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Mr. Bocian noted that the 1989 Stoneridge Drive Specific Plan required the re-alignment of the <br />Arroyo Mocho. Alameda County pursued this, completed the work, and during the course of the <br />mitigation work, relocated the spearscale into the Arroyo. There is current ongoing monitoring of the <br />situation, and information to date shows it to be adequate and successful. Staff and consultant's <br />assessment is that the EIR relating to this issue is adequate and that any impact on the spearscale <br />would be less than significant. However, notwithstanding this, the Alameda County Surplus <br />Property Authority has agreed to provide for the spearscale as part of the Staples Ranch project, it <br />has agreed to either purchase credits or land at another appropriate mitigation area within Alameda <br />County for an equivalent acre of spearscale habitat. In addition, staff has also indicated that there <br />is an open space portion of the 17 acre community park and the potential exists to populate some <br />of the spearscale in the area. <br />Councilmember McGovern said the staff report states that the environmental impacts of the <br />extension have generally been adequate and consistent with CEQA. She read the final EIR report <br />that states (to the California Transportation Dept), "The commenter requested evaluation of the <br />proposed project with the Stoneridge Drive extension. Staff replied that because the project <br />description does not include the Stoneridge Drive extension and therefore the timing of construction <br />of the Stoneridge Drive extension is not known, undertaking extensive analysis is speculative and <br />hence, not required by CEQA. The analysis presented in the Draft EIR therefore assumes the <br />extension would not be completed by 2015." <br />Mr. Roush said the analysis concerning the full extension was done in a number of different <br />contexts. Staff did look at the impacts that would result in the cumulative development, i.e., at build <br />out. There was also analysis done for the 1989 specific plan which assumed the extension would <br />be a part of that plan, as well. It is true that the project description did not specifically include the full <br />extension, but the traffic report done for the EIR and in response to comments would allow the <br />conclusion that the analysis had been done. He believed the analysis was done to the extent <br />where the Council could draw the conclusion that the environmental impacts have been adequately <br />addressed. <br />Councilmember McGovern questioned the statement that it was "speculative and not required by <br />CEQA", and questioned if the public would believe that it was not fully done and did not have a <br />chance to make public comment regarding the full extension of Stoneridge. She noted there are <br />four intersections that continue to operate at unacceptable levels with the Stoneridge Drive <br />extension in the first phase of the project; 1) Hopyard at Owens; 2) Santa Rita at Stoneridge -this <br />intersection was not listed as an impacted intersection in the Draft EIR. She said mitigations <br />required there are extensive and asked if they would be the responsibility of the project developer if <br />approved tonight. <br />Traffic Engineer Mike Tassano said the mitigation for the first intersection is part of the City's traffic <br />impact fee. The developer contributes to this. The second intersection is not included in the traffic <br />impact fee but has been identified through one of the responses to comments to Caltrans that it is <br />an impact and mitigation would be required. <br />Councilmember McGovern said Santa Rita at Valley will continue to operate at unacceptable levels <br />of service with the extension of Stoneridge Drive. The extension removes 250 cars from the <br />intersection but the critical movement of southbound left turn from Santa Rita to Valley continues to <br />exceed capacity. Mitigations are extensive including construction of the second Valley Avenue <br />westbound left turn and construction of either a Santa Rita northbound turn or a third Santa Rita <br />southbound turn, with traffic signals retimed and optimized for traffic volumes. She questioned the <br />traffic mitigations if Stoneridge Drive goes through. <br />City Council Minutes Page 3 of 17 February 24, 2009 <br />