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CEQA Background The City determined that an Environmental Impact Report is necessary to evaluate environmental impacts of the Downtown Specific Plan (described in the EIR as the "Proposed Plan"), to meet the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The EIR is the informational document that identifies the potential environmental impacts of the Proposed Plan, the mitigation measures for these impacts, and potential impacts that cannot be mitigated and are therefore unavoidable. The City prepared and circulated a Draft EIR (DEIR) on February 1, 2019, and this document was made available for public comment through March 18, 2019. Subsequently, a Final EIR (FEIR was prepared which incorporates responses to comments received on the DEIR, and also includes clarifications and corrections to the DEIR, including a discussion of changes to the draft specific plan since the November 2018 Public Review Draft was published. The FEIR, which is combined with and incorporates the DEIR by reference, is intended to disclose to the City of Pleasanton's decision-makers, responsible agencies, organizations and the public the potential impacts of implementing the Downtown Specific Plan. The Downtown Specific Plan EIR is a "program" level environmental analysis that examines the potential effects resulting from implementing designated land uses and policies in the Proposed Plan. The impact assessment evaluates the Proposed Plan as a whole and identifies the broad, plan-area wide and regional effects that may occur with its implementation. As a programmatic document, the EIR does not assess site-specific impacts. Any future development project made possible by the Proposed Plan will be subject to individual, site-specific environmental review, as required by State law. The EIR represents the best effort to evaluate the Proposed Plan given its planning horizon through the year 2040. It can be anticipated that conditions will change; however, the assumptions used are the best available at the time of preparation and reflect existing knowledge of patterns of development. Following the Planning Commission's review, the FEIR will be forwarded to the City Council along with its review of and recommendation for adoption of the draft specific plan. The City Council will determine whether to certify the EIR as complete according to CEQA requirements, along with its action on the Proposed Plan. Summary of the Final EIR The FEIR summarizes and provides a response to each of the comments that were received on the Draft EIR during the public review period, included comments submitted in writing and at meetings of the Task Force and Planning Commission. The City received a total of seven comment letters; verbal comments were also provided at the March 13, 2019, Planning Commission meeting. The FEIR identifies each letter and provides a response to specific comments within each letter, as well as comments pertinent to the environmental review received at public meetings. The FEIR also includes a master response, which allows for a comprehensive, holistic response to the inter-related comments on changes to the land use designations and development standards in the Proposed Plan, including those changes directed by the City Council at meetings on April 16 and May 7. The FEIR also provides updated analysis on how these modifications do (or do not) result in environmental impacts related to the topics identified in the DEIR (Aesthetics, Air Quality, Downtown Specific Plan Planning Commission 14 of 15