmental Impact Report Required Type of document depends on impacts. Not a Project No CEOA analysis required. Includes non- discretionary actions. Does not apply to Planning applications for private development except for ministerial projects. Exempt (Statutory or Categorical) Can be a Statutory Exemption (State Legislature deems exempt) or Categorical Exemption (meets criteria for exemption in CEQA Guidelines). Addendum or Determination of Consistency (DOC) to Adopted MND,ND, or EIR if project is consistent with or results in minor changes to a previously adopted MND, ND, or EIR, the project could qualify for an Addendum or Determination of Consistency with the previously approved document. Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) or Negative Declaration (ND) includes preparation of in Initial Study and 20 — 30-day public review period. Environmental Impact Report (EIR) Includes Notice of Preparation with 30-day comment period and 45-day minimum public review period. Required of impacts cannot be mitigated...
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Attachment C outlines common types of CEQA exemptions for private development in San José, detailing various categories such as Existing Facilities, Replacement or Reconstruction, New Construction or Conversion of Small Structures, Minor Alterations to Land, Accessory Structures, Minor Land Division, and In-Fill Development Projects. Each category includes specific examples and conditions under which exemptions apply.
Key points
Existing Facilities (15301) includes operation, repair, maintenance, and minor alterations of existing structures.
Replacement or Reconstruction (15302) allows for new structures on the same site with similar purpose and capacity.
New Construction or Conversion of Small Structures (15303) permits limited new small facilities and minor modifications.
Minor Alterations to Land (15304) involves minor changes to land and vegetation without removing healthy trees.
Accessory Structures (15311) covers minor structures related to existing facilities.
Minor Land Division (15315) allows division of property into four or fewer parcels under specific conditions.
In-Fill Development Projects (15332) must meet general plan and zoning requirements and not significantly impact the environment.
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Extracted text preview · 5,255 chars
Attachment C: Common Types of CEQA Exemptions for Private Development in San José Exemption and CEQA Guidelines Section Existing Facilities (15301) 1 Examples Operation, repair, maintenance, permitting, leasing, licensing, or minor alteration of existing public or private structures, facilities, mechanical equipment, or topographical features, involving negligible or no expansion of existing or former use. • Restoration or rehabilitation of deteriorated or damaged structures. • Additions to existing structures provided that the addition will not result in an increase of more than: (1) 50 percent of the floor area of the structures before the addition, or 2,500 square feet, whichever is less; or (2) 10,000 square feet if: (A) The project is in an area where all public services and facilities are available to allow for maximum development permissible in the General Plan and (B) The area in which the project is located is not environmentally sensitive. • Division of existing multiple family or single-family residences into common-interest ownership and subdivision of existing commercial or industrial buildings, where no physical changes occur. • Demolition and removal of up to...
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Attachment D outlines the Environmental Review Process Improvements Work Plan, detailing various tasks, descriptions, and target completion dates for enhancing the CEQA review process. Key tasks include kick-off meetings, the creation of a project schedule tracker, development of standard operating procedures, and training for staff. Policies regarding the hiring of environmental consultants and roles of City staff are also established. The document includes ongoing and future tasks related to environmental reviews and guidelines, with target completion dates ranging from 2022 to 2026 and beyond.
Key points
Kick-off meetings and regular check-ins with applicants and consultants are completed.
A standard project schedule tracker tool has been created for CEQA documents.
Standard Operating Procedures for CEQA review have been completed.
A policy requires private applicants to hire an environmental consultant from an approved list.
Performance standards for administrative draft review have been developed.
Internal training for CEQA and NEPA review processes is ongoing.
Policies on roles and responsibilities of City staff in the environmental review process have been published.
An updated City List of Approved Environmental Consultants has been published.
Formal policies and guidelines for environmental consultants are in progress.
Standard templates for CEQA and NEPA documents are to be developed.
Program Level EIRs for the Five Wounds and Saratoga Urban Village Plans are planned.
A review of cost recovery calculations for environmental review fees is scheduled.
Limitations
Some target completion dates are marked as TBD (To Be Determined).
The document does not specify exact dates for some tasks.
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Extracted text preview · 5,774 chars
Attachment D: Environmental Review Process Improvements Work Plan Task Kick-off meetings and regular check-in meetings with applicants and consultants Description Completed Hold kick-off meetings to establish expectations and preliminary timeline. Regular meetings at key milestones to improve coordination and communication between City, consultant, and applicant (Audit 22-02 Recommendation # 2). Target Completion 2022 Create a standard project schedule tracker tool Schedule tracker tool created in Excel for most types of CEQA documents using City’s target review times (Audit 22-02 Recommendation # 6.a.). 2023 Standard Operating Procedures Standard Operating Procedures for CEQA review completed and uploaded into PBCE P2 Hub. 2023 Requirement that private applicants hire an environmental consultant from the City List of Approved Environmental Consultants Policy approved requiring private applicants to hire an environmental consultant from the City List of Approved Environmental Consultants after 1/1/23 (Audit 22-02 Recommendation # 8.b.). 2023 Performance standards and data tracking Performance standards for administrative draft review developed for PBCE Customer Service Charter...
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The source text indicates this attachment appears to be a draft document.
The presentation discusses the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Streamlining, focusing on the development process and CEQA requirements. It includes findings from stakeholder input, an overview of the CEQA process, and strategies for streamlining CEQA for downtown projects. The presentation also compares San Jose's CEQA process with peer cities and outlines the status of recommendations from a 2022 audit aimed at improving the environmental review process.
Key points
Presentation on CEQA Streamlining by Chris Burton and David Keyon.
Summary of findings from stakeholder input indicates various levels of satisfaction with staff communication and review times.
Comparison with peer cities shows San Jose's review times are similar to Los Angeles.
Overview of CEQA process includes determining project exemptions and required analyses.
Strategies proposed to increase project exemptions and streamline processes for downtown projects.
Status of 2022 audit recommendations includes implementation progress on improving environmental review.
Limitations
The text appears to be a draft, as indicated by the repeated mention of presenters and the structure of the content.
Some sections contain unresolved placeholders and missing information, such as specific dates and dollar amounts.
Generated for convenience from extracted text using AI. Review the official source document before relying on this summary.
Extracted text preview · 10,619 chars
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Streamlining Community & Economic Development Committee February 24, 2025 Item (d)4. Presenters: Chris Burton, Director, Department of Planning, Building and Code Enforcement David Keyon, Principal Planner, Department of Planning, Building and Code Enforcement Presentation on CEQA Streamlining “Development Process & CEQA Requirements” – Response to August 2024 Rules Committee • Summary of findings from previously collected stakeholder input and comparison with peer cities • Overview of CEQA Process: ➢ Determining project exemption ➢ Recommendations to allow more projects to be exempt from CEQA ➢ Progress report of 2022 Audit recommendations “CEQA Streamlining for Downtown Projects” – Response to Mayor’s March 2024 Budget Message) • Strategies for further streamlining for Downtown projects • Consider update of Downtown Strategy 2040 EIR 2 www.sanjoseca.gov/PBCE Summary of Stakeholder Input Results of surveys conducted for the 2022 Audit 62% Environmental review took longer than expected 71% Good staff communication on type of CEQA review 65% Good staff communication on technical analysis 46% Good staff communication on timelines 58%...