City Council

G. ADOPTION OF UPDATED “VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED” (VMT)\nTHRESHOLDS OF SIGNIFICANCE FOR PURPOSES OF ANALYZING\nTRANSPORTATION IMPACTS UNDER THE CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL\nQUALITY ACT (CEQA) [RESOLUTION NO. 24-03]\nIn 2020, the City, with guidance provided by the San Gabriel Valley Council of\nGovernments (SGVCOG), adopted new CEQA thresholds of significance for\ntransportation impacts due to changes in state law. These changes modified\nhow the City evaluates projects for transportation impacts for the purposes of\nCEQA. After receiving confirmation from 26 cities to participate in the VMT\nAnalysis Model, the SGVCOG confirmed that the total cost per city to participate\nin the study would not exceed $15,000 for the entirety of the five-year (2020-\n2025) contract (including the update phase and maintenance and SGVCOG\nproject management costs.) Funding will be included as part of the fiscal year\n2023-24 budget in Account No. 184-800-00-22-000.\nThis report describes the changes in VMT, more specifically the change in the\nnumber of low VMT areas that meet the low VMT screening criterion, discusses\nthe SGVCOG recommendations, and includes a draft Resolution to adopt the\nupdated CEQA transportation thresholds.\nCalifornia Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Determination: The Resolution has\nbeen assessed in accordance with the authority and criteria contained in the\nCalifornia Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the State CEQA Guidelines, and\nenvironmental regulations of the City. The adoption of new local CEQA thresholds\nof significance for transportation impacts and the adoption of new Local\nTransportation Assessment Guidelines will not have a significant environmental\nimpact and are exempt from the CEQA pursuant to Section 15308 of Title 14 of\nthe California Code of Regulations because the two actions are undertaken by\nthe City for the protection of the environment. The revised CEQA thresholds will\nbe compliant with a Senate mandate (SB 743) and will be used in a regulatory\nprocess (CEQA process) that involves procedures from the protection of the\nenvironment. Accordingly, the City Council will consider the recommendation to\nfind the Resolution exempt from the environmental review requirements of CEQA\npursuant to Section 15308 of Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations.\nRecommended Action:\nStaff recommends that the City Council adopt Resolution No. 24-03 approving\nthe proposed update thresholds of significance and finding that the action is\nexempt from the California Environmental Quality Act.