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Brian Dolan then presented the purpose of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), stating that CEQA requires state and local agencies to identify environmental impacts of their actions and to avoid or mitigate those impacts, if feasible; and to disclose to the public a complete project description and any potential environmental impacts, and the reasons why it approved the project in the manner the agency chose if significant environmental effects are involved. Mr. Dolan then discussed the purpose of the SEIR, which is to incorporate data and analysis, based in part on new information available to the City since the preparation and certification of the EIR; to respond to issues raised in litigation challenging the adequacy of the EIR; to re-evaluate the Four-Lane Concurrent Extension Alternative approved by the City Council, which includes the construction of two two-lane bridges and a four-lane Stoneridge Drive extension through Staples Ranch at the same time as the development of Staples Ranch; and to evaluate a new roadway configuration option, a Two-Lane Constrained Extension Alternative, which differs from the Four-Lane Concurrent Extension Alternative, by reducing the total number of lanes by one in each direction across the proposed Arroyo bridges. Finally, Mr. Dolan explained the relation of the SEIR to the original EIR, stating that the SEIR is intended for use in conjunction with the EIR and that the SEIR needs to contain only information necessary to make the original EIR adequate. Robin Giffin next presented the biology highlights of the Draft SEIR, stating that a new mitigation has been added to address potential impacts to the San Joaquin spearscale habitat on the site, consisting of ACSPA purchasing credits or land in Alameda County for a total of 1.77 acres. She noted that additional biological surveys were conducted by WRA Environmental Consultants for tiger salamander, California red-legged frog, and the western pond turtle, for which no species were found. Ms. Giffin reported that a new noise study was conducted by Charles Salter and Associates for the Two-Lane Constrained Extension and the Four-Lane Concurrent Extension alternatives. She noted that as the noise program of the 2005-2025 Pleasanton General Plan states that ambient noise level increases of more than 4 dBA are considered significant and because areas along Stoneridge Drive will have such noise level increase, a mitigation measure has been added requiring noise-attenuating pavement on Stoneridge Drive from Kamp Drive to El Charro Road prior to the completion of Stoneridge Drive extension to El Charro Road. She added that ACSPA has also agreed to fund $500,000 to help pay for the repaving of Stoneridge Drive sooner than the City’s regular replacement schedule. Mr. Dolan followed with an overview of the greenhouse gas (GHG) and global climate change analysis. He noted that standards of significance and quantificationof items for mitigation of GHG emissions and comparison of findings to a threshold, which were not contained in the Draft EIR, have been added in the Supplemental EIR. He indicated that GHG continues to evolve and that additional guidance was received from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) which will provide a greater level of PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, December 9, 2009 Page 4 of 12