2_Exhibits I-J - Laserfiche WebLink

identified significant and unavoidable impacts.(Pub.Resources Code,6 21081;CEQA Guidelines, 15093.) The benefits are addressed in detail in Section II.D below. The City Council specifically adopts and makes this Statement of Overriding Considerations that this Plan has eliminated or substantially lessened all significant effects on the environment where feasible(including the incorporation of feasible mitigation measures), and finds that the remaining significant unavoidable impacts of the Plan,which are described above in Section II.A,are acceptable because the benefits of the Plan set forth below in Section II.D outweigh them. The City Council finds that each of the overriding considerations expressed as benefits and set forth below in Section II.D constitutes a separate and independent ground for such a finding. Any one of the reasons for approval cited below is sufficient to justify approval of the Plan. Thus,even if a court were to conclude that not every reason is supported by substantial evidence, the City Council will stand by its determination that each individual reason is sufficient by itself.The substantial evidence supporting the various benefits can be found in the preceding findings,which are incorporated by reference into this Section II,and in the documents found in the Record of Proceedings,as defined in Section I.D. D. Benefits of the Plan The City Council has considered the Draft and Final EIR,the public record of proceedings on the proposed Plan and other written materials presented to and prepared by the City,as well as oral and written testimony received,and does hereby determine that implementation of the Plan as specifically provided in the Plan documents would result in the following substantial public benefits: 1. Preservation of Biological Resources.The Land Use element of the Plan includes multiple policies that address preservation and enhancement of the Arroyo del Valle, an important biological and scenic resource in downtown Pleasanton. Plan policies go beyond existing City of Pleasanton General Plan policies and Municipal Code requirements to encourage future development that enhances the Arroyo del Valle as a riparian habitat resource.Notably,the Plan requires developers of future projects adjacent to the Arroyo del Valle to implement precautionary measures such as existing conditions assessments,wildlife and habitat monitoring programs,and habitat restoration plans.The Plan also places responsibility on local business owners to reduce any potential impacts to the Arroyo del Valle from littering or waste discharge. 2. Preservation of Historic and Cultural Resources. The Historic Preservation element of the Plan includes multiple policies that address preservation of historic resources in downtown Pleasanton. The Plan prohibits the demolition of buildings in districts found to be historically significant,and requires new development and redevelopment to maintain the existing architectural character of downtown Pleasanton. Additionally, the Plan establishes a procedure for the management of paleontological resources found on-site during development,ensuring that implementation of the Plan would not destroy as-yet undiscovered paleontological sites. 3. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Energy Consumption.As stated above and in the Draft EIR,the Plan would have a significant and unavoidable impact on climate change and emissions of greenhouse gases. However, implementation of the Plan and relevant mitigation would reduce operational emissions by 27,000 MTCO2e per year compared to existing conditions.Additionally, operational energy consumption would decrease by 217,000 million BTU per year compared to existing conditions.By contrast,the No Project Alternative,in which Plan policies and mitigation measures would not be implemented,would result in an operational emissions increase of 4,000 MTCO2e per year and an energy consumption increase of 168,000 million BTU per year compared to existing conditions. While the Plan would not be sufficient to align downtown Pleasanton's emissions trajectory with the goals established under SB 32 and EO S-3-05,implementation of the 26 ntal 24 iteria air pollutants 23