To: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
From: MARC WIENER, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
TITLE
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DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING THE ADOPTION OF AN ADDENDUM TO THE FINAL PROGRAM ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT FOR THE REDONDO BEACH FOCUSED GENERAL PLAN UPDATE, ZONING ORDINANCE UPDATE AND LOCAL COASTAL PROGRAM AMENDMENT PERTAINING TO THE FLOOR AREA RATIO AT THE BEACH CITIES HEALTH DISTRICT CAMPUS
ADOPT BY TITLE ONLY RESOLUTION NO. CC-2412-111, A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF REDONDO BEACH, CALIFORNIA, ADOPTING AN ADDENDUM TO THE FINAL PROGRAM ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT (STATE CLEARINGHOUSE NUMBER 2023050732) FOR THE REDONDO BEACH FOCUSED GENERAL PLAN UPDATE, ZONING ORDINANCE UPDATE AND LOCAL COASTAL PROGRAM AMENDMENT PERTAINING TO THE FLOOR AREA RATIO AT THE BEACH CITIES HEALTH DISTRICT CAMPUS
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City is currently updating the General Plan, including updates to the Land Use, Open Space and Conservation, Safety and Noise Elements. The project was segmented so the items related to implementation of the 6th Cycle Housing Element would occur first, while the remainder of the General Plan updates are scheduled to be considered in January or February of 2025. At the November 5, 2024 City Council meeting, the Council introduced (and later, on November 12, adopted) three ordinances amending Title 10 Chapters 1, 2 and 5 of the Redondo Beach Municipal Code implementing the City’s 6th Cycle Housing Element. The City Council also adopted a resolution certifying the associated Final Program Environmental Impact Report (PEIR - State Clearinghouse Number 2023050732). The City Council directed staff to return on December 3, 2024, with subsequent environmental impact analysis associated with a 1.25 Floor Area Ratio (FAR) at the Beach Cities Health District (BCHD) campus. The analysis, which is captured in the Addendum recommended for adoption, concluded that the 1.25 FAR for the BCHD campus would not result in any new substantial project changes that require major revisions to the Final PEIR.
BACKGROUND
As has been noted in prior meetings, the General Plan Land Use Element establishes FAR limits for the City’s various land use designations, as required by State law. The certified Final PEIR approved by Council on November 5th, includes analysis corresponding to a 0.85 to 1.0 FAR cap at the BCHD campus. During the public hearings that preceded approval of the Final PEIR, representatives from BCHD requested that the City prepare additional environmental review/analysis to allow for consideration of an increased FAR cap for the BCHD campus property. Accordingly, the City Council directed staff and the City’s consultant to prepare the additional analysis.
As such, an Addendum to the certified PEIR, along with a Resolution for adoption, has been prepared for the City Council’s consideration. The Addendum does not commit the City Council to a future policy decision, but rather, provides the option of approving up to a 1.25 FAR cap at the BCHD campus as a component of the Land Use Element update, which is tentatively scheduled for public hearing in January or February 2025.
The PEIR Addendum provides the analysis necessary to evaluate the proposed project in accordance with CEQA Guidelines Sections 15162 and 15164 to determine whether a subsequent PEIR is required. The analysis in the Addendum confirms that the modified project would not result in any new substantial project changes or substantial changes with respect to the circumstances under which the project is undertaken that require major revisions to the Final PEIR due to the involvement of a new significant impact or a substantial increase in the severity of an impact. Further, there is no new information of substantial importance which was not known and could not have been known with the exercise of reasonable diligence at the time the Final PEIR was certified, showing any of the conditions identified in CEQA Guidelines Section 15162(a)(3). Thus, the modified project does not trigger any of the conditions in CEQA Guidelines Section 15162 requiring the preparation of a subsequent PEIR, and the appropriate environmental document, as authorized by CEQA Guidelines Section 15164(b), is an Addendum. The Findings contained within the Addendum (pgs. 27-29) support this determination. Recommended is approval of the Resolution adopting the Addendum to the Final PEIR.
COORDINATION
The Community Development Department and City Attorney’s Office coordinated on the matters related to the EIR Addendum.
FISCAL IMPACT
The total cost of the Agreement with Placeworks, and associated subconsultants, for the General Plan, Zoning Ordinance, and Local Coastal Program Updates is $2,272,372. Except for the initial General Fund expenditure of $676,900, the costs to fund this work have been paid from the General Plan Maintenance Fund and through the Local Early Action Planning (LEAP) Grant reimbursement funds awarded by the State of California. The cost associated with preparing the attached EIR Addendum was an additional $18,000.
APPROVED BY:
Mike Witzansky, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment 1 - Resolution
Attachment 2 - Exhibit A - PEIR Addendum
Attachment 3 - Exhibit B - Addendum Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program