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a maximum of 20 feet below the proposed elevation of 530 feet along the western property line. As such, the future home would be constructed with the uphill hillside as the background. In addition, the design guidelines require the selection of colors and materials for future homes and planting materials that would be compatible with the hillside setting. Therefore, staff feels that this PUD finding can be made as conditioned. 6. Whether adequate public safety measures have been incorporated into the design of the plan. Several public safety measures have been incorporated into the design of the proposed development plan. The Fire Department has found that the curve radii, width, and slopes of the proposed private road are satisfactory and that the road can be negotiated by fire and emergency vehicles. All new homes are required to be equipped with automatic residential fire sprinklers. Therefore, staff believes that this finding can be made. 7. Whether the plan conforms to the purposes of the PUD District. The PUD district allows flexibility in creating development plans and standards for unique situations. In this case, the staff-recommended Alternative 1 site layout would lower the upper building pad therefore minimizing visual impacts. The design guidelines were created to provide design criteria that would ensure future homes would be designed to not only be compatible in architectural styles of the surrounding homes, but also consider the unique situations presented by hillside terrain. Staff feels that the proposed development plan takes into account the City's desire to preserve open space and significant vegetation, to reduce grading on hillsides, and to minimize visibility of development from off-site views. Staff feels that through the PUD process the proposed project has provided the applicants and the City with a development plan that optimizes the use of this hillside site in a sensitive manner. Therefore, staff believes that this finding can be made. ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT Environmental review for the proposed project was undertaken with the Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) approved by the City Council for the VACSP in conformance with the standards of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). CEQA specifies that residential development projects that are prepared pursuant to the requirements of an adopted specific plan for which an EIR has been prepared and certified are exempt from additional environmental review provided: 1) there are no substantial changes to the project or to the circumstances under which the project is being undertaken that involve new significant environmental effects or that substantially increase the severity of previously identified effects; or 2) that new information of substantial importance which was not known at the time the previous EIR was certified shows the project will have one or more significant effects not discussed in the EIR. Staff does not believe that there are any changes in the project, circumstances, or new information causing new significant environmental effects. Thus, staff recommends this project be reviewed without any additional CEQA review or process. PUD-84 Planning Commission Page 22 of 23