CC Resolution 13140 - Update VMT Policy RESOLUTION NO. 13140
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CAMPBELL TO UPDATE THE
VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED TO EVALUATE TRANSPORTATION IMPACTS UNDER THE
CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT (CEQA)
WHEREAS, on August 18, 2020, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 12628 to adopt the City's
Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) Policy for evaluating transportation impacts under CEQA; and
WHEREAS, the VMT Policy includes a series of CEQA Project Screening Criteria whereby
development and transportation improvement projects are presumed to have less-than-significant
transportation impacts if they meet any the criteria listed; and
WHEREAS, the current VMT policy incorporates CEQA Thresholds of.Significances whereby
projects not screened out with a presumption of less-than-significant impact on VMT based on the
screening criteria are to undergo VMT analysis to determine the transportation level of significance;
and
WHEREAS, the General, Plan Update (Envision Campbell) Environmental Impact Report (EIR)
analysis included a VMT analysis of the Build-Out of the General Plan; and
WHEREAS, the VMT analysis determined that the build-out condition would result in significant and
unavoidable VMT impacts; and
WHEREAS, on April 18, 2023, the City Council adopted Envision Campbell and certified the Final
Programmatic EIR with a Statement of Overriding Considerations in accordance with CEQA; and
WHEREAS, updating the VMT policy to add a criterion to screen projects that are consistent with
the General Plan would simplify the evaluation of VMT under CEQA; and
WHEREAS, the proposed update to the.VMT policy would deem that a development project (1)
whose land use is consistent with the General Plan, (2) whose land use is within the increment of
land use change evaluated in the General Plan EIR by Transportation Analysis Zone (TAZ); and (3)
which is consistent with General Plan VMT policies can be presumed to have less than significant
transportation impact.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Campbell adopt the
Update to the VMT Policy (Attachment C to the April 16, 2024 City Council staff report) as the City's
policy for evaluating transportation impacts under CEQA...
PASSED AND ADOPTED this 16th day of April 2024, by the following roll call vote:
AYES: Councilmembers: Bybee, Furtado, Scozzola, Lopez, Landry
NOES: Councilmembers: None ..
ABSENT: Councilmembers: None
APPROVED:
Attest: N JO 0 ) ri sAl X:
a/4:k . • • Susan M. Landry, ayor
a4/4
Andrea Sa ers, City Clerk .
o VMT Policy to Comply with California Senate Bill 743 (SB 743)
f (.
aNf.IAR
CEQA Project Screening Criteria
Projects shall be presumed to have a less-than-significant transportation impact if they meet
any of the following screening criteria:
• Small Project Screening: Any development that would generate fewer than 110 daily
vehicle trips shall be presumed to have-a less-than-significant transportation impact.
• Local-Serving Retail Screening: Retail commercial projects comprised of stores of up
to 60,000 gross square feet shall be presumed to have a less-than-significant
transportation impact.
• Local-Serving Public Facilities Screening: Local-serving public facilities (publicly
owned or controlled), excluding private schools, high schools and middle schools,
shall be presumed to have a less than significant VMT impact. Examples of these
projects include a park, branch library, community or senior center, fire station; and
public elementary school.
•
• Affordable Housing Screening: Projects with 100 percent affordable housing shall be
presumed to have a less-than-significant transportation impact on VMT.
• Transit Screening: All land-use projects located within '/2-mile of a light-rail station shall
be presumed to have a less-than-significant transportation impact on VMT presuming
these projects are consistent with the General Plan.
•
• Screening based on Existing Use: Redevelopment projects that replace existing
VMT-generating uses and result in a net decrease in total VMT shall be presumed to
cause a less than significant impact. For redevelopment projects that result in a net
increase in total VMT, the screening criteria for each land use will be based on the
size of the proposed development without any credit for the existing use.
• Transportation Project Screening: Transportation projects that reduce or do not
increase VMT shall be presumed to have a less than significant VMT impact.
Examples include transportation projects that enhance pedestrian, bike, or transit
infrastructure, and transportation projects that maintain current infrastructure, without
adding new automobile capacity.
• Project Consistent with General Plan: Any development where the (1) proposed
project land use is consistent with the General Plan; (2) the proposed project land
use is within the increment of land use change evaluated in the General Plan EIR by
Transportation Analysis Zone (TAZ); and (3) the proposed project is consistent with
General plan VMT policies, shall be presumed to have a less-than-significant
transportation impact.
4Uf C4
u .`I'
' ' - : VMT Policy to Comply with California Senate Bill 743 (SB 743)
s
kf. ARn
CEQA Thresholds of Significance
For projects not screened out with a presumption of less-than-significant impact on VMT
based upon the above criteria, the following thresholds of significance shall apply to the
corresponding project types to determine the transportation impact level of significance:
• Residential Land Use Projects: A proposed project exceeding a level of 15 percent
below existing Campbell citywide average VMT per capita shall be presumed to
cause a significant transportation impact.
• Office and Retail Land Use Protects: A proposed project exceeding a level of 15
percent below existing Campbell citywide average VMT per employee shall be
presumed to cause a significant transportation impact.
• Mixed-Use and all other Proiect Types: Each land use within a mixed-use project,
and all other project types, shall be evaluated independently by applying the most
appropriate threshold of significance from above to each land use type included in
the project, given project-specific information.
• Changing or Adding to Existing Use: Changes of use or additions to existing
development that are not screened out will be analyzed based on the significance
thresholds for each land use component described above.
• Specific Plan or Other Area Plans: Each land use component will be analyzed
independently, applying the significance thresholds listed above for each land use
component.
• General Plan Amendments: An increase in VMT per service population (jobs plus
residents) over the current adopted General Plan based on an analysis of 2040
horizon year conditions is a significant transportation impact.
• Transportation Projects: A net increase in VMT.
Mitigation of Significant Impacts
Projects that have a significant impact on VMT must either modify the project description to
reduce the impact or implement feasible mitigation measures which will avoid or
substantially lessen such significant effects. Mitigation measures may include multimodal
transportation improvements or travel demand management (TDM) measures to reduce
single-occupant vehicle trips.
Applicability of Policy (Pipeline Provisions)
The policy contained herein is effective immediately following approval by the City Council
("Effective Date") and shall apply to projects under the following provisions:
p4 f..ti.Mp
8pf
sf. -�'' VMT.Policy to Comply with California Senate Bill 743 (SB 743)
f
Ukcnn� ``
•
Active projects with a draft environmental document circulated prior to July 1, 2020
may proceed with analyzing transportation impacts under the previous City policy,
with use of automobile delay-based metrics and thresholds of significance,
• Active projects without a published draft environmental review document as of July 1
shall conduct transportation impact analyses pursuant to this policy using the VMT
metrics and thresholds of significance contained herein.
Local Transportation Analysis
All projects, including those screened out from being subject to a detailed CEQA VMT
analysis, may be required to prepare a Local Transportation Analysis (LTA) to demonstrate
conformance with multimodal transportation system strategies, goals, and policies in the
General Plan and address adverse effects to the transportation system. Notwithstanding the
use of VMT as the new transportation performance metric, the City will require proposed
development projects to implement improvements designed to ensure that the street system
operates at an acceptable level where such improvements would not conflict with the City's
multimodal transportation system policies or negatively impact VMT. Acceptable
intersection level of service is defined as LOS D, except at Congestion Management
Program (CMP) intersections where the standard is LOS E.