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Environmental Checklist Noise Final Initial Study – Negative Declaration 69 Action P13 that would increase tree planting in the City, Action P15 that would encourage water efficiency upgrades to existing buildings, and Action S8 that would add new green stormwater management facilities to the community. However, CAP 2.0 projects and actions would be reviewed for consistency with the Pleasanton General Plan and PMC, and construction activities would be required to comply with the provisions of the PMC Chapter 9.04, including the permitted construction hours and maximum noise limits. Therefore, the CAP 2.0 would not result in significant construction noise related impacts.80 The CAP 2.0 does not include future projects that would result in substantial operational noise. Rather, the CAP 2.0 encompasses a suite of GHG-reduction opportunities that affect the transportation sector and its associated noise. For example, CAP 2.0 Strategies TLU-1 and TLU-2 encourage adoption of EVs and electric small engine and off-road equipment, which are quieter than gas-powered alternatives, and facilitate improvements to bicycle and public transit circulation to increase active transportation and transit ridership and decrease VMT. These strategies would reduce VMT and traffic-related noise in Pleasanton. Therefore, the CAP 2.0 would not generate excessive operational noise levels and would result in a less-than-significant impact related to noise exposure. b. Would the project result in exposure of persons to or generation of excessive groundborne vibration or groundborne noise levels? While people have varying sensitivities to vibrations at different frequencies, in general they are most sensitive to low-frequency vibration. Vibration in buildings, such as from nearby construction activities, may cause windows, items on shelves, and pictures on walls to rattle. Vibration of building components can also take the form of an audible low-frequency rumbling noise, referred to as groundborne noise.81 Although groundborne vibration is sometimes noticeable in outdoor environments, it is almost never annoying to people who are outdoors. The primary concern from vibration is that it can be intrusive and annoying to building occupants and vibration-sensitive land uses. Vibration amplitudes are usually expressed in peak particle velocity (PPV) or Root Mean Square (RMS) vibration velocity. The PPV and RMS velocity are normally described in inches per second (in/sec). PPV is defined as the maximum instantaneous positive or negative peak of a vibration signal. PPV is often used in monitoring of blasting vibration because it is related to the stresses that are experienced by buildings.82 Vibration significance ranges from approximately 50 vibration decibels (VdB), which is the typical background vibration-velocity level, to 100 VdB, the general threshold where minor damage can occur in fragile buildings. The general human response to different levels of groundborne vibration velocity levels is described in Table 6.83 80 Pleasanton, City of. 2021. Municipal Code Chapter 9.04. Available: <https://qcode.us/codes/pleasanton/>. Accessed October 15, 2021. 81 California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). 2020. Transportation and Construction Vibration Guidance Manual (CT-HWANP- RT-13-069.25.3). Available: <https://dot.ca.gov/-/media/dot-media/programs/environmental-analysis/documents/env/tcvgm-apr2020- a11y.pdf>. Accessed October 15, 2021. 82 Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). 2006. FHWA Highway Construction Noise Handbook. (FHWAHEP-06-015; DOT-VNTSC-FHWA- 06-02). Available: <https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/Environment/noise/construction_noise/handbook/handbook00.cfm>. Accessed October 15, 2021. 83 Federal Transit Administration. 2018. Transit Noise and Vibration Impact Assessment Manual. <https://www.transit.dot.gov/sites/fta.dot.gov/files/docs/research-innovation/118131/transit-noise-and-vibration-impact-assessment- manual-fta-report-no-0123_0.pdf>. Accessed October 15, 2021.