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BACKGROUND <br /> On February 24, 2009, the City of Pleasanton certified the Stoneridge Drive Specific <br /> Plan Amendment/Staples Ranch Environmental Impact Report (EIR), which evaluated <br /> the environmental impacts of modifying the land use and circulation plans for the 124 <br /> acre Staples Ranch portion of the Stoneridge Drive Specific Plan, previously adopted in <br /> 1989. After certifying the EIR, the City Council approved the Stoneridge Drive Specific <br /> Plan Amendment as contemplated by the Ice Center Alternative, but without the <br /> modifications to Stoneridge Drive. That is, the City Council opted to retain the original <br /> Specific Plan circulation improvements for Stoneridge Drive, requiring the construction <br /> of two bridges and four lanes through the Staples Ranch project at the same time as <br /> project buildout, as originally contemplated by the Stoneridge Drive Specific Plan (Four <br /> Lane Concurrent Extension), rather than at some point in the future. <br /> At this same meeting, the City Council directed staff to complete negotiations on a draft <br /> transportation policy statement with Alameda County and the cities of Livermore and <br /> Dublin. The policy statement would establish priorities and commitments for the <br /> construction and completion of major arterials in the Tri- Valley, including Stoneridge <br /> Drive, with the intent of having an approved policy statement adopted prior to <br /> annexation of Staples Ranch to Pleasanton. Moreover, in July 2009, as part of the <br /> 2005 -2025 General Plan, the City Council adopted Program 1.6 of the Circulation <br /> Element that provides in relevant part, "Open the Stoneridge Drive extension to through <br /> traffic when Pleasanton reaches an agreement with its regional partners...for a strategic <br /> approach and funding plan for relieving traffic congestion in the Tri Valley." <br /> On June 2, 2009, the City Council directed staff to assess whether the City Council <br /> should further amend the Stoneridge Drive Specific Plan by adopting a configuration of <br /> Stoneridge Drive that would differ from the four lane configuration adopted on February <br /> 24, 2009, by reducing the total number of lanes available for travel by one in each <br /> direction across the Arroyo bridges (subsequently referred to in the SEIR as the Two <br /> Lane Constrained Extension). The Two -Lane Constrained Extension would still entail <br /> the full extension of Stoneridge Drive to El Charro Road as part of the development of <br /> Staples Ranch, i.e., both bridges and each bridge wide enough to accommodate two <br /> lanes of traffic, but would temporarily stripe the travel lanes on the Arroyo bridges to one <br /> in each direction, instead of the two lanes in each direction. <br /> To facilitate this reassessment, a Draft Environmental Impact Report Supplement (Draft <br /> SEIR) to assess and compare the effects of the Four -Lane Concurrent Extension <br /> Alternative and the Two -Lane Constrained Extension Alternative against the Proposed <br /> Project was prepared. <br /> In accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) the Draft SEIR was <br /> distributed for public review and comments. The public review period for the Draft SEIR <br /> ended on December 30, 2009. The original review period was to end on December 17, <br /> 2009, but members of the public requested an extension and staff was able to <br /> accommodate this request. <br /> Page 5 of 10 <br />